TARTE AU CITRON CROUSTILLANT,
recipe by Randall Price
Aristophanes said that all dramatic stories stem from a seven basic plots. Or was it Sophocles or Aristotle? Some great dead Greek philosopher, anyway. A British writer pretended he discovered this truth only two decades ago. People forget. Films certainly reflect this notion. It’s not the plot, it’s how it unfolds, and how the director and actors bring a sense of originality to their work to make it fresh for the viewers.
It’s exactly the same with food. There are very few new dishes. There are variations. There are things forgotten that resurface decades later as hot discoveries. I once created what I thought was a very original recipe for wild boar stew cooked with liquorice root. I was very proud of its singularity, until I later discovered the very same thing in an 17th century French cookbook.
The luminous night life in Cannes highlights a constant struggle to create the new in fashion outrage each year. But how new is it? With the abundance of noteworthy, exciting films in and out of competition, why did I, hidden away in the kitchen, find myself obsessed with how the glittering celebrities would bring freshness to the basic plots of style? Would there be a boycott of high heels again? Julia Roberts seemed to promote the barefoot aesthetic, but high heels reined supreme. I did not, unfortunately, find the flamingo-heeled shoes a Facebook friend asked me to be on the look for.
However, for my Grand Finale this year I returned to a classic basic plot in French Cuisine. Tarte au Citron. What could be more mundane? The beloved lemon tart is ubiquitous and often abused. With my treatment I think it is elevated to the Divine.
I stripped it of its humble butter pastry crust in favor of the contrasting crunch of a sweet pistachio cookie for its foundation. For the filling, I avoided a tart, starchy lemon pudding plop and adapted a lusciously acidic, rich lemon curd balanced with just a touch of white chocolate.
Now it is ready to grace your table for the most festive of events. I like to stretch the presentation by making it in a long rectangular tart form, but it will be just as delicious in an ordinary round spring-form cake pan.
Variation on themes is crucial in marketing, and the visual impression. Still it’s the taste that has the most impact. Enjoy!
Makes one 9-10 inch/22-25 cm tart
Crust:
1/3 cup/75 g butter, softened
1/3 cup/75 g brown sugar
1 cup/150 g pistachios, toasted and chopped fine
1 tbsp flour
Mix all the ingredients together and pat into the bottom of a springform or cheesecake pan. Chill for ten minutes then bake at 325F/160 C for 15-18 minutes, until lightly browned.
Filling:
Juice of 4 lemons and 1 lime (6 oz/180 ml)
2 eggs
3 egg yolks
3/4 cup/150 g sugar
6 ounces/180 g butter, cut in chunks
Place everything in heavy sauce pan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, and occasionally a whisk, until the mixture is opaque and coats the wooden spoon thickly. Never let it come to a boil or it will curdle! Remove from the heat.
While still hot, add:
2 tsps/2 sheets gelatin, softened
2 ounces/60 g white chocolate, chopped
Stir into the custard, then strain and cool completely.
When cool, whip 1 cup heavy cream to soft peaks. Mix together ½ cup each curd and cream for decoration. Fold remaining cream into filling and spoon over crust. Chill until set. Pipe the reserved lemon whipped cream in swirls around the edge of the tart.
For candied zest:
Home-candied lemon (or orange) zest is a revelation or variation. Try it!
Julienne the zest of two of the lemons. Cover with cold water and bring to the boil. Drain and repeat two more times. Put into heavy saucepan with 2 cups/500 ml water and 1 cup/200 g sugar. Bring to the boil, then simmer until candied. When cool, use to decorate the top of the lemon tart.
By Randall Price
