Marbleized Lemon Tart With Sage Food

MARBLED LEMON TART WITH SAGE-CORNMEAL CRUST

Steps:

• Sprinkle gelatin over cold water in a small bowl, and let stand until softened, about 5 minutes.
• Whisk together egg yolks, sugar, and salt in a large heatproof bowl. Gradually whisk in lemon juice. Place bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, and whisk constantly until mixture has thickened and registers 160 degrees on an instant-read thermometer. Whisk in gelatin mixture. Remove from heat, and whisk in butter, a few pieces at a time, until smooth. Let cool, stirring occasionally. Prepare an ice-water bath. Place bowl of yolk mixture over bath, and stir until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes.
• Spread curd into crust; smooth top. Dollop creme fraiche on top. Using a wooden skewer or the tip of a knife, swirl creme fraiche into curd to create a marbleized effect. Refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours (or up to overnight).

MARBLED LEMON TART WITH SAGE-CORNMEAL CRUST

Steps:

• Sprinkle gelatin over cold water in a small bowl, and let stand until softened, about 5 minutes.
• Whisk together egg yolks, sugar, and salt in a large heatproof bowl. Gradually whisk in lemon juice. Place bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, and whisk constantly until mixture has thickened and registers 160 degrees on an instant-read thermometer. Whisk in gelatin mixture. Remove from heat, and whisk in butter, a few pieces at a time, until smooth. Let cool, stirring occasionally. Prepare an ice-water bath. Place bowl of yolk mixture over bath, and stir until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes.
• Spread curd into crust; smooth top. Dollop crème fraîche on top. Using a wooden skewer or the tip of a knife, swirl crème fraîche into curd to create a marbleized effect. Refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours (or up to overnight).

ONION AND SAGE TARTS

Steps:

• 1. Caramelizing the onions. Peel the onions and cut them in half from root to tip. Cut out the dense core at the root end and slice the onions 1/4 inch thick, again from root end to tip. Cook the bacon, stirring often, in a large (4-quart) saucepan over medium heat until almost crisp. Add the onions, sugar, and salt, and cook, stirring often until they cook down by two-thirds, about 10 minutes. Add 2 teaspoons vinegar, reduce the heat to medium-low, and continue to cook until the onions are an even golden brown and softened to a marmalade consistency, 15 to 30 minutes, depending on the onions. Stir often and scrape up any brown bits clinging to the bottom of the pan. The onions need almost constant stirring near the end to prevent them from sticking and burning. They'll let you know they need attention by giving off a sizzling sound. Stir in the sage, allow them to cool slightly, then taste and season with black pepper and additional salt if needed. If the onions seem overly sweet, stir in another teaspoon of vinegar. (The onions can be caramelized up to 2 days ahead and store covered in the refrigerator.)
• 2. Filling and baking. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Stir the cream and egg into the caramelized onions until thoroughly combined. Divide the filling among the tart shells and spread it evenly with the back of a spoon. Bake in the upper third of the oven until the filling is set, about 15 minutes. The filling should still be soft but not runny. Let cool slightly, then transfer the tarts to a cutting board using a large spatula. Cut each into 8 wedges with the downward pressure of a sharp chef's knife. Serve warm or at room temperature.
• Variations
• For large tarts, prebake 2 10-inch Free-Form Tart Shells. Divide the onion mixture between them and bake the tarts until the filling is set in the center, 20 to 25 minutes. Using a large spatula, transfer them to a cutting board and cut each into 12 wedges.
• Herb Substitutions
• In place of sage, use an equal amount of finely chopped rosemary, marjoram, savory, English thyme, or lemon thyme.

CLASSIC LEMON TART

Steps:

• Make the crust: In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. (If you like, you can let the butter cook until it browns and smells nutty, 2 to 4 minutes longer.)
• Whisk together flour, confectioners' sugar and salt in a medium bowl. Drizzle in melted butter and, using a spatula, mix until well combined. Press this into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch tart pan, using a measuring cup if you like to flatten the tart shell and make sure it's even. Place in the freezer for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 months (wrap in plastic if storing for more than 4 hours).
• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line tart dough with a piece of foil or parchment paper and fill with pie weights, dry beans or rice. Bake for 15 minutes, then remove the foil and weights and continue to bake until the crust is very lightly golden at the edges and baked through on the bottom, 10 to 15 minutes longer. Transfer to a rack to cool. (Tart shell can be made up to 1 day ahead and kept at room temperature.)
• Make the curd: Put butter, lemon zest, lemon juice and sugar in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Cook until butter is melted and mixture is hot, 4 to 5 minutes.
• In a medium bowl, beat together eggs, yolks and salt. Whisk the hot mixture gradually into the eggs to temper them. Then pour everything back into the saucepan and return to medium-low heat. Cook, whisking constantly, until mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon (170 degrees; do not overcook, or it will curdle), about 5 minutes. Pour through a fine-meshed sieve into a bowl. Taste and add a bit more sugar if you like. It should taste tart but balanced.
• Spread the curd (it's OK if it's still warm) into the tart shell, spreading it evenly with a small offset spatula or butter knife. Return to the oven to bake until the curd is just set along the edges but still jiggly in the center, about 7 to 15 minutes. (It will continue to firm up as it cools.) Transfer back to the wire rack to cool completely, at least 2 hours, before serving. If the curd still looks a little loose after cooling, you can chill the tart for an hour or two before serving. Note that it's a soft curd but shouldn't be runny.

ROASTED ASPARAGUS WITH SAGE AND LEMON BUTTER

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450°. Toss the asparagus with the olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Spread on a baking sheet and roast in the oven for about 5 minutes, or until the spears are just tender when pierced with a knife.
• In a small skillet, melt the butter over moderately low heat. Add the sage leaves and cook, stirring often, until the butter is lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice and 1/4 teaspoon of salt.
• Transfer the asparagus to a warmed platter and spoon the sage-lemon butter on top. Garnish with the lemon zest, top with shavings of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and serve.

MARBLEIZED LEMON TART WITH SAGE

Steps:

• Make the crust: Pulse flour, cornmeal, sugar, sage, salt, and zest in a food processor until combined. Add butter; pulse just until mixture resembles coarse meal. Whisk together egg yolks and ice water in a small bowl. Drizzle egg mixture evenly over flour mixture, and pulse just until dough holds together. Divide dough in half, and shape each portion into a disk. Wrap in plastic, and refrigerate 1 hour or up to 2 days.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll out 1 disk of dough to an 11-inch round. Gently press into a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom; trim excess dough flush with rim. Refrigerate or freeze until firm, about 30 minutes. Reserve remaining dough for another use (it can be frozen up to 3 months; thaw in refrigerator before using).
• Preheat oven to 375°F. Pierce bottom of shell all over with a fork. Bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes. Let cool.
• Make the filling: In a small bowl, sprinkle gelatin over the water, and let stand until softened, about 5 minutes. Prepare an ice-water bath.
• Whisk together egg yolks, sugar, and salt in a large heatproof bowl. Gradually whisk in lemon juice. Place bowl over (not in) a pan of simmering water, and whisk constantly until mixture has thickened. Whisk in softened gelatin. Remove from heat, and whisk in butter, a few pieces at a time, until smooth. Let cool, stirring occasionally. Place bowl with yolk mixture over ice bath, and stir until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes.
• Pour curd into crust; smooth top. Dollop small spoonfuls of crème fraîche all over top. Using a wooden skewer or the tip of a knife, swirl crème fraîche into curd to create a marbleized pattern. Refrigerate until set, 2 hours, or, wrapped in plastic, up to 1 day.