Home Kitchen: Selasi Gbormittah

A laughing man cutout onto a gold and blue background.

Baker, Selasi Gbormittah, teaches us how to make a classic tarte au citron, sharing his technical skills and a nut-free alternative along the way. A contestant in season seven of The Great British Bake Off in 2016, Gbormittah has continued to share his love of baking far and wide. Recently, he has also been working hard to support NHS workers around London by baking and gifting them with sweet treats.

Pastry 
125g unsalted butter (room temperature)
250g plain flour
90g icing sugar
30g ground almonds
Pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla essence
1 medium egg

1. Mix the flour and butter together gently with the tips of your fingers.
2. Add the icing sugar and continue mixing for 10 to 15 seconds. 
3. Add the ground almonds and work it into the dough, still using your hands. 
4. Add the salt and vanilla bean paste, and continue mixing.
5. Make a well in the centre of your mixture and add the egg. Using a fork, begin to mix the egg into the dough. Once there is no visible liquid, you can start kneading the dough lightly with your hands. 
6. When all the ingredients are combined, divide the ball of dough into two pieces. Place half the dough between two sheets of baking paper, and spread it out with a rolling pin until it is quite flat (about 3mm high). 
7. Place the flattened dough in the fridge for about 30 minutes, or in the freezer for 10 minutes. 
8. After the dough has cooled, press it into a well-greased pastry tin.

Almond cream 
39g unsalted butter
39g caster sugar
39g ground almonds
½ tsp lemon zest
1 tsp plain flour (optional)
1 small to medium egg

1. Mix the butter and sugar together using a spatula or spoon until it reaches a smooth, paste-like consistency. 
2. Add the ground almonds, lemon zest and flour to the butter mixture, and combine well. 
3. Add the egg and mix together until there are no lumps. For this step, you can use a hand whisk if you like. 
4. Put in the fridge and chill, until it is ready to add to the pastry.

Lemon cream
3½ to 4 eggs 
180g caster sugar
180g lemon juice
200g unsalted butter

1. Add the eggs, lemon juice and sugar to a saucepan, and whisk together over a low heat until the mixture begins to thicken. Make sure you monitor the heat level and stir constantly to prevent the eggs from cooking.  
2. Once the mixture has thickened to a paste, transfer it to a jug and let it cool down. 
3. Add the butter and mix together using a hand blender. 
4. Set aside to cool. 

Method
1. Put the pastry in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes at 160°C, with fan. 
2. After about 15 minutes, take the pastry out and add the almond cream. Using the corner of a plastic bag with the tip cut off, pipe the cream onto the pastry. Then, using a knife or the back of a spoon, spread the almond cream so that it is evenly distributed. 
3. Return the tart to the oven and bake for an additional 15 minutes. Then, transfer to the fridge to cool for a few minutes.
4. Once the lemon cream has cooled and set, scoop it onto the pastry, spreading it as you go and flattening it on the top. 

Nut-free pastry ingredients
90g unsalted butter (room temperature)
250g plain flour
150g icing sugar
Pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla essence 
1 large egg
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