Lemon Silk Tart

-
This recipe is a mash-up of 2 classics: the French-style tarte au citron with the topping of the chocolate silk pie.



SHORTCRUST
2 cups all-purpose flour (250 grams)
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter (150 grams), softened and diced
1/4 cup caster sugar (50 grams)
1/2 cup confectioner's/icing sugar (50 grams)
1 egg
1 pinch of salt

LEMON CURD 
3/4 cup + 1 tablespoon lemon juice from 3/4 lemons (200 ml)
zest of one lemon
3/4 cup caster sugar (150 grams)
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon cornstarch
3/4 stick unsalted butter (75 grams), softened
 CREAM TOPPING
10 oz PHILADELPHIA cream cheese, chilled
1 cup heavy cream (at least 30% fat), chilled
1/4 cup caster sugar (50 grams)
1 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted

To make the crust, beat the egg with sugars and salt. Add flour all at once, kneading it with your fingers. Add softened butter, knead quickly until incorporated and form a ball with the dough. Wrap in cling film and refrigerate for at least one hour.
Preheat oven at 350°F/180°C. Roll dough onto a floured surface (the crust is very buttery, so I rolled it between to sheets of parchment paper) and place in a 9 inch wide pie pan. Cover crust with a sheet of parchment paper and ceramic beads (or beans) to blind bake the crust for 10 minutes.
Remove the beads and the parchment paper and bake for another 15 minutes, until crust is golden.
Remove from the oven and let cool in pan.
    Wash and zest one lemon. In a saucepan, bring lemon juice and zest to a boil. In a separate bowl, beat eggs with sugar and cornstarch until sugar has dissolved and mixture turns a pale yellow.
    Pour hot lemon juice slowly over the egg mixture whisking constantly. Transfer back into the saucepan and whisk on medium heat until mixture thickens into curd.
    Transfer into a clean bowl and cover with cling film stuck to the surface of the curd (so it doesn't form a "skin" on top). When temperature has lowered to just warm, remove the cling film, and add softened butter, whisking well until dissolved completely.
    Pour the curd onto the crust, and refrigerate.


    To make the silk cream topping, beat heavy cream with sugar with electric beaters. When the cream reaches the right consistency (thick and adheres to the bowl - 4/5 minutes), add cream cheese, almond extract and beat until mixture becomes thick and smooth (2 minutes). With a spatula, spread evenly over the curd. Top with toasted almond slices before serving.



    Comments

    Post a Comment

    Popular posts from this blog

    Mandarin Chicken

    -
    Image
    So much was lost when Katrina hit New Orleans in 2005. Lives, homes, jobs,... but also the little things that we hold dear to our hearts: photo albums, treasured heirlooms or beloved recipes. The Times-Picayune collected and published some of the latter that people went looking for in the years that followed Katrina. Mandarin Chicken was one of these recipes.  This clipping was sent to us by my partner's stepmother a few years ago. Since then, we have received nearly a hundred requests to share this recipe. Note: Every Chinese restaurant in New Orleans has its own version of Mandarin sauce. It seems to us that this one needs a few pinches of Chinese five spice in the sauce. Also, it is usually served with crushed peanuts and chopped scallions sprinkled on top. This recipe comes from Fong's Chinese restaurant in Kenner. MANDARIN CHICKEN Egg Batter 2 cups flour 2 tablespoons cooking oil 2 eggs 1 cup cornstarch 2 teaspoons salt 1 teaspoon Accent 1/2 teas
    Read more

    Hazelnut dacquoise with praliné feuilleté and chestnut buttercream

    -
    Image
    This is a creation of mine, combining two recipes that I thought would work well together. Pretty happy with the result. DACQUOISE 90 grams ground hazelnuts 100 grams whole hazelnuts (I used walnuts instead) 100 grams confectioner's (icing) sugar 3 large egg whites 35 grams white sugar PRALINÉ FEUILLETÉ 200 grams of pralinoise (55% hazelnut content) 100 grams of crêpes dentelles (I used "Gavottes") CHESTNUT BUTTERCREAM 370 grams (whole jar) of chestnut cream 150 grams PHILADELPHIA cream cheese 125 grams unsalted butter, softened Preheat oven at 180°C (about 350°F). For the dacquoise, coarsely chop the whole hazelnuts and toast them in a pan, stirring from time to time to avoid burning. When toasted, set aside. In a bowl, beat egg whites with handheld mixer adding white sugar in small amounts, until fully incorporated and mixture thickens and forms glossy peaks. In a separate bowl, mix ground hazelnut and confectioner's sugar together. Fold del
    Read more

    The Garden Route: from George to Tsitsikamma National Park

    -
    Image
     We figured the mild temperatures of late Fall / early Winter in South Africa would provide the perfect weather to explore the Garden Route. Luck was with us too, because we arrived in George after a straight week of rainfall.The flight from Johannesburg was short (a little under two hours) and cost us about ZAR 6000 (approximately EUR 300), including one checked luggage each (with FlySafair). We rented a SUV with First Rental Car, a company we had previously used when we went to Cape Town. In spite of several sections of road work along the way, the drive from George to our first accommodation north of Plettenberg Bay (approx. 125 km or 80 miles) was extremely pleasant, with scenic views over the ocean, coastal towns and beaches to the right, and the striking mountain range to the left. For our first stop, we chose to spend a couple of nights at the Trogon Treetop House and Forest Spa, (https://www.trogonhouse.co.za) located in The Crags, about 25 km past Plettenberg Bay. Nestled in t
    Read more