Ingredients

• 200g/7oz plain flour
• 100g/3¾oz butter, cut into small pieces, plus extra for greasing
• 25g/1oz caster sugar
• 85g/3oz caster sugar
• 85g/3oz butter, softened
• 500g/1lb 2oz curd or medium fat soft cheese
• 1 lemon, grated rind and juice
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 50g/1¾oz currants or raisins
•   freshly grated nutmeg, for sprinkling
•   icing sugar, for dusting

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6. Grease a 23cm/9in loose-bottomed flan tin and set on a baking sheet. Make the pastry: put the flour into a bowl and rub in the butter with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar, then add about two or three tablespoons of cold water and mix to a firm dough.
2. Knead the dough briefly on a floured surface, then roll out to a 28cm round using short sharp strokes, giving the dough a quarter turn after each rolling. Flip the pastry over the rolling pin, then lift carefully on to the flan tin. Ease the pastry into the bottom and sides of the tin with your fingers, allowing it to flop over the top. Run the rolling pin over the top to trim the pastry to a neat edge. Line the pastry case with greaseproof paper and fill with baking beans, dried beans or rice. Bake for 15 minutes, then remove the paper and beans and bake for a further 5 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 180C/350F/Gas 4.
3. Make the filling: in a bowl, beat together the sugar and butter for about 5 minutes until pale and light. Stir in the cheese and lemon rind, making sure the mixture is well blended. Gradually beat in the lemon juice, then the eggs, a little at a time.
4. Stir in the dried fruit, then pour the mixture into the pastry case. Bake for 30-35 minutes until the filling is set about 5cm in from the edge and is pale golden on the surface (it will set completely as it cools). Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then transfer the tart to a flat serving plate. Sprinkle with nutmeg and a light dusting of icing sugar; serve warm or cold.

Notes