After a number of trials, Dave our Cellar Door Manager, has made excellent use of the citrusy Gundog Gin & an abundance of limes to create the perfect mix of Gin & limey goodness in this wicked tart. Go forth & bake friends!!!!

Preheat the oven to 160C/140C Fan/Gas.
Grease a 23cm loose-bottomed tart pan with butter. If you prefer smaller tarts simply roll your pastry out and cut to slightly larger width than the size of the tart tin you are using. I have used muffin tins, pie tins and a tart tin to make three different sizes.

If using smaller size tins, cut baking times down.
For pie sized I blind baked for 9 minutes, baked pastry for 12 minutes and then for 13 minutes with the lime/gin custard in.
For the Pastry

  • 500g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
  • 140g icing sugar
  • 250g unsalted butter, cubed
  • 4 egg yolks

To make the pastry

  • Mix the flour and icing sugar in a bowl. Rub the butter into the flour with your fingers until crumbly.
  • Mix in the egg yolks. If the pastry is still too dry, add 1-2 tbsp water until it comes together.
  • Roll into a ball and divide in half (freeze one half for another recipe). Flatten out the pastry with your hands, wrap the dough in cling film, then chill for at least 30 mins.
  • Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface to about the thickness of a $1 coin, then lift into a 23cm tart tin.
  • Press down gently on the bottom and sides, then trim off any excess pastry. Stab a few holes in the bottom with a fork and put back in the fridge for 30 mins.
    Note: you can easily cheat (I did this, on your first batch) by buying Pampas Shortcrust pastry from the supermarket freezer section and use this to line your tart case…just remember to follow step 2 onward and still blind bake your pastry.
  • Line the tart with baking paper and fill with rice, or dried beans. Bake for 10 mins, then remove the tart tin from the oven, discard the baking paper, and bake for another 20 mins until biscuity.

Note: Heston’s tip is to scrunch the paper up a heap and flatten it back out before you use to remove rough edges.

For the Filling

  • 4 eggs
  • 175g caster sugar
  • 1 tbs finely grated lime zest,
  • 175ml strained lime juice
  • 150ml thickened cream
  • 60ml Gundog Dry Gin

Whisk the eggs, caster sugar, lime zest and juice, cream and gin together until well combined (30 seconds to a minute). The filling will be quite runny. Pour the filling into the cooled tart shell. The liquid will have small bubbles on top when poured.

Note: another Heston tip is to touch these gently with the back of a spoon to remove the bubbles for a better finish.

Bake in an oven that has been preheated to 180C/160C Fan/Gas for 15-20 minutes or until just set/slightly wobbly. Allow to cool for 20-30 minutes. Dust with icing sugar, cover with cling film and put in the fridge until cooled entirely.

When ready, add a dollop of Double Cream or Vanilla ice cream…or both!