Make A Joyful Noise Unto The Lord

This lousy picture doesn't say much about these tart shells. I admit, it was a badly taken one from my iPhone.  But I am eager to share with you my new favorite tart shell recipe. So crisp and flaky, so easy to make.  Butter,water and sugar is heated in the oven/stovetop and flour is added and then stirred until smooth, that's it!!!  No rolling pin and no baking beans needed.  Perhaps you have already known this recipe, French Pastry Dough from David Lebovitz  He learnt this from a French lady, Paule Caillat of Promenades Gourmandes. Read on and be amazed by this method of making French pastry.

French Pastry Dough
23cm (9 inch) tart tin

90g in salted butter, cut into pieces
1 tbsp of vegetable oil (canola oil)
3 tbsp of water
1 tbsp of sugar
1/8 tsp of salt
150g flour

Method

• Preheat oven to 210C. In a medium size ovenproof bowl, such as a Pyrex bowl, combine the butter,oil,water,sugar and salt. ( I used a baking tin)
• Place the bowl in an oven for 15 minutes until the butter is bubbling and starts to brown just around the edges. ( mine didn't turn brown, could be due to higher water content)

• When done, remove the bowl from oven ( and be careful, since the bowl will be hot and the mixture might sputter a bit), dump the flour and stir it in quickly until it comes together and forms a ball which pulls away from the sides of the bowl.

• Transfer the dough to a 9 in(23cm) tart mould with a removable bottom spread it in a bit with a spatula.

• Once the tart is cool enough to handle, pat it into the shell with the heel of your hand, and use your fingers to press it up the sides of the tart mold. Reserve a small piece of dough, about the size of a raspberry, for patching any cracks.
• Prick the dough all over with the tines of a fork about ten times, then bake the tart shell in the oven for 15 minutes, or until the dough is golden brown.
• Remove from the oven and if there are any sizable cracks, use the bits of reserved dough to fill in and patch them.
• Let the shell cool before filling.

David Lebovitz says it is best to pinch off a small amount of the reserved dough, roll it gently between your fingers to soften it, then wedge it into the cracks, smoothing it gently with your pinky.

Note: The recipe was made double to fit my 28cm tart tin and two 10 cm tart tins. I did not have any reserved dough. To store tart shells in freezer, wrap them(baked or unbaked) securely in plastic wrap for up to 1 month.

Now, what to fill in this gorgeous tart? This is David Lebovitz all the way, it is his delightful lemon curd! 

Tarte Au Citron
One 9 inch (23cm) tart

Ingredients

125ml freshly squeezed lemon juice
grated zest of one lemon
100g sugar
85g butter, salted or unsalted, cut into bits
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks



Method
Preheat oven to 180C

• In a medium-sized non-reactive saucepan, heat the lemon juice, zest, sugar and butter. Have a mesh strainer nearby.
• In a small bowl, beat together the eggs and the yolks

• When the butter is melted, whisk some of the warm lemon mixture into the eggs, stirring constantly, to warm them. Scrape the warmed eggs back into the saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, to warm them. Scrape the warmed eggs back into the saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and almost begins to bubble around the edges.

• Pour the lemon curd through a strainer directly into the pre-baked tart shell,scraping with a rubber spatula to press it through.
• Smooth the top of the tart and pop it in the oven for 5 minutes, just to set the curd.
• Remove from the oven and let cool before slicing and serving.

David Lebovitz's note: This makes a modest, but very tasty lemony layer. If you want more filling, feel free to double the recipe; any filling that you don't use can be spread on toast, fresh biscuits, or scones.

You could substitute fresh lime juice for the lemon and if you have Meyer lemons, reduce the sugar to 65g. 

Note: This curd was made three times the recipe. 

A Call To Thanksgiving

Psalm 100 is one of my favorite Psalm. God himself is the basis of our thanksgiving.

Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing. Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.