Lakes Region Foodie — Lemon and white chocolate tart

When I started as the executive pastry chef at the 5-star Stanford Court Hotel on Nob Hill in San Francisco, they already had a wonderful dessert menu. However there was one dessert that I quickly removed, it was a lemon mousse. My issue with it was that it included gelatin which killed the smooth silky texture of a classic mousse. The most peculiar thing was the reduction of white wine in the recipe, which completely decimated the flavor of fresh lemon juice. At first I did try to make some changes to the recipe. It was easy to just eliminate the reduced wine, but without the gelatin it wouldn't hold its shape. After a few failed attempts, I moved on to develop other recipes.

But the idea of a lemon mousse never left my mind. A few years later when I was making chocolate mousse and folding in the melted chocolate, it occurred to me: would white chocolate have the same effect on a lemon curd? With my first test I replaced the butter in the curd with white chocolate and once it was cooled I folded in the whipped cream and it set up exactly like a chocolate mousse. Since then this lemon and white chocolate mousse has been one of my foundation recipes.

Besides creating a smooth creamy texture, I love how the white chocolate plays off the lemon as it tones down the sharpness. Good white chocolate should taste like good milk, fresh and clean, and it shouldn't be super sweet. The color shouldn't be white, but rather ivory or pale yellow, which is the color of cocoa butter. In really good bars, there will be some echoes of cocoa flavor and aroma from the cocoa butter. Without the gritty cocoa solids that are in dark chocolate, white chocolate is much smoother and more satiny. It’s important to use good white chocolate. If I am in an area of the country with limited choices at the grocery store, I go to the candy section and pick up a good bar of white chocolate to use in my recipes.

When selecting lemons, choose those with a good yellow color and slightly soft. They will have the most flavor and juice. Avoid lemons that are very hard and with green shading the skin, this is an indication that they were picked prematurely and are unripe. They will be even more acidic and harsher in flavor than those that are fully ripen. Since I candy a lot of citrus peel to use in baking, I first peel the lemons with a small thin layer of pith and put them in a zip lock freezer bag, then I juice the lemons. Once I have a full bag of peels, then I candy them.

This light, refreshing dessert is a perfect ending to any meal and a great addition to your holiday celebrations. I often serve it with fresh berries or diced mangos.

Yields 8 – 10 Servings

Tart Dough

1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

8 tablespoons (4 ounces) cold unsalted butter

1/4 cup heavy whipping cream

Blend together the dry ingredients in a food processor with the metal blade. Cut butter into 1/2 inch chunks, add to dry ingredients and process until a fine coarse meal is reached. Add cream and continue processing until dough comes together forming a smooth ball. Turn the dough out from the bowl onto a lightly flour dusted counter. With your hands, gently knead the dough with shallow strokes until the dough is evenly textured throughout. Be careful not to over handle the dough, which would make it tough. Dust the dough very lightly with flour. Shape into a round pad. Place on the center of a lightly flour dusted flat counter. Very lightly dust the top with flour. Roll into an 11-inch circle using a wooden rolling pin and keep the dough lightly dusted with flour at all times. Brush any extra flour from the dough. Line a 9-inch metal tart pan with the circle of dough, trim the edge, and chill 1 hour or until firm to the touch.

Adjust your oven rack to its lowest level and preheat to 350F°. Line the top and inside edge of the dough with heavy aluminum foil, or two layers of thin aluminum foil does not work. Using your hands gently press the foil against the dough on the bottom and sides. Use the tips of a fork to press holes through the foil and dough spacing them ½ inch apart and covering the bottom. Bake on the bottom rack for about 25 minutes, or until the edge is light golden brown and aromatic. Remove from the oven and lift off the foil, return to the oven and continue baking for another 5 minutes or until the bottom crust is golden brown. Cool on the rack for 30 minutes while you prepare the filling.

Filling

1 cup heavy cream

4 large eggs

1 cup sugar

2/3 cup fresh lemon juice

2 ounces white chocolate, cut into ½-inch pieces (not white chocolate chips)

Whip heavy cream just until soft firm peaks form. Transfer to a clean bowl, cover and refrigerate until needed.

In a medium stainless steel bowl beat the eggs until blended. Stir in sugar and then juice. Cook over boiling water, stirring continuously with a wire whisk until curd thickens resembling pudding. Remove from the heat and stir in white chocolate until melted and completely incorporated. Set aside to cool at room temperature, or over an ice bath. If you are using the ice bath, stir occasionally to ensure even cooling and that the cream is cool and still fluid so it can be folded into the cream.

Occasionally hold your hands against the side of the bowl and bottom to test if the lemon curd is cool. Place your finger in the center of the cream to the bottom of the bowl to ensure the lemon curd is cooled throughout and does not contain a hotspot. Hot or even warm spots will melt the whipped cream when you fold it in.

Fold the whipped cream into the curd until just evenly blended. Immediately spoon this cream into the cooled tart shell. Spread the top evenly with an icing spatula. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to allow for the filling to set. Then cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

It will keep several days covered and refrigerated.