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It was 85 F where I live today. Two weeks ago it was 35 F. With weather like this you have to be adaptable, ready for the freak thunder shower, cold chill, or Santa Anas that inevitably breeze through the Los Angeles landscape. When I wake up with my lips chapped and throat dry, welcomed by the piercing sunlight of what is sure to be a scorcher, my mind wanders to my favorite sardonic case-hardened detective, Philip Marlowe. From behind his desk he remembers:
"There was a rough desert wind blowing into Los Angeles that evening. It was one of those hot, dry Santa Anas that come down through the mountain passes and curl your hair, making your nerves jump and your skin itch. On nights like that every booze party ends in a fight and meek little housewives feel the edge of a carving knife while studying their husbands' necks."
Now, I wasn't feeling the edge of a carving knife that day. It was a plating knife to be precise. And a refreshing lemon tart was on my mind. But what if the weather turns around and it's 35 F again? A simple lemon tart won't pass muster when the cold is nipping at your toes. No, it must cross over, bridging comfort with refreshment. So with a few small tweaks the tart became more than a meek little oasis on a red-hot day. It became a night time comfort too, with a warm, nutty crust and the surprise of rich dark chocolate riding stealthily along the bottom of the lemon curd. It's delicious with a little whipped cream or standing alone with only the sound of rough desert winds to keep it company. I, and Raymond Chandler's ghost, hope you enjoy!
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Ingredients:
For crust (this makes 3 batches, which can be easily frozen and reserve for a later tart-baking date):
1 egg
8 tablespoons butter, room temperature
3 cups of all purpose flour
1/3 cup of sugar
1 cup raw pecans
1 cup raw pine nuts
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
3 oz semi sweet chocolate
3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
For the Filling
1/2 cup meyer lemon juice (regular lemons are fine too, but meyer lemons happen to be in season and have a lovely sweet, mellow flavor)
2 large eggs, cold
2 large egg yolks, cold
3/4 cup sugar
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small cubes and chilled
Directions:
To make the dough, place the nuts in a food processor and blitz until chopped. Add the flour and sugar and blitz again. Add the butter, blitz, then the egg and vanilla, and continue blitzing to combine. The nuts should be very fine at this point and the dough mailable and slightly sticky. Divide the dough into 3 rounds, wrap each in plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator for at least 10 minutes before use. Pre heat oven to 350 F and butter and flour a 10 inch tart pan with removable center. Once dough is chilled, take one round of dough and press it into the tin, covering it evenly and going up the side. Bake for 10-15 minutes, remove and turn the crust to prevent sticking. Return it to the oven for another 10-15 minutes or until golden brown.
While the crust is baking, over a double boiler melt the chocolate with the cream until very smooth. Once the crust has finished baking, pour a very thin layer of chocolate on the bottom of the crust. Go easy on it as too much chocolate will overwhelm the delicate lemon flavor. Put the crust in the fridge so the chocolate will harden.
For the Filling:
For the Filling:
In the top half of a large double boiler and using a hand mixer, whisk the eggs, yolks, and sugar for about 1 minute, or until the mixture is smooth. Heat up the bottom half with boiling water in the meantime.
Set the top over the bottom pot and whip the mixture until the eggs are foamy and have thickened, about two minutes later. Add one-third of the lemon juice and mix. When the mixture thickens again, add another one-third of the lemon juice and so on. Continue whisking until the mixture is thickened and light in color with the whisk leaving a trail in the bottom of the pot. This should take about 10 minutes.
Turn off the heat and leave the bowl over the water. Whisk in the butter a piece at a time. The mixture may "loosen" a bit, but don't worry. Keep mixing and it will thicken right up. Pour the warm mixture into the tart crust and place on a baking sheet.
Preheat the broiler. While the tart is still warm, place the it under the broiler. Leaving the door open, brown the top, turning the tart if necessary for even color. This happens really fast so keep your eyes on the tart. Remove the it from the broiler and let put it in the refrigerator to cool and set for at least 1 hour. Serve cool or at room temperature.
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