Sweet Lemon Tart With Plum Tomatoes And Verbena Food

LEMON TART RECIPE

Steps:

• To make the lemon curd: In a medium heatproof bowl, place eggs, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and heavy cream, if using, and whisk to combine. Place the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water (bain-marie). Cook on moderate heat, whisking constantly, until mixture becomes thick (mine was ready in 10 minutes, but it can take up to 20). If you have a thermometer, it should register 170°F/75°C; otherwise, it should coat the back of a wooden spoon and leave a clear pass if you run your finger through it. The curd will thicken more once cooled.
• Remove from heat and immediately strain mixture through a sieve. Add butter, a few cubes at a time, and whisk until completely melted and incorporated, and mixture is smooth. Take your time with it-the whisking makes for an airy and light texture. Allow to cool to room temperature before filling the tart. (Lemon curd can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week, or can be frozen for up to 2 months. To thaw, place overnight in the fridge. Whisk the mixture to smoothen it before using.)
• Fill the tart shell with lemon curd, then refrigerate for at least 4 hours until chilled. Serve with berries and whipped cream if you like. The tart is rich, so cut your servings small.

FRENCH LEMON TART - TARTE AU CITRON

Steps:

• Make tart crust per linked recipe, including blind baking the empty tart crust. Allow to fully cool before filling (to ensure it won't go soggy).
• Preheat oven: Preheat oven to 180℃/350℉ (160℃ fan)
• Whisk ingredients together: Put all ingredients in a medium saucepan and whisk to combine.
• Thicken on stove: Place the saucepan on the stove over low / medium low heat. Whisk constantly, especially as the butter is melting, to ensure it doesn't split. Keeping stirring until the mixture thickens enough to visibly mound (ie. holds its shape briefly) on the surface when dolloped - about 5 minutes, though it might take longer depending on stove strength, saucepan heat retention etc. See video and photos for thickness guide. Don't take it off the stove until it's thick enough otherwise the Filling won't set.
• Strain into a bowl using a fine mesh strainer.
• Fill tart: Pour into tart shell and smooth the filling surface using an offset spatula or similar.
• Bake: Bake for 5 minutes. It will still be a soft custard when you touch it but not liquidity. It will set more when cooled so it's sliceable.
• Cool: Cool tart fully to allow it to set before slicing to serve. Pictured with a dollop of creme fraiche (a thick, rich cream that has a slight tartness, and goes very well with the lemon tart) or whipped cream and even vanilla ice cream.
• Decorate if desired with lemon slices, edible flowers, raspberries. Else pipe on dollops of whipped cream or dust with icing sugar!

SWEET AND SIMPLE LEMON TART

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease an 8x8-inch baking pan.
• Combine butter with 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar in a bowl until smooth; stir in 1 cup flour. Press dough into prepared baking pan; pierce crust with fork in several places to prevent crust from puffing up during baking.
• Bake crust in the preheated oven until slightly golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes. Let cool.
• Whisk white sugar and eggs in a bowl; stir 3 tablespoons flour into mixture and add lemon juice, lemon peel, and salt. Whisk until thoroughly combined. Pour mixture into baked tart crust.
• Bake until filling is set, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool and dust with 3 tablespoons confectioners' sugar.

LEMON & VERBENA TART WITH RASPBERRIES

Steps:

• To make the pastry, beat the butter, half the yolk, sugar and a pinch of salt together with an electric whisk, then gradually whisk in the milk. Tip in the flour and rub together with your fingertips until it just starts to come together. Squash the dough into a ball, wrap in cling film and chill for at least 1 hr. Can be made up to three days ahead.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to the thickness of a £1 coin. Use it to line a loose-bottomed 23cm tart tin, leaving the excess hanging over the sides, then prick the base all over with a fork. Return to the fridge, or better still the freezer, and leave to rest for another 30 mins.
• Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Line the tart with baking parchment and fill with ceramic baking beans, rice or dried pulses. Place on a baking tray and bake for 10 mins, then remove from the oven. Discard the paper and bake for another 20 mins. Brush the cooked pastry with the remaining half of the egg yolk, then return to the oven for 5-10 mins until golden. Lift the pastry out onto a cooling rack, and trim the overhang. Once cooled, put the case on the baking tray.
• Meanwhile, make the filling. Put the lemon verbena and cream in a pan, bring to the boil, then turn off the heat and leave to cool. Whizz the cream and leaves together using a hand blender, then pass through a fine sieve to remove any strands of verbena leaf. Whisk the cream with the rest of the filling ingredients, then pour into the pastry case. Put in the oven, making sure not to spill. Bake for 30-35 mins until just set with a slight wobble. Allow to cool. Dust with icing sugar and sprinkle over the zest. Serve the tart in slices with raspberries.

LEMON VERBENA BUTTER

Steps:

• Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir until smooth and ingredients are incorporated.
• Transfer butter to a covered container approximately 2 hours or until firm. Note: be sure the butter is covered well or it will absorb any odors from the refrigerator.

LEMON VERBENA POUND CAKE WITH STRAWBERRIES

Steps:

• Make cake:
• Preheat oven to 325°F. and butter and flour a 1-quart kugelhopf pan, knocking out excess flour.
• In a bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, verbena (or zest), and zest. In another bowl with an electric mixer beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, and beat in vanilla. Beat in half of flour mixture. Beat in milk and lemon juice and beat in remaining flour mixture until just combined.
• Spoon batter into pan, smoothing top, and bake in middle of oven 45 to 55 minutes, or until golden brown on top and a tester comes out clean. Cool cake in pan on a rack 15 minutes and invert onto rack to cool completely.
• Make glaze while cake is cooling:
• In a small bowl whisk confectioners's sugar, a little at a time, into lemon juice until smooth and thick.
• When cake is completely cooled, drizzle glaze over cake and let it drip down sides. Cake may be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered.
• Serve cake at room temperature with strawberries.

SWEET LEMON TART WITH PLUM TOMATOES AND VERBENA

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine the flour and baking powder. Set aside. Put the butter and confectioners' sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat until smooth. Add the egg, beat for a few seconds, then add the flour mixture all at once. Beat the ingredients until just incorporated, about 1 minute. Shape the dough into a flat disk, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
• Meanwhile, put the sugar, lemon peel and verbena tea bag in a saucepan, add the water and bring to a boil. Add the tomatoes and simmer gently over medium-low heat until they are soft, about 20 minutes. With a slotted spoon, remove the tomatoes to a plate covered with paper towels. Pat dry and set aside. Let the syrup simmer gently until reduced to 1/3 cup, about 10 minutes. Set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Sprinkle a handful of flour onto a flat surface. Roll the dough into a large circle, 1/8-inch thick, and gently press it into a 10-inch tart pan. Prick the bottom with a fork, line the shell with wax paper, fill with pie weights or dried beans and bake until golden, about 15 to 20 minutes. Set aside to cool.
• Put the lemon slices, egg yolk, whole eggs, sugar and cream in a blender and puree until smooth. Strain, and stir in the lemon rind. Pour 1/4 cup of the lemon custard into the tart shell. Arrange the tomato wedges, cut side down, in a circle at the center of the tart and slowly pour in the remaining custard. Bake until the custard sets, about 30 to 40 minutes. Set aside to cool. Cut into slices and drizzle 2 teaspoons of syrup around each slice.