This tart is as easy to make as it is to eat, and is particularly good served with a red fruit coulis. I sometimes flavour the filling with vanilla extract or a few drops of orange flower water rather than lemon. You can make this tart using a pâte sablée pastry case, but I much prefer pâte à foncer or flan pastry, which is still buttery and short but much less sweet, and complements the fromage blanc filling nicely.
SERVES 6–8
350g flan pastry
Plain flour, for dusting
Butter, for greasing
For the filling
200g fromage blanc, 20–40% fat content (see below)
100g caster sugar, plus a pinch for the egg whites
300ml milk
6 medium eggs, separated
60g cornflour
Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured work surface to a circle, about 2mm thick and 32–34cm in diameter. Lightly butter a 22cm tart ring, 4–5cm deep, and place on a baking sheet. Loosely wrap the pastry around the rolling pin and unfurl it gently over the tart ring, making sure it keeps its shape. Press the pastry against the side of the ring and chill in the fridge for at least 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas 4.
For the filling, put the fromage blanc, caster sugar, milk, egg yolks, cornflour and lemon zest and juice into a bowl and mix well with a balloon whisk until the mixture is completely homogeneous, without overworking it.
In a scrupulously clean and cold bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff, adding the pinch of sugar once they are almost stiff. Using a spatula, gently fold the whipped egg whites into the egg yolk and fromage blanc mixture.
Pour the mixture into the chilled pastry case, filling it to the brim. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, then lower the oven setting to 150°C/Gas 2 and cook for another 20 minutes.
Remove the tart from the oven and leave it in the ring for 5 minutes, then invert a baking tray lined with baking parchment over the ring and turn the tart upside down onto it, taking care not to burn yourself. Leave the tart upside down for 10 minutes, then carefully remove the tart ring by rotating it slightly.
Place a serving plate over the base of the tart and carefully turn it over again. The tart is best served once it has cooled slightly – either warm or at room temperature but definitely not chilled.
It isn’t easy to find fromage blanc, but as an alternative, you can use a combination of 140g quark and 60g full-fat Greek-style yoghurt.