Sunday, January 3, 2010

Lemon Souffle Tart

I can hardly believe it myself. It was cold today. 28 degrees was the high. The high! I live in North Carolina! C’mon!

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And it was a cold and lazy Sunday. I was bored. Look what I made to entertain myself.

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And I couldn’t have done it without my Microplane Grater. I think it is my favorite kitchen tool. (Yes, I know there is a chip in my saucer. :))

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This was my first tart of any kind. I found the recipe in Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking on page 645. Guess what movie I made my husband watch with me last night. You guessed it. Julie and Julia with Meryl Streep. Come to think of it, I have only seen two movies this past year in a theatre and both starred Meryl Streep. I saw Julie and Julia earlier in the summer staring Meryl Streep as Julia Child and I just saw It’s Complicated also starring Meryl Streep. I guess you could call me a fan.

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Yes, I made a Lemon Souffle Tart today. It was all the things it was supposed to be; light, airy, fluffy, sweet, lemony, and tart. My boredom solving project was well received by the other members in my family. Thanks Julia :)

Here is the recipe:

Tarte Au Citron

1 10 inch cooked, pie crust shell. Bake it off till it barely colors so it will not brown too much when it goes again into the oven.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

1/2 Cup granulated sugar 4 egg yolks

1 grated rind of 1 lemon

3 TBSP lemon juice

Gradually beat the sugar into the egg yolk and continue beating until mixture it thick, pale yellow , and falls back on itself forming a slowly dissolving ribbon. Beat in the rind and juice. Set bowl over not-quite simmering water and stir with wooden spoon until mixture is too hot for your finger (165 degrees), and thickens enough to coat the spoon lightly, Be careful not to over beat it and scramble the egg yolks.

4 egg whites

A pinch of salt

1/4 cup granulated sugar

Beat the egg whites and salt until soft peaks are formed; sprinkle on the sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks are formed. Fold the egg whites delicately into the warm lemon mixture and turn into the tart shell.

Bake for about 30 minutes in the middle of the pre-heated oven. It is done when top is lightly brown and a cake tester plunged into the center comes out clean. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. If you cannot serve it immediately, leave in turned off hot oven with the door ajar. It will sink slightly as it cools. Serve warm or cold. Best when it is hot.

21 comments:

Sissie's Shabby Cottage said...

Yummy!! The pictures made the tart look as though you could just reach in and take a bite. Ima gonna have to try it. And yes,
I live in Ocean Isle Beach, NC!!
It's 36 for the high here today.
So much for warm coastal living!

Kathy @ Creative Home Expressions said...

I am very disappointed in your temperature today, Lisa! How can I keep saying that I'd pack up and leave NY on the drop of a dime to move to North Carolina if you're going to have similar temperatures! We had yet more snow today {no accumulations thankfully, but very windy}.

That tart looks delicious! I love Meryl Streep, too. I don't think she's done a movie I haven't liked. She so versatile, isn't she.

Cathy~Mille Fleur said...

Oh how yummy!!! I would rather have lemon than chocolate any day!!!

Enjoy!!!
XOXO
Cathy

Amy@TheLemonCottage said...

Sounds like a heatwave compared to Iowa! LOL

***Love anything Lemon!

That move made me want to cook, too. Glad I'm not the only one.
Hope it warms up for you soon.

~Amy

Erin said...

Looks fantastic. I must say, I am microplane graterless. Gotta get one of those. And when I was loading up my groceries today, I thought my hands were going to fall off. I blame my parents for bringing the cold with them—they just moved here from Chicago. Oh, and I'm a fan of Meryl, too. I just wrote about her in fact.

Karen said...

That looks great! Nice thing to do on a boring cold day. :)

Sedona @ MyDivineDelights said...

I'm also a Meryl fan! I asked for that cookbook for Christmas and didn't get it! I guess I'm going to have to buy it myself! The tart looks mouthwatering! I may have to go and make my lemon meringue pie! Now I'm wanting it...wonder why...

Malisa said...

You can come to my house and get bored any day you want! That looks delicious!

Stacey said...

Mmmm, sounds delicious and refreshing. 26 was our high yesterday. Ick.

Karen said...

Baking and cold weather seem to do together. I want one of those zesting tools-maybe it would magically turn me into Rachel Ray!

Linda@Coastal Charm said...

Lisa,
That lemon tart looks soooo good...I'm a Meryl Streep fan too! I just LOVE your header...I sure hope it is new...because I have just noticed it (old age...sure has it's downs). Take care and try to stay warm!

Blessings,
Linda

Carrie @ Cottage Cozy said...

OOOO I love lemon...that souffle looks delish! I can't wait to see "It's Complicated"...maybe tomorrow!

Stay Cozy, Carrie

susan said...

Lisa- Our low for tomorrow night is 8 EIGHT!!!! Makes me just want to keep on flannel jammies and cook and eat :) This tart looks delicious--love anything lemon. I think I need one of those graters. I,too, am a huge Meryl Streep fan--going back to read your post on "It's Complicated"--Hope to see it this weekend!

susan said...

That was me!

Scooterblu's Whimsy~Rhonda said...

Hi, I saw your comment on Pat's, Back Porch Blog, and your unique blog name caught my interest! I was excited to see you are from NC! I am also, ...on the coast about halfway between Wilmington and Myrtle Beach.

Love your blog! I'm a thrifter also and love to cook! Your lemon tart sounds delish! ...and looks very pretty as well. I watched Julie and Julia over the holidays, too, but haven't seen the other movie with Streep. Will have to check it out soon!

Hope you are fairing well in this unseasonably cold weather for the Carolinas! I am a native to NC, and can't remember a cold stretch this long or intense!!! It was 19 here, yesterday morning, and just a little warmer today!

~Enjoyed my visit here, take care! Rhonda :)

Salt said...

That looks REEEEEEALLLLLY good. Wow. I love lemon anything and that just looks delish.

Melanie said...

Isn't that micro zester the best invention? I use mine when I am baking alot. Tart looks great. Cold here too. Snowing:(

Karine said...

Great job with your souffle! It looks delicious :)

Laura @ EdenRose said...

This looks amazing and is my all time fav desert, Yum!

Leah said...

Oh, this looks delicious, I love all things lemon! I may try it this weekend.

Anne said...

Holy moley...so this is what my tart should have looked like! If only my crust didn't break.