TWD: The Most Extraordinary French Lemon Cream Tart

I have to start out by saying this is my favorite TWD so far. I've enjoyed the other goodies that we've baked but this is by far my favorite. The lemon cream is without a doubt... extraordinary, delicious, mouth watering, and dare I say it...yes...it is even a bit sexy. This stuff was so good that I was literally using my fingers to get every last bit of the cream out of my blender after I mixed it. Charlie even loved it. And when the supreme taste tester likes it... you know its good.



Like many other TWD bakers, I had trouble getting my cream to 180. I used a stainless steel bowl on an electric stove. I tried to think of anything that would have cause it not get to the target temp but nothing comes to mind. However, it did get to at least 165 and it still thickened up very nicely in about 15 minutes. So even though it fell short of 180, I don't think it hurt the cream at all.



For my crust, I went with the Spiced Tart dough. I thought it would be interesting to try the flavor of the tart lemon cream with the nuttier taste and texture of the spiced dough. I definitely enjoyed the combination of the two together though I would prefer the cream to be matched with a dough lighter in flavor (my co-worker taste tester enjoyed both the crust and cream together). The spiced dough seemed to cut the tartness of the lemon a little too much for me. I am such a fan of this cream now that I could eat bowls of it by itself!



To give the tart even more flavor, I added fresh blueberries to the tart before adding the lemon cream. This really took it to another level of yumminess for me. The tartness of the lemon cream is so smooth and then you get a burst of blueberries tartness that is just absolutely delicious! My co-worker said that the blueberries were his favorite part of the tart. Like me, he felt that it took it beyond just a lemon tart and made it truly mouth watering good.

Thanks to Mary of Starting from Scratch for the wonderful pick! This is definitely going to be on my make again list! Check out how the other bakers fared at Tuesdays with Dorie. Come back next week for Marshmallows as picked by Judy of Judy's Gross Eats.



The Most Extraordinary French Lemon Cream Tart

- makes 8 servings -

Adapted from Baking From My Home to Yours, by Dorie Greenspan

Ingredients

1 cup sugar
Finely grated zest of 3 lemons
4 large eggs
3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (from 4 to 5 lemons)
2 sticks plus 5 tablespoons (21 tablespoons; 10 1/2 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature and cut into tablespoon-sized pieces
1 fully-baked 9-inch tart shell (I used Dorie's Spiced Tart Dough but there are many other options in Baking such as Sweet Tart Dough)

Procedure

Getting ready: Have a thermometer, preferably an instant-read, a strainer and a blender (first choice) or food processor at the ready. Bring a few inches of water to a simmer in a saucepan.

1. Put the sugar and zest in a large metal bowl that can be fitted into the pan of simmering water. Off heat, work the sugar and zest together between your fingers until the sugar is moist, grainy and very aromatic. Whisk in the eggs followed by the lemon juice.

2. Fit the bowl into the pan (make certain the water doesn’t touch the bottom of the bowl) and cook, stirring with the whisk as soon as the mixture feels tepid to the touch. You want to cook the cream until it reaches 180°F. As you whisk the cream over heat—and you must whisk constantly to keep the eggs from scrambling—you’ll see that the cream will start out light and foamy, then the bubbles will get bigger, and then, as the cream is getting closer to 180°F, it will start to thicken and the whisk will leave tracks. Heads up at this point—the tracks mean the cream is almost ready. Don’t stop whisking and don’t stop checking the temperature. And have patience—depending on how much heat you’re giving the cream, getting to temp can take as long as 10 minutes.

3. As soon as you reach 180°F, pull the cream from the heat and strain it into the container of a blender (or food processor); discard the zest. Let the cream rest at room temperature, stirring occasionally, until it cools to 140°F, about 10 minutes.

4. Turn the blender to high and, with the machine going, add about 5 pieces of butter at a time. Scrape down the sides of the container as needed while you’re incorporating the butter. Once the butter is in, keep the machine going—to get the perfect light, airy texture of lemon-cream dreams, you must continue to beat the cream for another 3 minutes. If your machine protests and gets a bit too hot, work in 1-minute intervals, giving the machine a little rest between beats.

5. Pour the cream into a container, press a piece of plastic wrap against the surface to create an airtight seal and chill the cream for at least 4 hours or overnight. When you are ready to construct the tart, just whisk the cream to loosen it and spoon it into the tart shell.

Serving: The tart should be served cold, because it is a particular pleasure to have the cold cream melt in your mouth. (oh and it so is!!!)

Storing: While you can make the lemon cream ahead (it will keep in the frige for 4 days and in the freezer for up to 2 months), once the tart is constructed, it’s best to eat it the day it is made.

Spiced Tart Dough
1 cup ground nuts (almonds, toasted and skinned hazelnuts, walnuts or pecans) (I used pecans)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
Pinch of ground cloves
1 large egg yolk
1 tablespoon water
3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
6 tablespoons sugar

Butter a 9-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. Whisk together the ground nuts, flour, cocoa, cinnamon, salt and cloves. With a fork, stir the egg yolk and water together in a cup.

Working with a stand mixer, or hand mixer, in a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together at medium speed, until smooth, about 3 minutes, scraping down the bowl as needed. Add the egg and water and beat for 1 minute more. Reduce the speed to low and add the dry ingredients, mixing only until they disappear into the dough. Don't work the dough much once the flour is incorporated. If the dough comes together but some dry crumbs remain at the bottom of the bowl, stop the mixer and finish blending the ingredients with a rubber spatula or your hands.

Put the dough between two sheets of wax paper and with your hands, flatten the dough into a disk, then grab a rolling pin and roll the dough, turning it over frequently, until you have a round that is about 11 inches in diameter.

To fit the dough into the pan: Remove the top sheet of waxed paper and carefully turn the dough into the buttered tart pan. Very gently fit the dough into the pan, lightly pressing it over the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Don't be concerned if the dough breaks, as it may- just gently press the tears together with your fingers. Chill the dough, covered with plastic wrap, for at least 2 hours.

To bake the crust: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Remove the plastic wrap and, using a small sharp knife, trim the excess dough flush with edges of the pan. Butter the shiny side of a piece of aluminum foil, fit the foil, buttered side down, tightly across the crust and fill it with dried beans or rice or pie weights.

Place the tart on the baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and weights and bake the crust for an additional 8 to 10 minutes, or until it is browned, dry and firm. Transfer to a rack and cool to room temperature before filling.