So, for the last 34 days (it keeps count), I have been spending 20 minutes a day using Duolingo to practice French. Sometimes when it comes up with sentences along the lines of "The cat eats when the cow eats" I wonder where this is getting me but on other occasions when I come across a sentence that means, "It is difficult to choose," I think, wouldn't it be nice to have phrases like this on hand when pondering which cakes to buy in one of the many amazing patisseries in France. Some days I feel as if I am making huge progress and on other days I still struggle to string a coherent sentence together. Still, come June when we next go to France I shall have a better idea if my efforts have been worthwhile.
With this daily focus on French, I now find myself often thinking about our trips to France - both past and future and I have to admit that shopping for food is one of the aspects I love the most. We do particularly enjoy visiting the patisseries and each of us has our favourites. My husband's favourite is Tarte Citron so when I was staring at the lemons lurking in the bottom of fruit bowl, wondering what I should make with them I suddenly thought of Tarte Citron.
A quick search of the interest and I got to grips with the basics and realised I had everything I needed to make 6 individual tarts. Because it required me halving a recipe, I was left wondering if I should use one and a half lemons (what to do with the remaining half?) or if I should just use one. In the end I decided to use one lemon and compensate for the missing half with two generous spoonfuls of Roasted Rhubarb Curd from the fridge. Traditionally a Tarte Citron is decorated with dark chocolate - sometimes spelling out the word "citron", sometimes just as a sort of chocolate button in the centre with the word written on it in edible gold and sometimes just in a zig-zag drizzle. As Steve isn't a huge fan of dark chocolate and I couldn't be bothered with the faff of melting and piping chocolate, I decided to use Raspberry Jam instead. As it happened, I was making a fresh batch of jam this afternoon anyway so I drizzled it whilst it was still warm and it turned out to be an amazing flavour combination. A curl of homemade lemon ice-cream on the side and, although not as perfect in presentation as a French patisserie, it was a lovely dessert. Apparently I am currently 41% fluent in French and I guess I'm similarly competent in patisserie making.
Individual Tarte Citron (makes 6)
165g plain flour
45g cold butter
15g icing sugar
Splash of milk
2 eggs
50ml double cream
70g caster sugar
1 lemon - zest and juice
2 heaped teaspoons of rhubarb (or lemon) curd
Some raspberry jam or dark chocolate to decorate
Rub together the flour and butter until it has the consistency of fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the icing sugar and add a splash of milk to bind. Wrap the pastry in Clingfilm and chill for about 15 minutes. On a floured surface, roll out the pastry until about 5 mm thick. Grease 6 tartlet cases. Use a small dish or bowl to cut around to make pastry circles to line each tartlet case. Place in the fridge to chill again. Preheat oven to 180°C then put a piece of greaseproof paper into each pastry case and weight it down with baking beans. Blind bake the pastry for 7 minutes then remove the paper and beans and bake for another 5 minutes. Leave to cool completely.
Turn the oven down to 170°C then make the filling. Start by whisking together the two eggs then add the cream, caster sugar, lemon and curd and whisk again until smooth. Place the pastry cases on a baking tray and put the tray on the oven shelf. Carefully pour the filling into the cases then carefully push in the oven shelf and close the door. Bake for 15-20 minutes until just set. Remove from the oven, cool completely then chill. Drizzle over the jam or melted chocolate then serve.
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