Lemon Tarts

Made Lemon Tarts this morning. I got the recipe from Leisure Cat. Nearly failed in my attempt because I was too muddle-headed. When I was almost done with mixing the ingredients for the tart shells, I saw the bowl of egg yolks staring at me. Gosh! I had forgotten to add and beat up the egg yolks with the butter and icing sugar. I rushed to get it done and combine it to the mixture. Luckily I could still incorporate everything and knead into a dough. Phew ! The tart shells came out alright.

I found it tough to understand the recipe from the source because the instructions given were very brief. It is tedious to type in Traditional Chinese, so I have had problems putting forth my doubts at the forum. Hence, I had to study other similar recipes in this case. I have been captivated by all the beautiful food photos there, which explains why I keep going back to Leisure-Cat and other forums in Hong Kong. The recipe below is a translation from the original work with some details added for clarity.



Lemon Tarts
檸檬撻

Yields 25 Tarts

Tart shells

Ingredients:
210g butter
83g icing sugar
1-1/2 egg yolks
42g evaporated milk
300g cake flour
38g cocoa powder


Method:

Cream butter and icing sugar until white and creamy, add egg yolks and continue to beat until smooth.

Add evaporated milk, cake flour and cocoa powder. Knead into a dough.

Press into tart moulds. Bake at preheated oven at 190 degree Celsius for 15-20 mins.

Remove tart shells from moulds and leave it to cool on the rack.


Lemon Filling

Ingredients:
3 egg yolks
28g caster sugar
lemon juice from 2 lemons (I used Thai green lemons)
grated lemon zest from 2 lemons
3 egg whites
68g caster sugar
180g whipping cream
8.5g gelatin
20g water


Method:

Put the egg yolks and 28g sugar in a mixing bowl, beat until pale and thick.

Place egg whites in a clean, dry bowl. Beat up the egg whites, gradually add 68g sugar and beat until stiff peak.

Add lemon juice and lemon zest into egg yolks mixture. Mix well.

Dissolve the gelatin in water using the double boil method, add into egg yolks mixture. Mix well.

Whip the whipping cream till mousse state, add into egg yolks mixture. Mix well.

Add egg whites mixture to egg yolks mixture. Mix well.

Spoon the lemon filling into the individual tart shells and chill.

Note: When grating the lemon zest, avoid using the inner white part. Just grate the thin surface only as the white part is bitter. Then squeeze the lemon juice from the two lemons.

I did not add all the grated lemon zest into the lemon filling. I used some for garnishing.