Lemon Meringue Tart

http://www.joyofbaking.com/LemonMeringueTart.html

This Lemon Meringue Tart is very similar to the Lemon Curd Tart recipe on the site except it is topped with a layer of meringue. Most would agree that there are few desserts this irresistible; that combination of a sweet and crisp pastry crust with a filling that's tart yet creamy, finished off with an airy sweet meringue.

So what exactly is the difference between a Lemon Meringue Tart and a Lemon Meringue Pie besides the obvious difference that one uses a tart pan and the other a pie plate? Well, for one thing a Lemon Meringue Pie uses a lemon filling (or custard) which contains little or no butter and uses cornstarch (corn flour) or flour for thickening. A Lemon Meringue Tart, on the other hand, is filled with lemon curd which does not contain cornstarch or flour and contains more lemon juice and zest than the Lemon Meringue Pie's filling so it has a sharper lemon flavor. It also contains butter which makes the curd's texture smoother and creamier.

Nevertheless, they are both delicious and both have that same pitfall, the problem of a 'weeping' meringue; that is, beads of moisture that form between the baked meringue and the filling, causing the meringue to slip away from the filling. For help on this subject I consulted both Carole Walter's 'Great Pies and Tarts' and Jane Grigson's 'Fruit Book' and their solution seems to be that the lemon filling needs to be 'hot', not cold, when spreading on the unbaked meringue. I have found that having the filling hot, along with gently pressing down on the meringue to remove any air pockets, does, in fact, solve the 'weeping' problem. It is also a good idea not to over whip the egg whites as this can be another cause of weeping. Once the tart is removed from the oven, place it on a wire rack to cool, away from any drafts. This tart is at its very best the day it is made although leftovers can be covered and refrigerated.

Sweet Pastry Crust:
1 1/2 cups (210 grams) all purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated white sugar
1 large egg, lightly beaten

In a separate bowl, sift or whisk together the flour and salt. Set aside. Place the butter in your mixer and beat until softened. Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Gradually add the beaten egg, beating just until incorporated. Don't over mix or the butter will separate and lighten in color. Add flour mixture all at once and mix just until it forms a ball. Don't overwork or pastry will be hard when baked.

Flatten dough into disk, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for about 30 minutes or until firm.
Have ready an 8 - 9 inch (20 - 23 cm) tart pan with removable bottom. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry into an 11 - 12 inch (28 - 30 cm) circle that is about 1/8 inch (3 mm) thick. To prevent the pastry from sticking to the counter and to ensure uniform thickness, keep lifting up and turning the pastry a quarter turn as you roll (always roll from the center of the pastry outwards to get uniform thickness). To make sure it is the right size, take your tart pan, flip it over, and place it on the rolled out pastry. The pastry should be about an inch larger than pan.

When the pastry is rolled to the desired size, lightly roll pastry around your rolling pin, dusting off any excess flour as you roll. Unroll onto top of tart pan. Never pull pastry or you will get shrinkage (shrinkage is caused by too much pulling of the pastry when placing it in the pan). Gently lay in pan and with a small floured piece of pastry, lightly press pastry into bottom and up sides of pan. Roll your rolling pin over top of pan to get rid of excess pastry. With a thumb up movement, again press dough into pan. Roll rolling pin over top again to get rid of any extra pastry. Prick bottom of dough (this will prevent the dough from puffing up as it bakes). Cover and refrigerate for about 20 minutes to chill the butter and to rest the gluten in the flour.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Line unbaked pastry shell with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Fill tart pan with pie weights, rice or beans, making sure the weights are to the top of the pan and evenly distributed over the entire surface. Bake the crust for 20 to 25 minutes or until the crust is dry and lightly golden brown.

Lemon Curd:
3 large eggs
1/3 cup (80 ml) fresh lemon juice (2-3 lemons) (do not use the bottled lemon juice)
3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated white sugar
4 tablespoons (56 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature and cut into small pieces
1 tablespoon (4 grams) lemon zest

While the crust is baking make the Lemon Curd.In a stainless steel bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water, whisk together the eggs, sugar, and lemon juice until blended. Cook, whisking constantly (to prevent it from curdling), until the mixture becomes pale in color and quite thick (like a hollandaise sauce or sour cream) (160 degrees F or 71 degrees C on a thermometer). This will take about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and immediately pour through a fine strainer to remove any lumps. Cut the butter into small pieces and whisk into the mixture until the butter has melted. Add the lemon zest. Immediately pour the lemon curd into the baked crust and smooth the top.

Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C). Bake the tart for about 10 minutes or until the lemon curd is firm but still a little wobbly in the center. Do not let it brown or burn.
Lemon Zest - The yellow outer rind of the lemon that contains the fruit's flavor and perfume. The rind being the outer skin of the lemon which consists of both the yellow zest and white membrane (pith).

TIPS:
Always remove the zest first before halving and squeezing the lemon.
Thin, smooth skinned lemons at room temperature yield the most juice.
Thick, bumpy textured cold lemons give the maximum amount of zest.
Use a fine strainer to remove the seeds and pulp from the juice.


Meringue:
4 large egg whites
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (130 grams) white granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

In a clean bowl of your electric mixer, with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites until foamy. Add the cream of tartar and continue beating until soft peaks form. Gradually add the sugar and continue to whip until stiff peaks form.

Using a spoon, place dollops of the meringue over the entire surface of the hot lemon curd, starting at the outside edge of the tart. (Make sure the meringue comes right up to the crust and there are no gaps between the crust and the lemon curd.) Then, with the back of your spoon, gently press down on the meringue to get rid of any air pockets and to make sure all the lemon curd is covered with the meringue. If desired, swirl the meringue making a few decorative peaks. Return the tart to the oven and bake for about 10 to 15 minutes or until the meringue has nicely browned.

Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool, away from any drafts. When cool, serve or else cover and refrigerate.

Note: Leftover pastry can be used to make Sables (French Butter Cookies)

Serves 6 - 8

Sources:
Beranbaum, Rose Levy. 'The Pie and Pastry Bible'. Scribner. New York: 1998.
Friberg, Bo. 'The Professional Pastry Chef'. Van Nostrand Reinhold. New York: 1996.Grigson, Jane. 'Jane Grigson's Fruit Book'. Penguin Books. London: 1982.
Walters, Carole. 'Great Pies and Tarts'. Clarkson/Potter Publishers. New York: 1998.

"Pappa col Pomodoro" - Tuscan bread and tomato soup

http://www.franceinlondon.com/en-Article-597-Summer-Recipes-Food--Wine--summer-pasta.html

Rich San Marzano tomaotes are ideal for making sauces and soups and are just delicious in this traditional Tuscan recipe…

500g San Marzano tomatoes
2 garlic cloves
Pinch of crushed chillies
Handful of basil
1ltr beef stock
300g slightly stale bread
extra virgin olive oil

Heat some oil in a large saucepan or pot. Gently fry the garlic and some chillies, removing the garlic when golden brown.

Puree the tomatoes then add to the pot with some basil and cook for a couple of minutes. Then add the bread, thinly sliced. Mix. When the bread has soaked up the sauce, add the hot stock. Season with salt and pepper.

Cook for 15 minutes adding more stock if necessary. Rest for an hour, then mix again to dissolve the bread. Serve hot, but not piping hot, with a drizzle of olive oil and garnish with fresh basil leaves.

YakGwa - Korean Wheat and Honey Cakes

http://www.koreataste.org/lang/en/en/food-en/recipes-en/food_type8_en/yakgwa/
http://shinsveganloving.blogspot.com/2011/05/vegan-yakgwa-for-mothers-day.html
http://www.koreataste.org/lang/en/en/blogging-en/yakgwa-little-fried-honey-cakes/
http://sites.google.com/site/kamrecipe/korean-yakgwa-fried-honey-cookie-yaggwa
http://www.internationalrecipes.net/find/Korean%20Fried%20Honey%20Cake

Mung Bean Porridge in Coconut Milk

This recipe is from http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2010/04/mung-bean-porridge-in-coconut-milk-recipe.html?ref=related

Mung beans, small and dark green, become bean sprouts when left to sprout. This porridge is commonly eaten as breakfast in Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand, but its sweetness makes for a fine dessert as well.

Ingredients

serves 6 to 8 servings

• 1 cup mung beans, about 7 ounces or 200 grams
• 4 1/2 cups water
• 1 cinnamon stick, about 4 inches in length
• 1 piece ginger, about 2 inches in length
• 1 cup sugar, or to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup unsweetened coconut milk

Procedures

1. Rinse the mung beans in a few changes of cold water, picking through them to remove any stones or grit. Place the beans in a saucepan along with the water, cinnamon stick, and ginger. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 40 minutes, until the beans have cracked open a bit but are not mushy.
2. Add the sugar, salt, and vanilla extract. Continue to simmer until the sugar is dissolved, about three minutes.
   
   
3. Stir in the coconut milk. Cook until the coconut milk is just heated through, about 2 minutes. Take care not to simmer for too long, or else the milk will thicken too much. Remove the ginger and cinnamon stick from the pot. Ladle the porridge into bowls and serve warm.

Pulut Hitam (Black Rice Pudding with Coconut Milk)

This recipe is from http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2010/10/pulut-hitam-black-rice-pudding-with-coconut-m.html?ref=related

Special equipment: 4 quart saucepan

Ingredients

serves 4 to 6 as a hearty dessert or breakfast, active time 10 minutes, total time 1 1/2 hours (plus overnight soak)

• 1 cup black sticky rice (purple rice)
• 2/3 cups sugar
• 1 1/2 cups coconut milk
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Procedures

1. Soak rice for at least 6 to 8 hours in a large bowl filled with cold water.
2. The next day, drain the rice and add to large saucepan. Add 8 cups (2 quarts) fresh water to the pan. Add sugar and bring water to boil over high heat. Reduce to a simmer and cook, partially covered, until rice grains have split open and the rice is tender, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. The liquid in the pan will have thickened to the consistency of a light syrupy pudding. Towards the end of cooking time, stir the rice to prevent scorching and sticking on the bottom.
3. Meanwhile, combine coconut milk with salt and let sit at room temperature.
4. Ladle rice pudding into serving bowls and drizzle the coconut milk over each portion. Serve immediately. Leftover pudding may be kept in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Reheat before serving.

Toasted Mochi made from Sweet Rice, not rice flour

This recipe is from http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2010/02/how-to-make-mochi-red-bean-asian-lunar-new-year-recipe.html and has some nice photos of the procedures.

I like this recipe because I already have the sweet rice, and most recipes call for only rice flour.

In Japan and Korea, the rounds of glutinous rice, known as mochi and tteok, respectively, are indulgently gooey affairs. The cakes, which can either be sweet or savory, are steamed, pounded, or pan-fried.

Store-bought versions are usually coated with too much starch and can taste like chemicals or waxy fillings. The homemade version, however, is one of my favorite treats: soft and chewy with the sweetness of glutinous rice coming through, freshly pounded mochi is not to be missed. And, despite its opaque appearance, making mochi at home is a completely manageable, albeit sticky, activity. The steps and recipe ideas, after the jump.

Special equipment: food processor or spice grinder, mortar and pestle 

Ingredients:

Glutinous sweet rice 

Potato or rice starch

 

Procedure:

In a food processor or spice grinder, coarsely process the glutinous sweet rice. Soak the rice in a large bowl of water for an hour, then arrange the drained rice on a steamer insert fitted with muslin or cheese cloth.

Steam the rice for 40 to 45 minutes, until the broken grains of rice are translucent. Let rest in the steamer insert for 5 minutes.

With wet fingers, transfer the cooked rice to a mortar and pestle.

Depending on the size of the bowl, you may need to complete this step in batches. Pound the rice in an up-and-down fashion for 10 minutes or so.
As you continue to pound the rice, have a bowl of warm water ready to add to the bowl if needed. The rice should be somewhat moist, but not wet, as you pound it. By the end of the pounding process, the rice will be one cohesive, sticky mass.

Sprinkle potato or rice starch over your work surface. Wet your hands again and transfer the mochi to the surface. Now make sure your hands are completely dry and cleaned of residual sticky rice. Lightly knead the mochi, adding more potato starch as needed, until the mass of rice is no longer extremely sticky to the touch. Divide the mochi into 2-inch balls, rolling each around in a thin layer of starch.

If you want to fill the mochi, use red bean paste or another filling of your choice. (I like mixing the highest-quality peanut butter and honey.) Flatten the ball of mochi and place a teaspoonful of filling in the center. Gather the ends of the circle together and roll again to form a ball with the enclosed filling. Eat as is, or proceed with toasting. In this form, the mochi can be kept underneath a wet towel for 10 to 12 hours. If you intend to the toast the mochi later, the rounds of rice can be stored for 24 hours.

Heat a heavy skillet or pan. Place each round of mochi onto the pan. You may either leave the mochi in its spherical form or use a spatula to flatten the mochi. Toast the bottoms of the mochi until they are golden brown, taking care not to move or disturb the balls as they cook. If the mochi is prematurely moved, the surface will not have time to harden and the balls will stick to the pan. Continue to toast the mochi on all sides.

Eat the plain toasted rounds of mochi dipped in soy sauce or sugar. Or, place the balls of mochi in soup for a New Year's dumpling soup, where they will absorb the flavors of the broth. Eat the soup immediately upon serving to fully experience the delicate balance of the crisp, charred surface to the gooey, soft interior. The filled and toasted rounds of mochi may be eaten as they are. 

Natural Marshmallows

This recipe is from http://marshmallowchefsticks.com/marshmallowchefstickrecipes.htm

Contributed by Carol Stacy

Makes 10 / Takes 1 1/2 Hours

Ingredients:

2 egg whites 1 teaspoon vanilla 1/2 cup raw cane sugar 1 tablespoon powdered Marshmallow (root)

Directions:Whip egg whites until almost stiff. Add vanilla and whip until stiff. Then whip in the sugar, 1 tsp at the time. Finally, add Marshmallow and whip again. Place by teaspoonful on cookie sheet. Bake in 325 oven for 1 hour.

Black Seseme Macaroons with Chocolate Mochi Filling

This recipe is from http://www.6bittersweets.com/2011/05/you-might-call-me-hooked-black-sesame.html

From 6 Bittersweets

Fillings adapted from Bonbini and Evan’s Kitchen Ramblings

Makes about 25 to 35 macarons

XIAOLU'S NOTES: Please do not try to convert this recipe to volume measurements if you don't have a scale (I use and love this one). This recipe is very sensitive and will not work if the measurements are not exact. Please also note that every oven is different and you'll figure out what works best for yours over time. Since mine has major hot spots, I bake on 2 stacked pans for insulation. If you're uncertain of your ability to pipe uniformly-sized macarons, like me, simply trace 1 1/8-inch circles on your parchment paper, flip the paper over, and pipe on the other side, using the outlines as your guide OR print (choose "fit to page") and slide this template under your parchment as a guide but don't forget to remove before baking! Macarons are best after having been refrigerated for 24 to 48 hours, according to French pastry master, Pierre Herme, "An osmosis takes place between the garnish and the biscuit. When freshly baked this is hard and crisp, but it absorbs some humidity from the filling and its inside becomes more tender while the crust on the surface stays intact" (quote via Not So Humble Pie). So even if you accidentally overbake the shells by a few minutes, maturing the macarons in the fridge for at least 48 hours should undo most of the damage =). See my first macaron post for helpful videos of the whole macaron-making process!

85 g almonds [not roasted or salted]

40 g black sesame seeds

145 g powdered sugar

Pinch of salt

40 g granulated sugar

3 g egg white powder [optional, to stabilize batter in humid weather]

95 to 100 g egg whites [about 3 large egg whites]

1/8 tsp cream of tartar or 1/4 tsp lemon juice [optional, to stabilize meringue]

1/2 cup Black Sesame Ganache (Recipe below)

25 to 35 Pieces of Mochi Filling (Recipe below)

25 to 35 4-inch lollipop sticks

Microwave fresh egg whites 10 to 15 seconds in the microwave on medium heat.

Combine the almonds, sesame seeds, powdered sugar, and salt in a food processor, and pulse on and off until the nuts are finely ground (about 1 to 2 minutes). Sift the powder to remove any large chunks that remain. Put those chunks back into the food processor and pulse again for another 30 to 60 seconds. Sift again. You will probably have some slightly chunkier almond bits. Hopefully they're no more than a tablespoon or so, in which case you can throw them out.

Weigh out and mix your granulated sugar and egg white powder in a small bowl until uniform; set aside. Using a handheld or stand mixer, whip the egg whites on medium-low speed with cream of tartar until foamy, then turn the speed up to medium to medium-high and gradually add the sugar mixture until you obtain a glossy meringue (it'll look like shaving cream, hold stiff peaks, and stay in place if you turn the bowl upside-down; but don't overbeat your meringue or it will be too dry).

Add all of the nut mixture to the meringue and fold together. Use both a folding motion that scrapes the bottom of the bowl (to incorporate the dry ingredients) and a gentle pressing motion, to deflate the meringue against the side of the bowl. Slow down after all the dry ingredients have been incorporated, and continue folding the mass carefully until you obtain a batter that looks somewhat glossy and flows from the spatula in a thick ribbon. Test the batter by spooning a small amount of the batter up, then dropping it back down on itself. If it melts back into the rest of the batter within 30 seconds, it's ready for piping (this page has a nice photo of this test). If not, fold 2 more strokes and test again.

Fill a pastry bag fitted with a 1/3 to 1/2-inch wide plain tip (I like Ateco #804 or 806) with half of the batter. (When your bag is too full, the pressure causes the batter to rush out in a way that’s difficult to control, making for sloppy macarons.) Pipe tiny blobs of batter onto the 4 corners and center of 2 baking sheets, then line baking sheets with parchment paper OR line with silicone mats. Pipe small rounds (slightly larger than 1 inch wide) straight down and about 1 inch apart onto the baking sheets. Pick up each sheet with both hands and slam it firmly straight downward on the counter 2 to 3 times. This will to force out any large air bubbles. Immediately pop any bubbles that rise up but don't break with a toothpick. Do NOT do this once a few minutes have passed because you'll mess up the shell that's forming.

Preheat the oven to 320 degrees F. Let the macarons sit out for 25 to 90 minutes to harden their shells a bit (to prevent tops from cracking during baking). Test if they're ready by touching the top and side of one shell lightly. It should feel dry and not stick to your finger at all. Bake one pan at a time for 5 minutes in the middle shelf of your oven. Now lower the temperature to 300 degrees F and continue baking another 10 to 15 minutes,depending on the size of the macarons. Turn oven back up to 320 degrees F and let it come to temperature again before baking the next batch. Let cool completely before trying to move the shells.

Once cool, flip the shells over. If you have trouble removing them from parchment paper, pour a couple of drops of water under the paper while the sheet is still a bit warm, and the macarons will lift up more easily due to the moisture. Don't let them sit there in it too long or they will become soggy.

Fill the shells (spooning or piping) with 1 teaspoon of ganache, top with a mochi round, add another small dollop of ganache (just enough to cover the mochi because the macaron shell will cause the mochi to dry and harden if they touch directly), and a similarly-sized top shell. For the best flavor and texture, store in the refrigerator for 24 to 48 hours before eating (see notes above for detailed explanation) but they are best if eaten within 5 days. Bring to room temperature before eating.

Black Sesame Ganache

1/3 cup heavy cream

3 oz. semisweet chocolate, roughly chopped

2 tsp honey or light corn syrup

1 Tbsp ground black sesame powder

Pinch of salt

In a small saucepan over medium high heat, bring the cream to a boil. Meanwhile, place chopped chocolate into a small heatproof bowl. Remove cream from heat, pour over chocolate and let stand 5 minutes. Add honey or corn syrup, sesame powder, and salt, then stir everything together until smooth. Set aside until it cools down and thickens a bit (chilling in the fridge or freezer is fine).

Mochi Filling

2/3 cup glutinous rice flour [like Mochiko brand]

Slightly rounded 1/3 cup powdered sugar

2/3 cup PLUS 2 Tbsp water, divided

Cornstarch, for dusting

Put water and 1/4 cup powdered sugar in a microwave-safe bowl and mix well until sugar has dissolved. Add glutinous rice flour to the bowl and mix well until uniform. Put the bowl in the microwave and heat the dough on high heat for 2 minutes. Stir. If the dough pulls away from the side of the bowl, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of water until combined. If not, return bowl to the microwave and heat in 20-second intervals until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl, then mix with the remaining water.

Dust a flat pan and your hands with cornstarch. Carefully transfer the hot mochi from the bowl to the pan. Let cool slightly until you can handle the mochi with your hands. Keep your hands well dusted in cornstarch. Cut small pieces of mochi and roll them in your hands so that you end up with about 25 to 35 fairly flat 3/4-inch rounds