Lemon & Mascarpone Drambuie Tartlets

By Drambuie

A make-ahead dessert to help you effortlessly entertain over the festivities – with a decadent addition of Drambuie to give the tarts a unique flavour…

Preparation time: 30min, plus chilling time
Cooking time: 25-30min
Serves: 6

INGREDIENTS:

For the cases:

175g plain flour
100g cold butter, cubed
75g icing sugar
1 egg yolk
3tsp fresh thyme leaves, finely chopped
1tbsp cold water

For the filling:

100g mascarpone
50g golden caster sugar
50g clear heather honey
2 lemons, juice and zest
2 eggs, plus 2 egg yolks
2tbsp Drambuie

For the honey mascarpone:

150g mascarpone
4tbsp heather honey, or to taste

To serve:

Edible flowers

TO MAKE:

For the tartlet cases, place the flour, butter and icing sugar into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until it resembles breadcrumbs. Alternatively use your fingertips to rub together. Add the egg yolk, thyme leaves, and 1tbsp cold water. Pulse again until it starts to from clumps, or use a butter knife to mix it together, then tip out onto a surface and bring it together with your hands, being careful not to overwork the dough. Wrap in clingfilm and chill in the fridge for 15min. Grease 6 x 10cm fluted tart tins.
Roll out the pastry to 3mm thick. Using a 12cm cutter, stamp out six rounds from the pastry and place into the tartlet tins, using your fingers to gently push the pasty into the fluted sides. Cut off any excess pastry. Place in the fridge to chill while you preheat the oven to 200ºC, Fan Oven 180ºC, Gas Mark 6.
Prick the bases of the pastry with a fork, line with a circle of greaseproof paper and baking beans, and bake blind for 10min, until just cooked. Remove from the oven and set aside too cool. Reduce the oven to 170ºC, Fan Oven 150ºC, Gas Mark 3.
Once the tart cases are cool, beat together the mascarpone, caster sugar, clear honey, lemon juice and zest until smooth. Beat in the eggs and egg yolks until combined and smooth, followed by the Drambuie. Pour into the tartlets cases and bake in the oven for 15-20min, or until set. Leave to cool.
The tartlets taste best served when just cooled, but can be made a day ahead and stored in the fridge. When you are ready to serve, whip the mascarpone with the honey and serve on the side. Decorate with pretty, edible flowers, if desired.