Citrus Tartlets Food

LEMON CURD TARTLETS

Steps:

• Place the Flour, Icing Sugar and Salt in the bowl of your Food Processor and pulse to mix (see note 1 if making by hands). Add the cold Butter cut into small cubes, then mix to get very small crumbs.
• Whisk the egg in a separate bowl and add it to the food processor. Slowly pusle until a dough starts to come together (see note 2).
• Bring the dough together into a ball and roll between two sheets of baking paper to be about 3mm or 1/8inch thick. Place on a flat tray and leave in the fridge to chill and rest for at least 1 hour, or up to 24 hours.
• Remove the baking paper and cut out small rounds of pastry using a round or fluted cookie cutter (see note 3). Gently slide each piece of dough into a muffin pan, pressing on the bottom and the edges to remove any air bubbles that could be trapped under the pastry. Prick the bottom with a fork and place back in the fridge to rest and chill for at least 1 hour, or up to 24 hours.
• Preheat your oven on 160'C/325'F and place the muffin pan in the freezer while the oven is preheating.
• Line each tartlet shells with a small piece of baking paper and fill with baking beads, rice or beans. Bake for 15 minutes, then remove the weights and baking paper and bake for another 15 minutes, or until golden and dry to the touch. Set aside to cool down completely.
• Place the Egg Yolks, Sugar and Lemon Juice in a small pot. Whisk to combine then turn on very low to low heat. Whisk for a few minutes or until the liquid looks like it is starting to thicken - about 3 to 5 minutes.
• Cut the butter into small cubes and slowly add them to the pot. Whisk until melted and combined each time before adding more. Add the Lemon Zest
• Cook on low heat for 5 to 15 minutes or until the curd has thickened. Continuously whisk to avoid lumps (see note 4).
• To check if the curd is cooked, dip the back of a spoon into the curd then draw a line in the curd with your fingers (be careful, it will be hot). Tip the spoon down and check if any of the curd is dripping down over the clear line. If the line stays clear, the curd is ready. If the curd pours over the line, it needs to cook for longer.
• While still warm, pour the curd into the tartlet shells. Gently tap each tartlet against a hard surface to remove any air bubbles, then place in the fridge to set for at least 2 to 3 hours (see note 5).

FRESH FRUIT TARTLETS

Steps:

• Line tartlet tins with the pastry (use boat-shaped tins if you have them). Bake blind in a preheated oven at 375 degrees for 10 minutes. When cold, brush the inside of the tartlet cases with the melted chocolate and leave to harden.
• Mix together the cream cheese and double cream until very smooth, then add the sugar and vanilla essence. Fill the tartlet cases with the cream mixture and arrange the fruit on top. Brush with the apricot or red currant glaze, depending on the fruit used, and leave to set.
• Sift the flour and salt together and rub in the butter and lard until the mixture resembles bread crumbs. Add the cheese, if using, and bind with a little cold water. Chill for 30 minutes and then roll out and use as above.

TARTELETTES AU CITRON (INDIVIDUAL LEMON TARTS)

Steps:

• Prepare the pastry shells. On a lightly floured surface, carefully roll out the dough to a thickness of one-eighth inch. Fit the pastry into six to eight four-inch tart tins. With your fingertips, carefully press the pastry into the pan and up the side, trying not to stretch it. Trim the overhang, leaving about a half-inch edge. Tuck this overhang inside the pan, pressing gently against the side to create a sturdy, double-sided shell. If you build the pastry a bit higher than the height of the pan, you have less problem with shrinkage. Chill for at least 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
• Line the shells carefully with heavy-duty foil, pressing well into the edges so the pastry does not shrink while baking. Tuck the foil into the bottom of the tart shells. Prick the pastry through the foil with the tines of a fork. Fill with weights of rice or beans - making sure you get all the way into the edges - to prevent shrinkage.
• Place the filled tins on a baking sheet and bake just until the pastry begins to brown around the edges and seems firm enough to stand up by itself, about 15 minutes. Carefully remove the foil and weights and continue baking until evenly light brown, about 10 to 15 more minutes. Watch the pastry carefully, for ovens vary and pastry can brown very quickly. Cool completely, for at least 15 minutes, before filling.
• Prepare the filling. In a large mixing bowl, combine the lemon juice, sugar and cream and whisk until well blended. Add the eggs, one by one, mixing well after each addition. Strain the lemon cream through a sieve to remove any portions of yolk or impurities.
• Pour the lemon cream into the prepared tartlet shells, place them on a baking sheet and bake just until the lemon cream is firm in the center, about five more minutes. (Alternatively, to form a single large tart, the dough can be rolled into a 12-inch circle to fit a 10 1/2-inch tart shell. Continue as directed for the individual tarts, but increase baking time by 5 to 10 minutes.)