Get ready to grab your sweetheart and pucker up because today's "What's under the Cake Dome Sunday" sweet treat is sure to make you pucker-ready. Today I made The Mister a Lemon Tart topped with Chantilly Cream.
While grocery shopping this past week I spied a lovely bag full of lemons. I have a particular fondness for lemon ANYTHING and I grabbed up these lovely yellow orbs and knew I'd use them for dinners as well as desserts.
I chose a Lemon Tart recipe from a French pastry site and this recipe did not disappoint. The French chefs sure do know how to create delicate pastries using the simplest and freshest ingredients. And the care taken to each individual ingredient is what make French cooking so wonderful. I've learned a few tips and suggestions and I'd love to pass them on to you so as to take out some of the mystery out of baking.
First, here is the recipe:
Lemon Tart with Chantilly Cream
Ingredients:
- Pastry:
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 7 tablespoons cold butter
- 3 tablespoons cold water
- Lemon Filling:
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1/4 creme fraiche or sour cream
- 2 eggs
- 3 egg yolks
- 2/3 cup fresh lemon juice
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 4 teaspoons lemon zest
Preparation:
In a small bowl, mix together the flour, sugar and salt. Using a pastry cutter or a food processor on pulse setting, cut the chilled butter into the flour until it resembles coarse sand with a few pea-sized pieces of butter still visible. Sprinkle the cold water onto the mixture and toss gently a few times, just until it forms a ball that holds together.
Separate the dough into two balls, flatten slightly into thick disk shapes and warapin plastic wrap and chill for several hours before working with it.
Preheat an oven to 375 degrees F. Roll and trim the dough to make a circle large enough to fit a 10-inch fluted tart pan. Fit the circle into the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Line the dough with pie weights or dried peas or lentils and bake it for 15 minutes. REmove the pie weights and bake the shell for an additional 5 minutes. Sew aside the pastry shell, still in the tart pan, to cool.
In a double boiler or a medium sized saucepan set a large pan of simmering water, stir together 1/2 cup butter and the creme fraiche (Sour creme). Once this mixture is thoroughly combined, set it aside.
In a separate pan set over the double boiler whisk together the eggs, egg yolks and sugar. Stir the lemon juice into the mixture and cook, stirring constantly for 3 minutes. Add the lemon zest and butter-creme fraiche misture to the eggs and cook stirring constantly for 3 minutes.
Pour the lemon filling into the prepared pastry and bake it for 25 minutes, until it turns golden brown and the filling is set.
Allow the tart to cool in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Serve at room temperature or chill in the refrigerator befor serving.
This lemon tart recipe makes 8 to 10 servings.
Chantilly Cream
A good Chantilly cream recipe is essential to every French kitchen. And you know what it is? Chantilly Cream is just a fancy name for whipping cream infused with vanilla and sugar. The Chantilly cream is a classic embellishment to French pastry, Genoise cakes and tarts. So simple to make and you'll want to add it to your repertoire if you haven't already.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preparation:
In a large mixing bowl, beat the heavy cream, sugar and vanilla together on high speed until soft peaks form in the mixture. DO NOT OVERBEAT! Chill any unused Chantilly cream and use it on your pancakes, shortcake or anything at all that you want to add a little sweet cream to.
NOTES, TIPS and THINGS I'VE LEARNED
- When baking pastries set your eggs out to become room temperature at least 1/2 hour before you begin your baking process. Eggs generally should be at room temperature.
- For pastries, your butter should be cold. And don't fear seeing clumps of butter in your pastry. This is a good thing and your pastry will turn out flakey and light...like a croissant.
- In this pastry recipe you'll notice that you've created TWO discs of pastry dough. When you roll the dough out for your pastry crust simply layer one disc on top of the other and roll them together. There IS a method to this madness. These layers of pastry will will roll out creating the air pockets ... much like the croissant I mentioned previously or similar to the layers in a phyllo dough.
- Pastry weights: nice if you have them but don't sweat it if you don't own any. I don't have pastry weights either but dried peas, beans or lentils will work just fine. Definitely use some thing to keep your pastry from puffing and breaking during the initial baking...just don't worry if you use basic at hand items. They all work the same.
I had a few lemons left after finishing the Lemon Tart so I also baked the Mister some Lemon Poppy Seed muffins for his lunchbox treats to take to work. They look yummy. If you are interested in that recipe too I'll post it later this week. Let me know.
Until next time,
Cheers!
Jennifer
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