November 1, 2011

Tuesday- Lemon Cream Tart




Lemon curd. Why is it so hard to make one? The step by step instructions were quite clear, so where did I go wrong? My first attempt was a BIG mess. It was overly sweet, too tangy and gloppy. Yuck. Followed by another failure with dreadful curdling. Sigh. I missed the right thickness (by few stirs only) as Adam was shouting calling for me. Why did he always call me during critical times? Should I blame him for my tragic lemon curd? ;p

Of course, giving up was never part of me lol, I tried again for the third time. I chose to follow Little Teochew's Easy Lemon Curd recipe since the  word 'Easy' on the title is quite convincing.  Instead of cooking it as a stovetop custard, I turned to ban Marie method and did the stirring thingy during wee hours of the morning, so nobody (read: both men) can disturb me. Voila, I got a bowl of lemon curd... and it suits my palate perfectly. Bonus. The combination of eggs, lemon, butter and sugar finally gave in to a smooth and silky curd. Phew~

Back to my first intention, it's time to make lemon tart. So I whipped 100ml of heavy cream and fold a dollop of lemon curd to it. Yummy. As for the crust, I loosely followed Ijan of Blogresepi's recipe. I've halved the flour and subs it with ground almond. (Thanks Ijan! I did try the original recipe tho, 2 thumbs up for it!)

According to Ju of Little Teochew,  the curd will last for a week in a fridge, and 2 months in the freezer. I've a bowl of it in my fridge now, and Im thinking of eating it buttered toast, scones, maybe turn a portion of it as a lemon cake, a cupcake filling, a cake topping and many more things. Yeah, it's overwhelming, but for now, let me just enjoy a slice of lemon tart with my little man :) 


Lemon Curd Recipe 
- 50 to 60g unsalted butter (more butter will make it smoother, but at the same time, fattier too ... you decide)
- 200 to 225g sugar (depending how sweet or tart you like it)
- 2 eggs
- 2 egg yolks
- 120ml fresh lemon juice (RC Note: 100ml will do)
- 1 tsp grated lemon zest, or more if you like (depending on how strong you want the flavour of lemon)(RC Note: I put 1/2 tsp only)

1. In a large bowl, whisk all the ingredients except the butter*. Mix well. Place the bowl over a bain-marie** (water bath) and stir constantly. The mixture may look curdled, but it will smooth out as it cooks.
* If you want a more subtle taste of lemon, do not add the zest at this stage. Set aside with the butter.

2. Once the mixture thickens - it should leave a path on the back of a spoon - turn off the flame and add butter in 2 or 3 additions. If you have not added in your lemon zest, add it in now and stir to mix well.

3. Allow the curd to cool slightly before transferring to a clean jar or bowl. Make sure it is covered to prevent a skin from forming. Chill in the refrigerator. The curd will thicken further as it cools. 

Lemon Cream recipe

100ml heavy cream-whipped
A dollop of lemon curd.

Fold a dollop of lemon curd into whipped cream. Ready to use.

Tart crust recipe (adapted from Blogresepi's recipe)

15 comments:

  1. ish buat org drool ajek. dah lama plan nk buat lemon tart tp tk buat2 sbb tk buat lemon curd ;-)
    itu hari dah buat lemon curd tp habis di mkn ngan bread ajek :D
    tunggu tahun depanlah gamaknya nih

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  2. Hi RC,
    Whoa, that's really pretty tart. You got so much courage to try for so many times till you got the right one :)

    I made lemon tart once in my life so far. hehe... but it was too tangy and sweet. Got quarantined in the fridge for several days until it ended up in my dustbin. wakaka... and of course, it didn't manage for an entry in the blog :D

    Ijan

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  3. just got home, surf the net. konon2 nak lengahkan and kawal makan. big mistake! masuk blog uolls selera terbuka luas...lols

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  4. Babe,

    As always, you beat me in terms of rajiness! I have so many plans, so many recipes to follow, but nothing materialized BUT, I did make karipaps this evening! Yeay, yeay! And I'm telling you, I'm exhausted to the max!

    Anyway, coming here is a pleasure as usual. Love your pics as well as the gorgeous tart. Wish I was there to share a bite! hehehe

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  5. nyummy!! tun xpernah buat lagi.. xtau laa pernah rasa ke tak. sbb kdg2 gi bakery main rasa je, xtau dh beza tart2 nih. hihi

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  6. wah, perseverance makes the fruit of labor really sweet ;) the tart looks great.

    I'm thinking, should I call kak RC or auntie RC now?

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  7. rasanya nak try buat.. looks so delish! TQ sis ♥

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  8. Ijan,

    I semangat nak buat sebab crust dah siap2 buat duk tunggu dlm freezer hehe malas nak buat tart chocolate dah..asik2 itu je hehe

    I pun sama tang food yg tak jadik..takkan masuk blog hehe frust kdg2.. ;p

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  9. Noir,

    Tulah, balik keje, cepat2 mandi.. sape suh BW ;p

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  10. K Lili,

    Musim2 hujan ni asik Lapar je..hehe tu yg ter rajin tuh hehe

    ade lg separuh tart tu lam fridge.. nak mkn ke tak eh? ;p

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  11. Tun,

    try la..try la.. hehe buat sket je tun..satu bowl kecik tu cam byk plak..

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  12. Cahya,

    call me kakak la...hehehe I muda belia lagi tau ..;p

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  13. Adui! Air liurku meleleh leleh. I'm so gonna bake this, heck care the fats. Eat first think later :P

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