Here’s a recipe by Christophe Michalak (for a change :P): a lemon tart on a reconstituted coconut biscuit base (a recipe shown on the programme “le gâteau de mes rêves” on Téva). A tart that’s as simple as it is quick to make (you just need to leave the lemon crémeux in the fridge for a while). The funny thing is that I don’t actually like lemon (my other half, on the other hand, is a fan and has long tried to make me like this citrus fruit). For me, it’s too tangy, even too sour. But I’ve had the chance to make lots of lemon tarts and little by little, I’m starting to appreciate this fruit. You probably know the saying about people who never change their minds 😉
I must admit I have a preference for lime (I love it!!!! I could zest it over all my desserts). I’ve also discovered bergamot lemon, which I’m fond of but which isn’t easy to find (for those who don’t know, bergamot lemon is a cross between a bitter orange and a lime). I still struggle with yellow lemon. Anyway, make your lemon crémeux with whichever citrus fruit you prefer. I sometimes use lime juice with bergamot zest, or lemon juice. It depends on my mood. (By the way, I seem to remember I had a little yuzu juice left over from my many macaron trials and I think I made a lemon juice/yuzu juice mix for this recipe). In short, anything goes!
For the shortbread, like many of Michalak’s “too easy” recipes, he uses ready-made biscuits. Some will surely be resistant to this practice. I’d like to say, no problem, make your own shortbread and then grind it into a powder. For the others, those who want to make life easier or who are in a bit of a hurry, you can use shop-bought biscuits.
In the end, it’s a tart that’s easy to make, that doesn’t look like much and that is very good, so go for it! 🙂
Ingredients & Method
3 components · Full recipe
Lemon Cream
Ingredients
- 100 g (3.5 oz) caster sugar
- 2 eggs
- 100 g (3.5 oz) lemon juice
- 120 g (4.2 oz) butter
- zest of 1 lemon
- 1 gelatine leaf
Method
1
Soak the gelatine leaf in cold water.
2
Pour the lemon juice into a saucepan and add the lemon zest.
3
Add the eggs and sugar, then whisk everything together.
4
Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture reaches 85°C / 185°F — it will thicken like a crème anglaise. Be careful not to exceed this temperature. If you don’t have a thermometer, use Michalak’s trick: whisk the mixture quickly then stop; if the “whirlpool” stops immediately, the cream is at the right temperature.
5
Remove from the heat, add the drained gelatine leaf and stir until fully dissolved.
6
Strain through a sieve to remove the zest. Leave to cool in a shallow dish.
7
When the lemon cream has cooled to about 35°C / 95°F, pour it into a tall jug. Add the butter all at once and blitz with a stick blender until smooth and glossy — the cream will lighten in colour slightly.
8
Leave to cool, then transfer to a piping bag fitted with a 15 mm round tip. Refrigerate until needed.
Coconut Shortbread Base
Ingredients
- 200 g (7.1 oz) shortbread biscuits (Breton sablés, palets bretons, shortbreads…)
- 60 g (2.1 oz) desiccated coconut
- 90 g (3.2 oz) melted butter
Method
1
Preheat the oven to 150°C / 300°F.
2
Spread the desiccated coconut on a lined baking tray.
3
Toast in the oven for a few minutes — watch it carefully, as it can colour very quickly (5 minutes was enough for me).
4
Melt the butter in the microwave.
5
Blitz the biscuits to a fine crumb, then mix in the toasted coconut followed by the melted butter. Work together with your hands until the mixture resembles wet sand.
6
Press the mixture evenly into an 18 cm (7.1 in) ring mould to a depth of about 1 cm (0.4 in), packing it down firmly with the back of a spoon.
7
Refrigerate until set and ready for assembly.
Assembly
Ingredients
- candied lemon peel
Method
1
The lemon cream must be well chilled — at least 2–3 hours in the fridge.
2
Pipe domes of lemon cream onto the shortbread base. I transferred a little cream into a second piping bag fitted with a small star tip to pipe the little rosettes that fill the gaps between the domes.
3
Scatter a few diced candied lemon pieces on top and finish with a fine grating of fresh lemon zest.
4
Keep chilled until ready to serve.
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