Sunburnt Lemon Tart

Food — By admin on August 10, 2009 9:55 am

This tangy and light dessert is a favourite and a staple on the menu at The MacKay Place.  Adapted from a traditional European recipe, Chef Jennifer Douglas’ version pairs nicely with a Canadian icewine, completing a perfect summer barbecue.

Dowload printable version: Sunburnt Lemon Tart

Shortcrust Pastry:

6oz (170 grams) all purpose flour

30z (85 grams) butter

1 egg yolk

Enough chilled water to bind the pastry

METHOD:
Place all ingredients in a food processor and blend until items start to clump together. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.  Roll out crust and place in a 9″ (23cm) flan or pie pan.  Pre-bake the crust, covered, for 10 minutes at 350F (175C).  Let cool 30 minutes.

Tip: Cover unbaked crust with parchment paper and pour dry beans or place another pie pan on top, to weigh down the crust and prevent it from forming air pockets while baking.

Custard Filling:

6 eggs

Zest, juice and seeds of 3 lemons

3/4 cup (200 ml) whipping cream

1 cup (250 grams) white sugar

Tip: Leaving the seeds in the lemon juice uses all the essence of the lemon to infuse its flavour into the custard.

METHOD:
Mix all ingredients together and let stand for 3 minutes to an hour.  Strain into a jug and skim the froth off the top.  Pour into prepared pastry crust and bake at 300F (150C) for 30 to 40 minutes.  When you remove the pie from the oven it should still be wobbly a bit, not yet firm. It will set more as it cools.

TO SERVE: Once chilled, sprinkle liberally with white sugar and torch the top to caramelize.  Top with whipped cream and raspberries – serve immediately.

Tip:  The caramelized top will soften as the pie sits.  You can remedy this by only caramelizing the pieces you will eat or, as Jennifer suggests, just add more sugar and torch again!

Icewine
Originally discovered by accident in Germany in the 18th Century, icewine is formed by pressing the juice from frozen grapes; resulting in a pleasantly sweet wine, best served chilled.  Canada’s Niagra region’s warm summers and cold winters provide optimum conditions for some of the finest icewines, such as Cave Springs Reisling Icewine from Niagra, Ontario, $65, (a recommended wine pairing by J. Webb Wine Merchant, Calgary).

Tags: icewine, Routes Magazine, Sunburnt Lemon Tart, The MacKayPlace