lemon “daisy” tarts with cookie petals
Sure, making a little tart in the shape of a flower is a little silly, and completely unnecessary, but that’s exactly a reason to do it. Otherwise, it’s ‘just’ a lemon tart…
I won’t tell you how you’re supposed to eat this, but wouldn’t it the perfect opportunity to eat the little lemon curd-dipped cookies one by one saying “he loves me, he loves me not…” with each bite, laying on the grass and staring longingly at the clouds ?
Another reason why you should make these little cookies, called “langues de chat” (cats tongues) is that they so conveniently use up the extra egg whites leftover from the curd. However, it is possible to make the lemon curd using whole eggs only, in which case simply use 2 whole eggs.
Lemon Curd
INGREDIENTS:
1 egg and 2 yolks (save whites for cookie petals)
100g sugar (1/2 cup)
90g lemon juice from about 2 lemons (about 6 Tablespoons) plus the finely grated zest.
114g butter (1 stick or 1/2 cup)
DIRECTIONS:
Place all the ingredients except the butter in a sauce pan and cook on medium low heat until thickened. Make sure to bring it to a full boil and stir continuously.
Strain it into a bowl, let it cool down for a few minutes, then whisk in the butter vigorously, once slice at a time. If you have an immersion blender, use it to get the smoothest lemon curd.
Let it set completely in the fridge, well covered.
Pie crusts
INGREDIENTS:
145g flour (1 generous cup)
114g butter (1 stick or 1/2 cup)
2 Tablespoons water
1g salt (2 good pinches)
DIRECTIONS:
Make the dough
Break apart the butter into the flour and salt in a large bowl using your fingers. Keep rubbing the butter until you have a coarse, crumbly rubble. Add the two tablespoons of water and gently mix with your fingers to distribute the water evenly, then lightly knead the dough to bring it together. If if still feels a little dry, you can add a few drops of water.
Shape
Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces (about 32g each), then sprinkle a little flour on both sides and roll into thin disks. Place them in the muffin tin, pressing the dough into the bottom and sides to form an even crust that goes all the way to the top. (The crusts will shrink a little bit as they bake, but thats ok) poke them all over with a fork, then chill in the fridge or freezer while the oven preheats to 350 F (180C).
Bake the tart shells for 10 minutes, push down on them with the back of a spoon if they have inflated too much, then continue baking for 10 to 15 minutes until they get a beautiful pale golden hue and smell delicious.
Let them cool down completely.
Langues de chat cookie petals
INGREDIENTS:
2 egg whites (should be about 60g but a little more is ok)
54g flour (about 6 Tablespoons)
60g sugar (about 1/3 cup)
60g butter (a generous 1/2 stick or 1/4 cup)
Powdered sugar, for dusting.
DIRECTIONS:
prepare the batter:
Melt the butter over low heat, then add sugar and egg whites. (If you have a metal bowl, you can melt the butter directly in the bowl, or use any bowl in the microwave) mix well, then fold in the flour until smooth. With a piping bag, freezer bag, or a spoon, form little dollops of batter on a parchment lined sheet pan. They should be about the size of an almond. These spread a lot, so give them a little social distance.
Bake at 350F (180C) for 10 to 12 minutes, or until they get nice golden brown around the edges.
Let them cool down, then sprinkle with powdered sugar with a little strainer or shaker.
Assembly
Pipe or spoon a bit of lemon curd in each tart shell. Place cookie petals all around the edges, sticking them into the curd slightly. Finish with a little more curd in the middle to get a nicely round center.
VARIATIONS AND SUBSTITUTIONS
You can make a lime or passion fruit curd by replacing the lemon with lime or passion fruit juice (just make sure you’re using 100% juice and not a “drink” flavored with passion fruit)
to make this vegan, use vegan butter in the crust, aquafaba instead of the egg whites in the langues de chat, and make this vegan lemon curd:
INGREDIENTS
90g lemon juice
100g sugar
90g water
2g soy lecithin powder (optional but it will help emulsify)
18g corn starch
1 small pinch turmeric or annatto for color
60g coconut oil (preferably refined if you don’t want coconut flavor)
DIRECTIONS:
whisk all the ingredients together really well in a saucepan. If the soy lecithin is clumping together, use am immersion blender. cook, stirring until thickened and boiling. add the coconut oil and whisk vigorously or use the immersion blender again.
cool completely, then refrigerate.