Tuesday, May 12, 2009

TWD-Tartest Lemon Tart and Perfection Poundcake

This week's Tuesdays with Dorie recipe, Tartest Lemon Tart, almost didn't happen for me. It was chosen by Babette and you can find the recipe on her blog, Babette Feasts. I had a busy week and made lots of other sweets, so I almost counted this one out. Then at the last minute, I decided to just make 1/3 of the filling and make it without the tart shell. I used the pith and everything of 1/2 lemon. I was blending up the filling and realized I didn't have any eggs. So, I actually just used some refrigerated egg whites that I had on hand and prayed it would work out.
I poured the filling into a ramekin and baked it for about 30 minutes, until the middle was just a tad jiggly. My daughter immediately wanted a bite. And another bite.
I don't know if my lemon was just not too tart or what, but this filling was delicious. One person thought it tasted like it had coconut in it, but turns out it was just the pieces of lemon.
To see the other beautiful tarts this week, check out the TWD Blogroll.
I also made the Perfection Poundcake last week and turned it into Petit Fours for our Mothers Day Party. Perfection Poundcake was the 4th recipe chosen last year when Tuesdays with Dorie started. I made it the day before I needed it, just like Dorie suggested and it turned out great. It had really good flavor.
Cutting out shapes for the Petit Fours was a little tricky, but in the end it worked and that was the main thing that mattered.
2 more great recipes from Dorie!


Perfection Pound Cake
(Source: Dorie Greenspan “Baking: From My Home to Yours” p. 222)
Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour (or 2-1/4 cups cake flour)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Getting Ready:
Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Butter a 9×5-inch loaf pan or an 8-1/2 x 4-1/2-inch loaf pan. Put the pan on an insulated baking sheet or on two regular baking sheets stacked one on top of the other.
Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar on high speed until pale and fluffy, a full 5 minutes. Scrape down the bowl and beater and reduce the mixer speed to medium.
Add the eggs one at a time, beating for 1 to 2 minutes after each egg goes in. As you’re working, scrape down the bowl and beater often. Mix in the vanilla extract. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour, mixing only until it is incorporated - don’t overmix. In fact, you might want to fold in the last of the flour, or even all of it, by hand with a rubber spatula. Scrape the batter into the buttered pan and smooth the top.
Put the cake into the oven to bake, and check on it after about 45 minutes. If it’s browning too quickly, cover it loosely with a foil tent. If you’re using a 9×5 pan, you’ll need to bake the cake for 70 to 75 minutes; the smaller pan needs about 90 minutes. The cake is properly baked when a thin knife inserted deep into the center comes out clean.
Remove the cake from the oven, transfer the pan to a rack and let rest for 30 minutes.Run a blunt knife between the cake and the sides of the pan and turn the cake out, then turn it right side up on the rack and cool to room temperature.
Storing:Wrapped well, the cake will keep for 5 to 7 days at room temperature (stale cake is great toasted) or up to 2 months in the freezer.

Coming Tomorrow- Kung Pao Veggies


25 comments:

Marie Rayner said...

Great looking tart, lovely petit fours. Everything you do always looks delicious!

Amanda said...

Mine bubbled over like a volcano, but it turned out fine after some doctoring :) A little bitter, but I don't think my lemons were of the best quality. DELICIOUS dough!

vibi said...

Mmmmm ...so light, so bright!
What a lovely way to enjoy the tart... without the crust! All the better to be induldge in a bit more filling!!! (any reason is good for more sweets no?) LOL

dharmagirl said...

oh, i love your petit fours! so pretty and, i'm sure, delicious! kudos on baking two dorie recipes!

Sweet as Coco said...

Glad your little one liked it! I thought it was great too!

Eliana said...

No egg yolks probably made the tart lighter too. I love happy little accidents.

Peggy said...

It all looks delicious. We loved this one. Of course, I love tart and sour things! I bet it was good even without the crust.

Teanna said...

I am so glad you were able to make it! And it was still delicious after the substitutions - a true sign of an amazing cook/baker! It looks gorgeous and the poundcake has my mouth watering!

Barbara Bakes said...

Your petit fours are beautiful. I wish I had some right now to nibble on!

Sara said...

Looks beautiful! I want that pound cake now, I just love a moist buttery pound cake.

Maria said...

A tart and poundcake. A dreamy post!

Cathy said...

Mare, this all looks AMAZING! So glad that you decided to try the tart in the end and that you liked it so much! And those petit fours! I want to make petit fours for my sister's baby shower! I will be coming to you for tips - yours are perfect.

Jennifer said...

Your little one has good taste! I really enjoyed this tart and am glad to hear the egg substitution worked out well. I accidentally used a whole stick of butter so lowered the amount of cream, and it came out fine, so I think it must be a pretty forgiving recipe.

Soy*Baby said...

I'm sure the filling tasted yummy. The petit fours look awesome.

Pamela said...

The pound cake is on my list of things to bake, too. What isn't, right?? :o) Nice job making the lemon filling. I can not wait to try this one tonight.

Kerstin said...

Your poundcake petit fours are so cute with those sprinkles on top and they look super delicious! They look very addicting too.

Anonymous said...

Your tart looks wonderful! I love the petit fours too.

Nancy/n.o.e said...

Is one petit four with tart on the side too much to ask? So pretty! I tried to bake my leftover lemon filling in ramekins but they didn't work out at all. What's the secret?
Nancy

Hindy said...

Glad you got to taste the lemon! Those petit fours look professional. Well done.

Steph said...

The petit fours look soooo cute!

Tammy said...

those petit fours look wonderful! You have inspired me to make some

steph- whisk/spoon said...

looks kinda like lemon souffle--yum! and those petit fours are so pretty!

The Food Librarian said...

Love your lemon tarty desserts! They look lovely and probably much much lower in calories and yet very lemony! And those petit fours are adorable.

Unknown said...

Your petit fours are fantastic! I wish I had some here to snack on now :) Great job on the lemon treats too! So glad they worked with your substitutions.

TeaLady said...

Non-tart looks delicious. It was nice and lemony.