Posted in culinary    |     13  December 2022

Great knowledge and wisdom are always found in Limor Tiroche’s recipes. Read the introduction to her French lemon tart recipe. Even before the tart is prepared, every word seems so reliable, transmitting the required precision.

There is also a tip in the recipe – another cake that can be made from the leftovers that remain after making the lemon tart. Wonderful recipes. “Local Cuisine.”

Many years ago, while studying in Paris, I learned the secrets of making the classic French lemon tart. It was there that I learned, to my great astonishment, the true meaning of the saying, “God is in the details…”

The French, the celebrated pastry chefs, take the craft of making lemon tart seriously. They choose the finest and freshest lemons, those with intoxicating aroma, with juice whose rich taste, balances sour and sweet just so. The extremely fresh eggs are chosen one-by-one and have a bright yellow yolk (we recommend using those with Omega 3), and the dough is prepared, comme il faut, with cold, almost frozen Normandy butter, even rinsing their hands in ice water to guarantee an exemplarily thin, crispy dough. Woe to the baker whose butter melts while making crust for the tart.

Not for nothing are they so precise with this tart. Its taste – is from another world. Just between us, it is worth far more than its American cousin made with lime and condensed milk.

You could also make the tart with limes or oranges; the tastiest is a combination of lemons and limes. If you are concerned about excessive acidity, it is wonderful to combine lemons and oranges, but it is important that the orange juice be rich in flavor (unfortunately, many of them are bland this year).

If there are any leftovers from the tart crust, you can store them in the fridge and use to make crumbs for a warm apple streusel. Place peeled apple quarters in a pan, sprinkle them with a little brown sugar and cinnamon, top with a few cubes of butter, and crumble the crust over it. Then give it another very light sprinkling of cinnamon, and bake at 180°C for 45-60 minutes.

 

Ingredients

For the dough:

200 grams (1½ cups minus a heaping teaspoon), white flour, sifted

3 tablespoons (30 grams) powdered sugar

¼ teaspoon salt

120 grams very cold butter, cut into small cubes (after cutting, keep it in the freezer until use)

1 beaten egg

1-2 tablespoons of cold water

For the filling :

400 ml freshly squeezed lemon juice (or a combination of juices, see the introduction)

Grated lemon zest from 4 lemons (it’s also delicious to combine the lemon zest with lime or orange zest)

250 grams of white sugar (1¼ cups)

1 container (250 ml) sweet cream

7 large eggs (Omega 3 eggs are preferred, because the tart will be a brighter yellow)

 

To serve : Powdered sugar

 

26 cm diameter tart pan

 

Preparation;

1. To make the dough: In a food processor with a metal blade, briefly mix sifted flour, sugar, salt and the frozen butter cubes, just until uneven crumbs are formed. Add the beaten egg while mixing, and immediately thereafter, 1-2 tablespoons of water in a slow drip just until the dough forms into small balls. Work quickly and avoid over-processing. Put the dough in a plastic bag or cover with plastic wrap. With your hands, flatten into a round, flat disc, wrap well and chill for at least two hours. (Can be kept refrigerated for up to two days.)
2. In the meantime, zest the lemons and squeeze them. Pour 400 ml of freshly squeezed lemon juice (or a combination of juices) into a small pot, bring to a boil and cook uncovered at a low simmer, until the amount is reduced to 200 ml. Skim the foam occasionally. The juice will darken and turn amber, and its flavor will be concentrated. It can be prepared in advance and kept in the refrigerator for up to two days.
3. Place the sugar in a large bowl, pour the hot, concentrated juice (200 ml) over the sugar and whisk lightly with a hand whisk (if you prepared the juice in advance, heat it to the boiling point before adding it to the sugar). Add grated lemon peel, mix and cool to body temperature.
4. Flour a clean surface, and roll out the dough on it into a circle slightly larger than the size of the pan (quickly so that the dough doesn’t get warm). Roll the dough on the rolling pin and transfer it the pan. Line the pan with the dough, making sure to press it into place where the side meets the bottom. Fold the dough while pressing it where the side and the bottom meet, to create a slightly thicker corner (¼ cm fold). Using a knife, cut off the excess edges. Put in the freezer for fifteen minutes.
5. Heat the oven to 200°C.
6. Lay baking paper on top of the crust in pan and place weights (such as chickpeas or dried beans) on the paper. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the paper and weights, lower the temperature to 160°C and bake for another 10-12 minutes until the surface of the crust is a deep golden color. Cool for 15 minutes (or more).
7. Add the sweet cream to the bowl with the sugar, concentrated lemon juice and lemon zest mixture. Whip lightly with a hand whisk. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat lightly. Avoid overmixing; it is important that there be no air bubbles. Straining the filling is recommended. Then let it stand for a few minutes to reduce the amount of air bubbles. If there is foam, it is best to remove it with a spoon.
8. If you are baking the tart in a spring pan or one with a removeable bottom, it is advisable to place a pan with a little water it beneath it in the oven, to catch any drippings. There’s no need to panic, it only drips if there are invisible cracks in the dough. In any case, they stop after 5 minutes of baking; it doesn’t always happen and it’s hard to predict.
9. Transfer the pan with the dough (warm or cold) to the oven (160°C) and pour the batter up to the edge of the crust. (Do this with the tart already in the oven, so that the filling does not spill when being transferred from counter to oven.) Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the filling is stable, but still shakes slightly.

Cool and transfer to the refrigerator to set. The tart will sink a little; that’s fine. Sometimes there will be a few cracks (depending on the humidity), that’s fine, too. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving. Eat cold. If you like, upgrade with whipped cream, ice cream or crème fraiche

It is best to eat the tart the day it is baked, but it can be kept in the refrigerator for up to two to three days.

https://www.limortiroche.com/