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Lemon and cardamom chiffon pie with coconut pastry


Serves: 12
timePrep time: 45 mins
timeTotal time:
Lemon and cardamom chiffon pie with coconut pastry
Recipe photograph by Nassima Rothacker

Lemon and cardamom chiffon pie with coconut pastry

Perfect after a spring Sunday lunch, this is refreshingly tangy. If you prefer, you can leave out the cardamom from both pastry and filling, but it does add a lovely fragrance

Serves: 12
timePrep time: 45 mins
timeTotal time:

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Nutritional information (per serving)
Calories
348Kcal
Fat
19gr
Saturates
12gr
Carbs
40gr
Sugars
25gr
Fibre
1gr
Protein
4gr
Salt
0.3gr

Mitzie Wilson

Mitzie Wilson

Mitzie Wilson is a food writer, baker and our former Acting Food Director. Mitzie has been writing recipes for magazines for over 30 years, and was editor of BBC Good Food and Delicious. Her particular speciality is creating show-stopping bakes.

See more of Mitzie Wilson’s recipes
Mitzie Wilson

Mitzie Wilson

Mitzie Wilson is a food writer, baker and our former Acting Food Director. Mitzie has been writing recipes for magazines for over 30 years, and was editor of BBC Good Food and Delicious. Her particular speciality is creating show-stopping bakes.

See more of Mitzie Wilson’s recipes

Ingredients

For the pastry
  • 50g desiccated coconut
  • 200g plain flour
  • 30g caster sugar
  • seeds of 8 cardamom pods, ground finely
  • 115g cold salted butter, diced
For the filling
  • 8 cardamom pods (optional)
  • 3 lemons
  • 185g caster sugar
  • 40g butter
  • 40g cornflour
  • 2 medium eggs
For the toppings
  • 75g caster sugar
  • 100ml double cream, to serve (optional)
  • Edible flower to decorate (optional)

Step by step

Get ahead
Prepare to the end of step 3 up to 2 days ahead. Leftovers keep for up to 3 days.
  1. Put the coconut in a food processor and blend until finely ground. Add the flour, sugar, cardamom and butter and blend to fine crumbs. Add 4 teaspoons of cold water and pulse until it begins to clump together, adding a little more water if needed. Turn out onto a work surface and bring together using your hands. Wrap and chill for 30 minutes.
  2. Grease a deep fluted 20cm diameter tart tin. Dust the work surface lightly with flour and roll out the dough to the thickness of a pound coin. Lift the pastry over the rolling pin and into the pastry case, then press into the base and up the sides. Don’t worry if it cracks – it can be patched up. Trim the edge of the pastry, then line with baking paper and fill with baking beans or rice. Chill again for at least 20 minutes. Preheat the oven to 200°C, fan 180°C, gas 6.
  3. Bake for 15 minutes, remove the paper and beans and return to the oven for a further 5 minutes or until the pastry has dried out. Leave to cool.
  4. For the filling, crack open the cardamom pods and scrape the seeds into a pan. Add 200ml water and bring to the boil to infuse the flavour, then strain through a sieve to remove the seeds. Return the cardamom water to the pan. Finely grate the zest from 1 lemon and add to the pan. Pare strips of zest from another lemon and set aside for the candied peel. Then cut all the lemons in half and squeeze the juice; you need 70ml. Add this to the water with 125g of the sugar and the butter. Bring to the boil.
  5. Mix the cornflour with 3 tablespoons of cold water. Add to the boiling lemon mixture, whisking until smooth and thickened. Cook for 1 minute and taste; if still floury, cook a little longer. Remove from the heat and cool for 5 minutes.
  6. Separate the eggs. Beat the yolks in a bowl with a fork, then stir in a little of the slightly cooled lemon mixture. Gradually add the remaining lemon mix, stirring constantly.
  7. Whisk the egg whites to stiff peaks in a clean bowl, then beat in the remaining 60g caster sugar. Fold them into the lemon mixture and pour into the pastry case. Leave to set in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
  8. To make the candied peel, stack up the reserved pared strips of lemon zest and cut into matchsticks. Place in a small pan with 3 tablespoons water and 50g of the sugar. Bring to the boil and boil for 2 minutes. Drain, then pat dry with kitchen paper. Roll in the rest of the sugar and leave to dry for a couple of hours on a plate.
  9. If you like, whip the cream and pipe around the edge of the tart. Scatter with candied peel and edible flowers, if using.

    * This recipe contains raw eggs

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