We promised you one recipe per month, but while we remain in confinement, we’re offering you one recipe per week to help pass the time in a useful way. Today, after several savory dishes, here’s a touch of sweetness with the lemon tart.
But first, a reminder of Nice’s gourmet tradition.
La frucha or li frucha?
It’s time for dessert, a moment of reunion for a gourmet delight. In season, a platter of fresh fruit is the most prized dessert.
So much so that in the Niçois dialect, while “la frucha” refers to fruit, the same word in plural means dessert, “li frucha.”
Few cakes are found; the Niçois pastry prefers tarts, fougasses, oil cakes, flavored breads, or Swiss chard tourte. The aromas are of anise, lemon, and orange blossom. For special occasions, ganses and mountains of fragrant fritters are made. Little butter, no cream, milk to cook rice with pine nuts and raisins.
At Christmas, candied fruits and black nougat with honey, almonds, and walnuts take center stage among the thirteen desserts. In the mountains, there are honey and walnut tarts.
And the excellent lemon tart, in Nice without meringue,
Lemon Tart / La tarta ai limoun
Preparation: 1 hour
Cooking: 30 minutes
The market for one 26 cm tart or 10 small tarts:
• Sweet pastry
250 g of flour, 125 g of butter, 30 g of almond powder (see variation), 100 g of icing sugar, 1 egg + 1/2 eggshell of water (if necessary), a pinch of salt, the zest of one grated lemon
• Lemon cream
140 g of caster sugar, 4 egg yolks, 40 g of cornstarch, 250 g of milk,
160 g of lemon juice, the zest of one grated lemon, 50 g of butter
• Lemon glaze and candied lemons
2 whole lemons, 200 g of caster sugar, 15 cl of water, the juice of an organic or untreated lemon
- Pastry
In a bowl, pour the flour, almond powder, sugar, and salt, then mix.
Add the butter cut into small cubes, mix to incorporate the butter into the flour.
Make a well and pour in the beaten egg.
Gather the dough with your fingers until it is homogeneous without overworking it. Add a little water (equivalent to half a shell), if necessary.
Press the dough with the palm of your hand to properly incorporate all elements.
Form a smooth and supple dough ball. Refrigerate for at least two hours.
- Candied lemons
Cut the lemons into 2 mm slices.
Blanch the lemon slices for 2 or 3 minutes, then drain them.
Mix 15 cl of water, lemon juice with the caster sugar, and bring to a boil in a saucepan. Add the lemon slices. Simmer over low heat for about 30 minutes, until they become translucent and tender. Let cool.
- Lining the pastry
Roll out the dough to a thickness of 2/3 mm and line a 26 cm diameter and about 2 cm high tart mold previously buttered (or about ten small tart molds).
Prick the tart base with a fork. Refrigerate while the oven heats to 180°C. Cook. Place parchment paper with beans or dried pulses on the dough. Pre-bake for 15 minutes.
Remove the paper and beans and continue baking at 160°C for 15 to 20 minutes (depending on the oven and the size of the tarts).
by Alex Benvenuto
