Ingredients

Step by step

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