The Dog liked It !

Lemon Mousse with Almond Cookie

My kitchen is under a lemon invasion ! Lemons show up left and right. Big, fat, juicy lemons. Enough lemon tarts already, I am ready to move on. So I decided to experiment and the dog happily volunteered :)

I have had in mind for a while to make fruit mousse, either as a dessert or a filler for a cake. It's pretty common to find such fillings in cakes in french patisserie. I did a bit of research on french baking sites on lemon mousse. I know how to make a chocolate mousse and I wanted a similar recipe but with lemons instead. I actually found one pretty close, but with limes instead. The basic idea is to make a simple lemon curd and fold that with beaten egg whites. Very simple and quick to execute.

I had to adjust the measurements a bit since I was using big lemons instead of limes. The end results was a very lemony mousse. I have to underline it, it is a very strong lemon taste. For lemon afficionados only ! Cut back the number of lemons for a softer flavor.

I find the strong lemon taste appealing, personally. It helps with digestion after a big meal, like a lemon sorbet would, but with less sugar. I added some almond cookies to the mousse. They help counterbalance the sourness, and they are great to use as spoons !

The dog loved both. Two paws up ! And a wagging tail :)

Below is the recipe I used. Again, it is a strong lemon flavor. Adjust accordingly.

The mousse does not keep well for long. After a day in the fridge, it starts losing its consistency. It is best eaten the same day.

Lemon Mousse:

• 3 eggs (yolks and whites separated)
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 4 lemons
• 2 tbs corn starch

Collect zeste and juice from the lemons. Split the juice in half, put one half into a small cooking pan and mix the other half with the egg yolks and the corn starch. Bring the lemon juice in the pan to a boil, then add the eggy cream and cook on medium for 2-3 minutes. It will thicken quickly. Let it cool on the side.
Beat the eggs until firm. Add the sugar the zeste and beat for another 30 seconds.
Add the thick cream to the whites and fold crefully until blended.
Refrigerate for at least 4h.


Almond cookies:

• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 and 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 cup almond flour
• 1 tsp almond extract
• 4 oz of soft butter

Mix eggs, sugar and extract, then add flour and almond flour. Work it with your fingers until you get a "sandy" consistency. Add the soft butter cut in pieces, and work them in with your fingers. You should be able to shape the dough into a ball without sticking to your hands (add more flour if it does). Place the dough in small cookie shapes on a non-stick pan (I use a high temperature silicon pad). Bake at 350F for 15-30 minutes, depending on how brown you want them.


Trick alert !!!
You know your whites are ready when you can flip the container and they don't slide out.

Lemons falling out of your tree?

That's certainly what's happening in my neighborhood lately. Is it a record citrus season ? I seem to see lemons and oranges everywhere. Even kids selling them on the side of the road.

I don't have a lemon tree. No need, when I can simply walk around the neighborhood and collect them on the ground !

I love lemons, more so than oranges, because one of my favorite dessert is the lemon tart. Give me lemons and I'll make a tart ! Ah ah, alright it's a bit weak. But seriously, that's how I get rid of all those lemons crowding my fridge.

I've done it enough I don't need a recipe anymore. I grab my ingredients and start mixing. Most times I end up with a different version. Today, I got a softer crust by adding sugar to it, which I think is an improvement. I also skipped the meringue on top (extra work) and avoided using butter, ending with a soft and light custard. I like it ! I added pine nuts and almond slivers on top for decoration. Below is the recipe. Enjoy !

Lemon Tart with Pine Nuts and Almonds

Lemon Tart Recipe

For the crust:

In a bowl mix 2 egg yolks and 8 tbs of sugar to a froth. Add 1.5 cup of flour and mix with your hand until you get a fine "sandy" texture. Add a soft stick of butter cut in small pieces, and mix with your hand. Roll the dough into a ball and put aside.

For the lemon custard:

In a bowl mix 2 eggs, 1/2 cup of sugar and 2 tbs of flour. Add the zest and juice of 2 medium size lemons, followed by 3/4 cup of half and half. Mix everything to obtain a thick cream.

Roll the dough into a medium size pan. Thickness depends on your taste. Personally I keep it thin (no more than 1/4 of an inch). Pinch the dough on the side of the pan to prevent slumping. Pour the cream, and bake at 380F for 30 minutes. Let it cool a bit before decorating the top. Here I brushed some apricot jam (diluted with water) and sprinkled pine nuts and almond slivers.

Happy New Year !!!!

Lemon and Nuts Tart

010110....today's date, not a binary code :)
I hope everyone had a safe and fun New Year celebration. Getting rid of 2009 was a celebration in itself, what a dreadful year ! Brrrrr, I am looking forward to 2010 and hopefully a full time job to fuel my hobbies :)

I celebrated the last year of '09 in the kitchen. Very fitting since I started this blog in the Summer. We had a couple of guests over for dinner. Deal was, I cook, they bring the wine. Being the wine connoisseurs that they are, I had to make sure my meal was going to be on par ! Their wine choice was absolutely delicious. A 1999 Margaux (red Bordeaux) so soft and oaky, the bottle did not last long !!! (mental note: invite them more often)

So here is my menu. I kept it simple with only one course with dessert.

• appetizer: foie gras on wheat toasts, and mixed nuts with white wine
• main course: ribeye in a wine mushroom sauce, with lobster tail, grilled polenta slices, and garlic spinach
• dessert: a lemon tart with pine nuts and almond slices

The foie gras came from my last visit to France. It is a staple in France for Christmas and New Year celebrations, and so foie gras was non-negotiable :) For the main dish, I cooked sliced crimini mushrooms in half and half with shallots and marsala wine, for about an hour. I poured the sauce in the same pan that I used to sear the steaks in order to get some of the meat juice into the sauce. The lobster tails were steamed to keep their juices inside. The polenta I bought premade into a log. It's easier to slice. The slices were quickly dipped in olive oil and baked in the oven until crispy. The fresh spinach was cooked with bits of fresh garlic and some curry powder in olive oil.

For dessert, I had a craving for a lemon tart. I had some lemons in the fridge for a couple of weeks already, I had to act. So I revisited my lemon meringue tart recipe to make it a fluffier (no butter cream) and healthier (nuts!). I'll share the recipe with you.

The crust: (see previous post on the subject)
To 1 cup of flour, add 1 stick (100g) of softened butter and 3 tbs of almond flour, and mix well with your hand. Add an egg, a bit of vanilla flavoring, mix again, and add more flour until the dough does not stick to your hand. Place the dough into a baking pan of your choice and prebake it at 350F for 10 minutes. (don't forget to prick the dough with a fork to release air formed during baking, or it will lift !)

The filling:
Beat 3 eggs with 1/2 cup of sugar until frothy mixture is obtained. Slowly add 3/4 cup of half and half, 1 tbs of almond flour, 1/2 tsp vanilla flavoring, 2 tbs of flour, juice of 3 lemons and their zests. Mix until homogeneous and pour onto the crust. Add pine nuts to the filling (I used about 2 handfuls, but you can use more or less to your liking). Bake at 350F for 20 minutes. Cool down.

The decoration:
Lightly brush the top with apricot jam (carefull not to break the filling, it's kinda soft) then sprinkle almond slices on top. No need for meringue.

The filling turned out somewhat soft with a very strong lemon flavor. If it's too strong for you, try with 2 lemons instead of 3. Overall, it does not taste very sweet and it melts easily in your mouth.

So yummy I had two pieces last night !

Small Indulgence - Lemon Mini Tarts

Summer is lemon season, at least in San Diego. Everyone is giving away lemons and limes. It's a great time for that dear little sweet tooth of mine, because lemon tart ("tarte au citron" as my mom says) is one of my favorite dessert. Or I shoud say it is in the top 100 :)

I normally make one big tart with generous slices and meringue on top, but i have been itching to use that silicone minitart mold I found at Tuesday Mornings for $5 ! Obviously I had to adapt my "tarte" skills to the small bite size the mold has to offer. After experimenting a bit, I found that it is easier to precook the crust using the mold, let it cool down then transfer them to a rack and fill them up with the lemon-flavored cream, before placing the rack in the oven for another round of baking.

The result is deli-hmmmm-cious ! And they are so small you don't feel guilty at all ! Not until after the third one :)

Alright, here is how I did it.

Ingredients:

• for the dough: 8 oz flour, 4 oz butter, a pinch of salt, 1 egg, vanilla flavoring, and 1/4 cup almond flour
• for the cream: 1 egg, 1 yolk, 2 oz sugar, 1 tablespoon flour, 1/2 cup half and half, 1 lemon

Directions:

1. Prepare the dough as instructed in the "basic crust recipe" post. I added the almond flour for a flakier dough.
2. Make a little ball of dough for each well in your mold. You've got to experiment with how many you need for a well, as each mold can be different in size. With the proportions given, I can make 14 mini tarts.
3. Press and mold each ball into a tart crust. Poke each with a fork at the bottom to let air escape during baking.
4. Bake at 350F for 15 min and let them cool down.
5. Prepare the cream by beating the egg, the yolk, the sugar, and the flour then add the half and half, the lemon zeste and its juice. You should get a creamy consistency.
6. In my case I place a little bit of cherry jam at the bottom of each crust for extra flavoring, but you dont have to. Add the lemon cream to each crust. (Another option I like is to add melted chocolate and let it seize before adding the lemon cream).
7. Bake at 350F for 30 min.
8. Once it's cooled you can drizzle some confection sugar on top for presentation.

Now it's your turn ! Good luck !