Lemon Poppy Bliss

Ingredients:

300g plain flour

250g unsalted butter

150g ground poppy seeds  

150g icing sugar

1 whole egg

Lemon curd 

4  medium (organic) lemons (zest and juice)

200g granulated sugar

100g unsalted butter  

3 free range eggs + 1 egg yolk 

From these ingredients you will make a jar of curd what is much more then you need for the biscuits.

Method:

Pour all of the dry ingredients into a big bowl. Add the butter and rub together until it is crumbly. Add the egg to make a smooth dough. It should be soft but not sticky (this depends on the size of the egg you use). If it is a bit too sticky, add extra flour. Leave the dough to chill for half an hour.

Meanwhile, put the lemon zest and juice from all 4 lemons in a heat proof bowl with the sugar and butter. Put the bowl over a pan of boiling water and let it melt.

In another bowl, beat the egg yolk and eggs together until mixed well. With the heat on low, slowly pour the beaten egg mix into the lemon mix while stirring continuously. It will take about 10 minutes to become creamy. Pour it out of the bowl into a dish to let it cool down.

Preheat the oven to 170°C / 340°F and line a baking tray. When the dough has rested, halve it and make into about 12 small balls (watch the video!). Place them on the baking tray and with the handle end of a spatula, push into the balls to make deep holes. (This is where the lemon curd will go.)

Bake for 8-10 minutes. Leave them to cool down before piping the lemon curd into the holes. Viola!

This was my last challenge for this year. Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas and an even better New Year! Look out for more challenges next year.