Best 5 River Cafe Lemon Tart Recipes

THE BEST LEMON TART EVER

Steps:

• Combine butter, 1/2 cup sugar, vanilla extract, and salt in the mixing bowl of a stand mixer; mix ingredients thoroughly with a paddle attachment. Mix flour into butter mixture to make a smooth dough. Press dough into a 9-inch tart pan; refrigerate crust for 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Bake crust until light golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Whisk sugar, eggs, lemon zest, lemon juice, and 1/2 cup flour in a bowl until smooth. Pour lemon filling into crust. Cover edges of crust with strips of aluminum foil to prevent burning.
• Bake tart until filling is set, about 20 minutes. Cool completely and dust with confectioners' sugar.

THE RIVER CAFE'S LEMON TART

Steps:

• Sweet Pastry: Pulse flour, salt, and butter in a food processor until mixture resembles coarse bread crumbs. Add confectioners' sugar followed by egg yolks and pulse. The mixture will immediately combine and leave the sides of the bowl. Remove pastry, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate at least 1 hour.
• Tart: Preheat oven to 320 degrees.
• Coarsely grate chilled pastry into a 12-inch loose-bottomed fluted tart pan, then press it evenly onto the sides and base. Refrigerate 15 minutes.
• Line pastry shell with parchment and fill with raw rice or dried beans (or baking beans). Bake blind 20 minutes. Remove paper and rice, then bake until golden brown, about 10 minutes more. Let cool.
• Meanwhile, make filling. Put lemon zest and juice, granulated sugar, eggs, and egg yolks in a large saucepan over a very low heat and whisk until eggs have broken up and sugar has dissolved.
• Add half the butter and continue to whisk. At this point the eggs will start to cook, and the mixture will thicken enough to coat the back of a spoon. Add remaining butter and continue whisking until mixture becomes very thick. It is important to keep whisking throughout cooking process to prevent mixture from curdling.
• Remove pan from heat and set it on a cold heatproof surface. Continue to whisk until mixture is lukewarm. Meanwhile, preheat broiler to high.
• Spoon lemon filling into pastry shell and let settle 5 minutes. Broil until top is mottled brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Let cool before serving.

LEMON TART RECIPE - LEMON CROSTATA FROM THE RIVER CAFE COOKBOOK

Steps:

• For the sweet pastry, pulse the flour and butter with a pinch of salt in a food processor, until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Add the icing sugar, followed by 3 of the egg yolks and pulse. The mixture will immediately combine and leave the sides of the bowl. Remove the pastry, wrap in cling film and chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
• Heat the oven to 160°C/fan oven 140°C/mark 3. Coarsely grate half the pastry into a 30cm loose-bottomed fluted flan tin, then press it evenly onto the sides and base. Chill in the fridge for 15 minutes. Freeze the remaining pastry.
• Line the pastry case with greaseproof paper and fill with uncooked rice (or dried beans or baking beans). Bake blind for 20 minutes. Remove the paper and rice, then bake for a further 10 minutes, or until golden brown. Leave to cool.
• Meanwhile, make the filling. Put all the remaining ingredients, except the softened butter, in a large saucepan over a very low heat and whisk until the eggs have broken up and the sugar has dissolved.
• Add 150g of the butter and continue to whisk. At this point, the eggs will start to cook and the mixture will thicken enough to coat the back of a spoon. Add the remaining butter and continue whisking until the mixture becomes very thick. It is important to keep whisking throughout the cooking process to prevent the mixture from curdling.
• Remove the saucepan from the heat and set it on a cold heatproof surface. Continue to whisk until the mixture is lukewarm. Meanwhile, preheat your grill to full heat.
• Spoon the lemon filling into the pastry case and leave to settle for 5 minutes. Grill until the top of the crostata is mottled brown - this should take 3-5 minutes. Allow to cool before serving.

LEMON TART

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Fill a medium saucepan one-third full with water and bring to a simmer. Put the zest and lemon juice in a medium bowl and whisk in the eggs. Add the sugar and butter and place the bowl over the simmering water; the water must not touch the bottom of the bowl. Cook, whisking constantly, until the butter is completely melted and the mixture is smooth. Remove the bowl from the pan of hot water and allow the mixture to cool for 15 minutes. Place the pre - baked tart shell on a baking sheet. Pour the filling into the shell and bake the tart for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the center is just set. Cool the tart completely on a wire rack. Make the garnish: Using a channel knife, cut 6 lengthwise grooves in the lemon, removing 6 strips of rind. Cut a crosswise slice from the center of the lemon and place it in the center of the tart. Slice the remaining lemon and place it in the center of the sections into half and then cut the sections into halfmoons. Arrange the slices around the edge of the tart with the cut sides out. If necessary, rewarm the apricot glaze over low heat or in the microwave. Using a pastry brush, lightly brush the top of the tart with the warm apricot glaze. Garnish with a few mint leaves.
• Sift together the confectioners' sugar, flour, and salt into a bowl. Place the butter in a food processor and process until smooth, about 15 seconds. Scatter the flour mixture over the butter, add the egg, and process just until the dough forms a mass; do not overmix. Turn the dough out onto the counter and divide it into 2 pieces. Shape each half into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate.

STRAWBERRY SORBET

Steps:

• Place the chopped lemon and sugar in a food processor, and pulse until combined. Transfer to a bowl.
• Purée the strawberries in a food processor, and add to the lemon mixture, along with the juice of 1 lemon. Taste and add more juice as desired. The lemon flavor should be intense but should not overpower the strawberries. Pour the mixture into an ice cream machine and churn until frozen.