Simply my favorite Lemon Tart, with Meyer lemons, for a tasty and intense flavored tart
About this recipe
This is a recipe that starts in Pasadena, California, when I visited their farmers market
I then discovered a new fruit that I had never tasted : The "Meyer Lemons". Friends I was with told me to buy and taste them, as they were "different and delicious"
Once at home, I cut one and tasted it : they were not as bitter as regular lemons, and definitely tastier, with some madarine-like taste
It all made sense, that people love those Meyer Lemons, they do add a nice and sweeter taste when used in teas or flavored-water
And since sometimes fate makes things happen the same week, I was reading a few days later the French magazine "journal du pâtissier" and I stumbled on a "Meyer Lemon tart"
I decided to try the recipe : since the Meyer lemon fruit was an upgrade to lemons, it would make sense to try this tart !
And what a shock ! After making this beautiful tart, the tasting experience turned into a moment of happiness
Meyer Lemons bring such an extraordinary taste to the classic lemon tart !
And the chef Nicolas Agraz made a beautiful recipe with an intense Meyer Lemon Confit (purée'd jam), a beautiful lemon custard, topped with a fluffy lemon chantilly whipped cream. What a triumph !
A tart we are going to make together, and that you should try at least once !!
Source of the recipe
A recipe found in the magazine "Journal du Pâtissier (French & English)", Number 467.
The recipe is on page 47.
A recipe by Nicolas Agraf, the executive chef at the Pastry Shop "Mademoiselle Colette", in Montbrison (France)
Mademoiselle Colette
24 Quai de l'Astrée
42600 Montbrison
France
Modifications to the original recipe
I modified only a few things...
● For the Creamed Sweetened Short Pastry, the Candied Lemon Peels and the Lemon Custard : I already have recipes on the blog (very close to the recipes given by the chef), so these are the ones I am using
● In the whipped cream, I add a bit of meyer lemon confit (candied lemon, jam'ed), to enhance the flavor
● For the decoration, Nicolas Agraz uses a white chocolate ring, I instead use a colorful chocolate disk
The Lime Chantilly Cream
1. Let's start with the cream, as it needs to be refrigerated a few hours before we can whip it
2. Pour the Water (2 Tablespoons or 25 g) in a small mixing bowl, and sprinkle the Powdered Gelatin (1 teaspoon or 5 g) over. Wait a few minutes until the gelatin has dissolved
3. Place the White Chocolate ( 2 oz or 60 g) in a large mixing bowl
4. In a saucepan goes the Whipping Cream (1 ½ Cup or 320 g) with the Sugar (4 Tablespoons or 50 g)
5. Zest the (green) Lime (1) and add in the saucepan : I am using a microplane
6. Cook until bubbles start to form on the edges
7. Pour onto the bowl with chocolate
8. Add in the bloomed gelatin, and stir until the chocolate is completely melted
9. Squeeze the juice of the Meyer Lemon (½)
10. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, and proceed with next steps
The tart shell
11. For the pie crust, we need to prepare the Creamed Sweetened Short Pastry. I gave you the final weight (½ Cup or 160 g), but as we need to roll the dough, it's more convenient if you prepare more than this weight
13. Once done, the dough must rest in the fridge for 2 hours minimum (wrap airtight) : it will bake better
Blind Baking
14. We need to blind bake the tart, that's something we saw previously in this page, HERE. Blind baking means baking the pie crust with nothing in it.
15. Roll out the dough and lay into a buttered, 5.9" (or 5 29/32" or 15 cm) in diameter, pastry ring, or a mold
16. Follow the instructions HERE
17. After baking, allow to cool down at room temperature
The Candied Meyer Lemon
18. For the Candied lemons, you need whole Meyer Lemons, unless you can't find any, in which case you can substitute with Regular Lemons
19. You will notice that once candied, Meyer Lemons turn orange, which is not an issue at all!
20. To candy the lemons: The recipe is HERE
21. Mix the Candied Lemon Peels (1 ¼ Cup or 90 g) in a Cup Food Chopper, to obtain a purée
22. Pour the "candied purée" onto the tart and spread evenly
23. One trick, if you want to store this tart several days, is to spread melted white chocolate (just a thin layer) to protect the baked pie crust, as the "purée' could turn it soggy. Not an issue at home, as this tart doesn't last more than 2 days, so that's why I don't do coat with chocolate
24. Store in the refrigerator
The Lemon Custard
25. For the Lemon Custard (1 ¾ Cup or 240 g), follow the steps in the link below:
27. Once made, the Lemon Custard (1 ¾ Cup or 240 g) must be poured (right away) onto the tart
28. Lay a plastic wrap (to avoid the custard to crust)
29. Place in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour
The decoration
30. For the decoration, the chef suggests to create a white chocolate ring, I chose to make a colorful disk : that's your own choice
31. Melt White Chocolate which will be better if you temper
32. Color one part with Food Coloring, yellow color and the other half with green color
33. Take an "acetate sheet" to pour the chocolate (this makes the chocolate very shiny), otherwise, consider taking aparchment paper
34. For the acetate sheet : To purchase online, see HERE
35. Spread the green chocolate with a pastry brush, let it set, and then do it again with the yellow chocolate
36. Melt the Dark Chocolate : It is better to temper
37. Pour and spread
38. Let the chocolate set, and before it becomes hard, push down a pastry ring, 3.93" (or 3 15/16" or 10 cm) in diameter
39. Let the chocolate become hard (you may need to refrigerate)
40. Detach the chocolate disk
The Whipped Cream
41. Remember the cream that we prepared and that is waiting in the fridge ? Well, now is time for its entrance on the stage
42. Something I do: add Candied Lemon Peels (1 ¾ Cup or 130 g) (to mix into a purée), and add to the cream (will enhance the flavors)
43. Whip the cream, into what we call a Chantilly: You may use either a stand mixer (like a Kitchen Aid appliance) or an electric beater
44. Transfer this whipped Chantilly into a Pastry Bag, with a Plain Pastry Tip with large diameter (0.66" (or 11/16" or 1.7 cm))
Montage final
45. Take the tart out of the fridge, remove the plastic wrap
46. Pipe chantilly balls all over, starting from the tart edge into the center
47. Lay the chocolate decoration
48. The tart is ready!
That's it! Keep in the fridge of course...
Be ready to share this beautiful tart with everyone, but especially you, only you : you deserve it
Once again, this tart is the best when using Meyer Lemons, but if you cannot find any, regular lemons will still make this tart very tasty