Pièce de résistance “French Lemon Tart”

One of the best things about visiting France is the food, and one of the best things about staying in a villa is having your own chef to provide that food. Staying in a villa in France, it stands to reason, gives you the advantages of both: French food cooked at your leisure and to your specifications.

One of the best and most loved bits of French excellente cuisine is the desserts. Top of the heap of desserts, to me, are the tarts. If you happen to be English, please don’t snicker when you read how much I love tarts. “Dessert” in English, meaning the sweet ending to a meal, actually comes from the French word desservir for clearing the table. The literal meaning of desservir means to ‘un-serve.’ Therefore, I suggest, with this strained segue, that you serve yourself a fine French dessert and create a tart you can be proud of!

This lemon tart recipe, coming to you all the way from gay Paris, is so delicious that after serving it your dinner parties might end up becoming a bit too popular. Take the time to prepare this one properly and you’ll end up dreaming of a French villa over the coffee.

Ingredients:

For the Sweet Crust:

* 8 3/4 oz all-purpose flour
* 1 egg
* 1 pinch of salt
* 1 oz almond flour
* 5 1/3 oz butter, soft
* 3 oz confectioner’s sugar

For the Meyer Lemon Cream:

* 5 Meyer lemons, zest and juice (or normal lemons)
* 4 eggs
* 8 oz fine sugar
* 8 3/4 oz butter, at room temperature

For the Candied Lemon Peels:

* sugar
* water
* 2 Meyer lemons for the peels

Method:

PASTRY

* Sift the flour on a working area. Add the salt in the middle.
* Add the soft butter and make a crumble with the dough, using the tips of your fingers.

* Make a hole in the middle and add the confectioner’s sugar and almond flour. Then add the egg, working the dough with the tips of your fingers still. Make a ball with it and place it in plastic wrap. Put in the fridge for a minimum of 2 to 3 hours, if possible.

* Roll your dough and place it in greased molds. Make little holes with a fork. Cover with pieces of parchment paper covered with weights, such as rice. Cook in the preheated oven at 350 F for about 20 mns.
* Remove the paper and continue to cook for about 5 to 6 mns.
* Remove from the oven and let cool on a cooling rack.

LEMON CREAM:

* Place the sugar in a large bowl.
* Grate finely the zest of the lemons and add them to the sugar. Mix with the tip of your fingers.

* Add the eggs and lemon juice (about 6 oz or 3/4 cup) and whisk well.

* Place the bowl over a pot of simmering water without touching, in order to thicken the cream. It is ready when it coats a wooden spoon.

* Remove from the heat and let cool a little before adding the pieces of soft butter. Mix well by hand first until the butter is melted, then with a hand mixer to lighten the cream. It can take a few mns.

CANDIED LEMON PEELS

* Boil the lemon sticks in water for 3 mns, and repeat 3 times (change the water each time). Make syrup with the same amount of water and sugar mixed together. Bring to a gentle boil and then add the lemon peels. Cook for about 10 to 15 mns, on medium to low heat. Keep an eye on it to prevent burning as there is little liquid.
* Once the crusts are cold, fill them with lemon cream. Level it and add the candied peels on top. Let cool a little before serving.