Lemon Tartlets
 
Lemon tartlets with Pierre Herme's slightly adapted buttery pâte sucrée, lemon cream, white chocolate ganache, and candied lemon slices.
Ingredients
For the pâte sucrée:
  • ⅝ cups (150g) unsalted butter, cubed, at room temperature
  • ¾ cups (95g) powdered sugar
  • ⅓ cup (30g) ground almonds
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 egg, at room temperature and lightly beaten
  • 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour
  • ½ tsp salt
For the candied lemon slices:
  • 1 lemon
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup water (note: as long as you have an equal ratio water to sugar you're fine)
For the white chocolate ganache:
  • 2 bars (200g) white chocolate, finely chopped
  • ¾ cups (190ml) whipping cream
For the lemon cream:
  • ¾ cups (140g) sugar
  • zest of 3 lemons
  • 4 eggs
  • fresh juice of 2 lemons (175ml)
  • 1⅓ cups (295g) unsalted butter, cubed, at room temperature
Method
Prepare the pâte sucrée:
  1. Cream the butter with a mixer until smooth and creamy on low speed using the paddle attachment. Add the sugar, salt, ground almonds, vanilla extract, and the egg. It is alright if your mixture looks curdled. Add the flour one tablespoon at a time and mix until the dough just comes together and is not terribly sticky. If you don't use all the flour that is alright. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for two hours.
Prepare the candied lemon slices:
  1. Slice the lemon using a mandolin or a knife into even, thin slices (note: they should be thin but not so thin that they are difficult to pick up) while boiling a pot of water. Place the lemon slices in the pot of boiling water for three minutes. Meanwhile, bring a cup of water and the sugar to a simmer in a pan. Remove the lemon slices from the water and place in the pan, making sure the lemon slices are spread out. Simmer on low heat for thirty minutes, or until the peels are translucent. Remove and let cool on parchment paper.
Prepare the tart shells:
  1. Remove the dough from the fridge and roll out on a well floured surface. Place the dough in your tart pan, cut off the excess dough, and place in the freezer for fifteen minutes while preheating your oven to 350°F. Remove from the freezer and dock (poke holes in) the dough with a fork. Place a piece of foil or parchment paper onto the dough and fill with rice or dried beans to weigh down the dough while baking. Bake for twenty minutes, remove the rice, beans, and parchment paper, and bake for five more minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool completely before removing from the ring.
Prepare the white chocolate ganache:
  1. Bring the cream to a simmer and place the chocolate in a bowl. Pour the cream over the chocolate and let stand for five minutes. Stir slowly until incorporated. Pour a little bit of ganache into each shell.
Prepare the lemon cream:
  1. Bring a saucepan of water to a simmer. Meanwhile, set up a blender or a bowl with an immersion blender. Combine the sugar and lemon zest in a metal bowl that can fit over the simmering pan of water. Rub the zest and the sugar together until fragrant and moist. Whisk in the eggs and then the lemon juice. Place the bowl over the saucepan and whisk until the cream slightly thickens and reaches ~80°C. Sieve the lemon cream into the blender or other bowl and cool to at least 60°C. Blend on high speed while adding chunks of butter. After all the butter has been added, continue to blend for four minutes so that the cream is smooth and light.
Assemble the tart:
  1. Pipe or spoon lemon cream into the tart shell. Place a slice of candied lemon on top. Garnish, if desired, with mint.
Recipe by IronWhisk at http://www.ironwhisk.com/2013/05/lemon-tartlets/