Caramelized Lemon-lime Tart Recipe

How to make it

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• Prepare the pastry shell: In a food processor fitted with the steel blade, combine the flour and sugar. Add the butter and process until the texture resembles fine meal. Don’t over-process or the pastry will come out tough. Also, you can use all-purpose flour, but I wouldn’t recommend it. Pastry flour has a lower protein content; hence, your pastry won’t develop a lot of glutens (which can make the crust chewy – not what you’re going for).
• In a small bowl, whisk together the yolks and 1 tablespoon cream. Scrape into the machine and process just until a ball begins to form, using the additional tablespoon of cream, if necessary. Remove the dough from the machine, and on a lightly floured surface, press down into a circle. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Roll out pastry dough to a circle about ¼ inch thick and large enough to slightly overlap a 9-inch metal tart pan. Fit dough into pan and trim edges. Line bottom and sides of shell with parchment or aluminum foil. Fill lining with dried beans, rice, aluminum beans, or pennies (I always keep about two dollars worth of pennies in the kitchen to use as pie crust weights) and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Cool and remove the weights and the lining. Return the shell to the oven and bake until golden, 5 to 10 minutes longer.
• Prepare the filling: In a large metal bowl, whisk together whole eggs, egg yolks, 1 cup sugar, lemon and lime juice, and the finely chopped zests. Set over simmering water and whisk until mixture is very thick, about 10 minutes. Don’t let the water touch the bowl and be careful not to let the eggs actually scramble.
• Turn off flame and whisk in butter, a few pieces at a time. (The mixture needs to be very warm so that the butter will incorporate properly).
• Strain filling into a bowl. Scrape into baked tart shell and smooth with an offset spatula (if you have one). Cool and then refrigerate until firm, at least 3 to 4 hours, or (better) overnight.
• Sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar evenly over the top of the filling. With a propane blowtorch, caramelize the sugar. (This can also be done under the broiler. Place the tart on the broiler tray directly under the flame, watching carefully to prevent burning). Refrigerate the tart for at least 30 minutes.
• If you’re not into caramelization, eliminate the 2 tablespoons of sugar and arrange circles of raspberries on top of the tart. Sift a little powdered sugar over the berries just before serving.
• Cut into slices and serve. If you have caramelized the sugar, serve tart with fresh berries.
• If I'm feeling particularly festive, and I'm serving this dessert to guests (which is just about the only time my wife lets me make it), I prepare a raspberry coulis by pureeing some raspberries with a little sugar and lemon juice and then straining the mixture through a fine sieve to get rid of the seeds. I put the coulis in a small squirt bottle and paint some stripes across the plate before setting down the slice of tart. This makes a nice presentation, but it also adds a wonderful flavor to the tart.