Tarte au Citron

Golden like the sun, with its crisp buttery crust and its luscious, dreamy – not too sweet not too tart- zingy lemon custard filling, this Tarte au Citron will definitely work its magic to ensnare your beloved on this Valentine’s Day 2023.

I mean don’t they say the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach?

The Husband, who conveniently also happens to be my Valentine, generally doesn’t like any chocolatey super sweet sugar bombs that seem to be all the rage for this holiday.  Which is totally unlike me. That is exactly what I would want. Truth be told…in a the shape of a cupcake if all were going my way. Just saying…He, on the other hand, prefers fruit forward desserts. And since I’m making these treats for him, not me, I oblige. So bring on the fruit! These mini Passion Fruit & Berry Pavlovas were a big hit last year.

Just like this lovely Cashew Crusted Blackberry & Lime Tart was a few years ago.

One year he was delighted with these  Luscious Lemon Squares;

And I don’t want to forget about that Poached Pear Tart with Lemony Cream.

One year, I was even clever enough to combine what he loves, a good Gin & Tonic, and what I love, cupcakes by making  Pink Grapefruit Gin & Tonic Cupcakes:

And a couple of years ago, I was pretty sly with these Mimosa Butter Sweetheart Cookies. I really like cookies and was able to not only add some of his favorite jam into the mix with these, but was also able to get some champagne on deck. Always up for a glass of bubbles!

But lets not get sidetracked from this years gorgeous offering; Tarte au Citron – A classic French Lemon Tart!

This bright, golden delight will remind you that Spring and the return to sunny days are not far off. Recently I read about a link between Valentine’s Day and spring. The usual origin story that you’ll hear about Valentine’s Day, is that it was a pagan holiday (Lupercalia) which was co-opted into a Christian feast day to honor St. Valentine who might be one or a combination of two martyrs – neither of whom’s stories are very romantic.

But another theory has come forth suggesting that our modern association of Valentine’s Day with romance comes from two poems (Parliament of Foules & The Complaint of Mars) which Chaucer wrote in the 14th Century. At that time, Britons considered the first day of Spring to be February 14th. And Spring has long been associated with fertility (I just told you all about Imbolc, a Celtic fertility festival, which became christianized as St. Brigid’s Day in Ireland Yup, this assimilation of pagan to christian was a common practice). Coincidentally, that day just happened to be the feast day of St. Valentine, hence Valentine’s Feast Day became associated with fertility and thereby romance. Nowadays the first day of spring is not declared until the equinox which falls between March 19 -21st – this year it is on Monday March 20th. Seems folks in the past were ready to get a jump on Spring in February. This bright citrusy tart is certain to evoke thoughts of warmer times to come. (Not that we’ve had much winter…don’t even get me started!)

This tart is quite easy to make and I bet you have all the required ingredients in your pantry right now. Just be aware that in order to get the sweet, crisp but not crumbly pâte sucrée crust just perfect, you’ve got to allow for quite a bit of chill time. It is because of all the butter used in it. So you know it has got to be good right? The rich custard filling is also chock full of butter. It is so luscious and zesty (zest from 2 whole lemons to be exact) with just the right amount of pucker in every bite! So pucker up Valentine, this one’s for you!

• Servings: one 9 inch tart
• Difficulty: easy - but do take into account the chill times required for the pâte sucrée
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recipe from: Pardon your French

Ingredients:

For the pâte sucrée crust:

• ½ cup (125 grams) unsalted butter, cubed and at room temperature.
• ¾ cup (95 grams) powdered sugar
• ½ tsp vanilla bean paste (can substitute vanilla extract if you prefer)
• 1/3 cup + 1 ½ tbsp (40 grams) almond flour (ground almond)
• 1 large egg
• 1 ¾ cup + 1 tbsp (233 grams) all-purpose flour
• ½ tsp salt

For the lemon filling:

• 1 cup (250ml) lemon juice (about 6-7 lemons)
• Zest of 2 lemons (organic lemons)
• 3/4 cup (150 grams) sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• ¾ cup (170 grams) unsalted butter, cubed.
• 4 large eggs + 4 large egg yolks

Directions:

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the cubed butter and powdered sugar until creamy and smooth. Add the vanilla bean paste, almond flour and egg, and mix until homogeneous. Add the all-purpose flour and salt, and mix until just incorporated and the dough comes together into a ball. Place plastic film on the counter and turn the dough out onto it. Using another piece of plastic wrap, pat the dough into a circle. Wrap in the plastic film and place in the fridge for 2 hours, minimum.

Pre-heat your oven to 350F (180C).

Take the pâte sucrée out of the fridge, place it between two large sheets of parchment paper and roll it out to a 12-inch circle. Unpeel the top sheet of parchment paper, transfer the crust to a 9-inch tart pan (trim the sides if needed) and poke the bottom of the crust all over with a fork. Chill it again for 30 minutes. Line the top of the crust with foil or parchment paper and place pie weights or dried beans to keep the pie crust from puffing when baking.

Bake the pâte sucrée for 20 minutes. Carefully remove the parchment paper filled with weights and bake for 10 more minutes, until the edges of the crust are golden.

Set the tart shell aside to cool (still in the dish). Leave your oven on at 350F/180C.

In the meantime, make the filling. Place a fine-mesh strainer close by before you begin.

In a medium saucepan (no heat yet), whisk together the lemon juice, lemon zest, sugar, salt, egg yolks and eggs. Add the cubed butter and turn the heat to medium. Whisk slowly until the butter is all melted. Continue whisking steadily for several minutes until the mixture thickens to a thin custard consistency.

Immediately pass the lemon filling through the fine mesh strainer, directly into the tart shell. Using an offset spatula (or back of a large spoon), smooth out the top of the filling. Bake the tart for 5 minutes, until the filling has slightly set and turned slightly deeper in color.

Set aside to cool for at least 30 minutes. Serve tart slightly warm or chilled.

Enjoy!

Useful links for Kitchen Tools & Ingredients for Tarte au Citron:

Oxo Good Grips Stainless Steel Food Scale

Kitchen Aid Artisan Stand Mixer

Set of 3 Stainless Steel Fine Mesh Strainers

Oxo Egg Separator

Oxo Dusting Wand – I sometimes use a wand such as the one pictured above, but I also love this one, which isn’t as photogenic, but can be used with one hand!

Non-melting Confectioners Sugar – I have actually not used this brand. I usually use King Arthur Baking’s product. You can, of course, use regular confectioners or powdered sugar to stencil a design on your tart as I have done here. Non-melting is nice because, well…it doesn’t melt. But I just bet you’ll scarf this scrumptious tart down right away, so any design you might add won’t need a lot of staying power.

Fudgy Nutella Brownies

Fudgy Nutella Brownies! I mean what more do I have to say? What ya got here is a rich, delightfully chewy chocolate brownie made even more decadent by the addition of smooth, creamy Nutella, not only to the batter but also generously drizzled in luscious swirls over the top! And then, just a sprinkle of flaky sea salt over the top puts you in a state of salty sweet bliss!!!

So I gotta ask….are there any Nutella fans out there? Cause let me tell you I love me some Nutella! I actually didn’t even know it existed until I was living in Ireland and my friend Theresa had a jar. I watched with amazement as she spread it over her toast. I was like “What! You can eat chocolate on toast!” I had no idea it was a thing. Yup, love at first bite.

It is not by chance that I’m blogging a recipe which features Nutella today. Today February 5th is World Nutella Day. This celebration of all things Nutella was started in 2007 by Sara at Ms. Adventures in Italy and Michelle at Bleeding Espresso as a day to celebrate, get creative with and most importantly, to EAT Nutella.

A couple of years ago, the founders have transferred Nutella Day to Ferrero the company who owns that most beloved spread. Take a peek at their Facebook page and see how folks are celebrating the day! I love Nutella so I usually try to participate with a Nutella laden recipe every year. One of my favorite Nutella creations was this Nutella, Double Chocolate & Banana Tart which was quite stunning if I do say so myself.

just looks at these delicious Homemade Banana Toaster Tarts drizzled with Nutella

And how do you like this big ole Malted Nutella & Biscoff Brownie Torte 

Then there was this gorgeous Nutella Star Bread:

And some amazing Nutella Chocolate Chip Babka:

And I don’t want to forget these irresistible Salted Peanut Butter & Nutella Sandwich Cookies – sweet salty bliss I tell you!

But let me get back to today’s amazing Nutella laden treat that delivers quite a chewy chocolate punch – these fantastic Fudgy Nutella Brownies.

I gotta tell ya’ll these are really easy to make, with ingredients you likely already have in your pantry. They come together quickly, so you can whip them up in a flash to your friends and family’s amazement! Are you looking for a snack to bring to that Super Bowl party? Look no further. This is it! But you don’t need a planned event to bake up a batch, just delight in this little indulgence all by yourself. I won’t tell anyone….

• Servings: 8x8 inch pan - 9 to 12 brownies, depending how you slice 'em
• Difficulty: easy-peasy
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recipe from: Yossy Arefi via New York Times Cooking

Ingredients:

• ½ cup/113 grams unsalted butter (1 stick), plus more for greasing the baking dish
• 4 ounces/113 grams bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 1 cup/296 grams chocolate-hazelnut spread, like Nutella
• ⅔ cup/134 grams granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• ½ teaspoon espresso powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
• ¾ cup/96 grams all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• flaky sea salt for sprinkling over top (optional)

Directions:

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and line an 8×8-inch baking dish with parchment paper.

Combine the chopped chocolate and butter in a heat-safe bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Stir the mixture occasionally until melted. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine ¾ cup/222 grams chocolate-hazelnut spread, sugar and eggs. Mix on medium-high for 5 minutes, scraping down the bowl a couple of times. Add espresso powder and vanilla and mix briefly to combine.

Turn the mixer to low and stream in the chocolate-butter mixture. Mix until well combined, then fold in the flour and salt.

Pour the mixture into the prepared pan, spread evenly with a knife or offset spatula and spoon several dollops of the remaining ¼ cup/74 grams chocolate-hazelnut spread evenly over the top. Use a toothpick or skewer to swirl the spread and brownie batter a few times, leaving big streaks of the spread on the surface. Sprinkle flaky sea salt over the top if you are using.

Bake the brownies for 25 to 30 minutes, or until just set in the middle. A toothpick inserted into the center should pull out some moist crumbs.

Enjoy!

Useful links for Kitchen Tools & Ingredients for Fudgy Nutella Brownies:

Oxo Good Grips Stainless Steel Food Scale

Kitchen Aid Artisan Stand Mixer

King Arthur Flour Espresso Powder

Orange Cranberry Filled Wool Roll Bread

Oh my goodness! Just look at this gorgeous Orange Cranberry Filled Wool Roll Bread! You’ve likely seen a loaf of this impressive bread before. It took the internet by storm earlier this year and folks were instagramming it not stop. I gotta tell you, there is a good reason for its popularity among bakers. Not only does this bread look amazing, like a wool roll in fact, but it also delivers on taste. Beneath the crispy light crust, your teeth are going to sink into the most pillowy soft, cloud like bread you have ever had the pleasure of tasting. And is completely customizable. I made this one with a delicate swirl of cream cheese and left over Boozy Orange Cranberry Sauce.

But this bread works fantastically with any filling you can dream up, whether sweet or savory. Yup…you could do chocolate, Nutella, cinnamon and sugar or any flavor of jam. You might want try mozzarella and basil pesto, maybe some gruyere and herbs. Seriously – you can’t go wrong!

Today is February 1st. This particular day lies half way between Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox. It is St. Brigid’s Day. Brigid is one of Ireland’s three patron saints along with St. Colmcille and St. Patrick. Starting this year, Ireland will be marking her Feast Day with a new permanent Bank Holiday on the first Monday in February, which is February 6th this year. Hooray! Who doesn’t like more holidays?!! According to Irish hagiography, Brigid was an early Christian nun & abbess who preformed many miracles. She also shares the name with an important Celtic goddess who is associated with the festival of Imbolc which was celebrated at this time as well, which suggests that the early church might have adopted the legends of the goddess and transformed them into the Christian persona. Interesting huh? I don’t know how many of you folks out there remembered to put a scarf out last night. You see on St. Brigid’s Eve you should always place a scarf or other piece of fabric outside.

When Brigid passes over the land that night she will bless it. You then can fetch it back inside the next day and thanks to Brigid, it has the power to protect and heal headaches, sore throats and fevers throughout the coming year! What with all the Covid still lurking around, I wasn’t going to take any chances. My little scarf was frozen solid this morning, but is happily thawing away now, freshly imbued with healing powers. As I mentioned, today marks the festival of Imbolc as well as Candlemas, both of which are associated with fertility, fire, purification and weather divination. And speaking of weather divination, tomorrow my favourite varmint, Punxsutawney Phil, will be stepping out of his burrow at Gobbler’s Knob and letting everyone know if there will be 6 more weeks of winter or if instead Spring is on the way.

One extraordinary rodent!

I don’t know if good ole Phil will see his shadow tomorrow or not. I must admit, I’m kind of hoping he predicts more winter. We haven’t really seen a winter at all this year. We had a few days of really cold weather, but only a few. And barely a flurry at all. Certainly no snow accumulation. I love winter, so I am feeling a bit cheated. But no worries, I might have some plans to head out to a really cold destination in the future, so even if Spring is on its way here, I’ll get my snow fix regardless! So this is quite an auspicious time of year! I’m very happy to be marking another event today as well. February 1st just happens to be the 11th year anniversary of  the my cooking blog! Yup… Eleven years ago today I posted my first recipe. It was for Cream Tea Scones with Currants.

I’ve managed to do an anniversary post nearly every year since. Pretty impressive considering how slack I can be! Last year I shared another Cranberry focused dish – this exquisite Cranberry Chiffon Pie!

And a couple of years ago I was all about this rich & creamy Ground Beef Chili with Chocolate & Peanut Butter. Get. out!

And the year before, I posted about these scrumptious Morning Buns!

One of my favorite recipes that I shared with you on an anniversary was: Model Bakery’s English Muffins:

Then there were those decadent  Banana Rum Muffins:

That jaw-dropping, over the top Crack Pie:

And who can forget that magical “caviar of the South” – Pasture’s Pimento Cheese. Keep this one in mind for the Super Bowl!

But let me get back to today’s recipe – That magnificent Orange Cranberry Filled Wool Roll Bread.

This bread is made with a tangzhong, which you can actually prepare up to five days ahead of time. Tangzhong is an Asian yeast bread technique in which you cook a small percentage of liquid and flour. Think of it kind of like a roux. Once this mixture has cooled down, you add it to the rest of the ingredients. What will this technique do for your recipe? Well, it pre-gelatinizes the starches in the flour, meaning they can absorb more water. In fact, the flour will absorb twice as much hot water or milk as it would with the cool/lukewarm water or milk that you’d usually use in yeast dough. And the starch is able to hold onto this extra liquid all through the kneading, baking and cooling process. This not only makes the dough less sticky and easier to work with than usual yeast doughs, but the bread will also rise higher since that retained liquid is turned to internal steam during baking. Furthermore your bread will be softer as well as have a longer shelf life. I can definitely vouch that this dough is easy to work with. In order to get that roll of wool appearance you have to divide the risen dough into 4 pieces, roll them out and then cut the bottom half of each piece into little strips or fringe. I was thinking “Good Lord. This is going to be one of those fiddly endeavors that I hate.” But nope! Super easy. Wow, right?!!! But don’t take my word for it (actually you kind of should…) give this recipe a whirl!

• Servings: one 9 inch round loaf
• Difficulty: easy
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recipe from: customized from King Arthur Baking

Ingredients:

For the Tangzhong (starter)

• 3 tablespoons (43 grams) water
• 3 tablespoons (43 grams) milk, whole preferred
• 2 tablespoons (14 grams) bread flour

For the Dough

• 1/2 cup (113 grams) milk, whole preferred
• 1 large egg
• 4 tablespoons (57 grams) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 tablespoon (9 grams) instant yeast
• 1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon (6 grams) salt
• 2 1/2 cups (300 grams) bread flour

For the Filling

• half an 8-ounce package (113 grams) cream cheese, softened*
• 2 tablespoons (25 grams) granulated sugar
• zest (grated rind) of 2 medium lemons
• pinch of salt
• 2 tablespoons (4 grams) freeze-dried raspberries, lightly crushed
• 2 tablespoons (15 grams) bread flour

*The cream cheese should be at warm room temperature, at least 68°F.

*For the bread pictured above I simply mixed 113 grams of softened cream cheese with a pinch of salt and 3 Tablespoons of Boozy Orange Cranberry sauce and 2 tablespoons of bread flour.

Topping

• 2 tablespoons (28 grams) milk, whole preferred

Instructions:

To make the tangzhong: Combine all the ingredients in a small saucepan, and whisk until no lumps remain.

Place the saucepan over medium heat and cook the mixture, stirring regularly, until thickened, paste-like, and the spoon or spatula leaves lines on the bottom of the pan. This should take 2 to 4 minutes, depending on the strength of your burner.

Remove the tangzhong from the heat and transfer it to a large mixing bowl, the bowl of a stand mixer, or the bucket of a bread machine (whatever you plan to knead the dough in).

To make the dough: Weigh your flour; or measure it by gently spooning it into a cup, then sweeping off any excess. Place the flour into the bowl with the tangzhong and add the remaining dough ingredients. Mix to combine, then knead — by hand, mixer, or bread machine — until a soft, smooth dough forms, about 8 to 10 minutes on medium-low speed of a mixer. (The dough may be tacky and stick to the sides of the bowl slightly; that’s OK.)

Shape the dough into a ball and let it rest in a lightly greased bowl or dough rising bucket, covered, for 60 to 90 minutes, until puffy but not necessarily doubled in bulk.

To make the filling: Combine the cream cheese, sugar, lemon zest, and salt, mixing until smooth.

Add the freeze-dried raspberries and flour, mixing until the berries are completely crushed and evenly distributed.

To assemble: On a lightly floured surface, gently deflate the dough, divide it into four pieces (about 170 grams each), and shape each piece into a ball.

Cover the dough and let rest for 10 minutes.

Line a 9″ springform or a 9” round cake pan (at least 2” deep) with parchment and lightly grease the parchment.

Working with one piece of dough at a time, roll it into a 6” x 12” rectangle. If the dough begins to snap back during rolling, set it aside and begin rolling out the second piece. Return to the first piece to continue rolling it to the full size after a couple of minutes, giving the gluten a chance to relax.

Portion 2 heaping tablespoons of filling (about 50grams) onto the top half of the rectangle. A tablespoon cookie dough scoop works well here; use two rounded scoops per piece of dough.

Position the rectangle so its 12” sides are vertical. Starting at the top, spread the filling across the entire width of the rectangle (leaving about 1/4” bare on each side) and down about 6” or 7”, leaving the bottom 5” to 6” bare. If the filling is difficult to spread, warm it in the microwave for 15 seconds and stir; check the consistency. Repeat, if necessary, until it’s an easily spreadable consistency.

Using a bench or chef’s knife or a pastry wheel, cut the uncovered dough at the bottom into very thin strips (anywhere from 1/8” to 1/4″ wide).

Fold the long edges of the rectangle in to prevent any filling from seeping out.

Starting from the filling-covered top and rolling toward the uncovered strips, roll the dough into a log about 6” long.

Lightly press the strips into the rolled log to secure. Place the log, seam-side down, into the bottom of the pan so it’s snuggled up against the pan’s outside edge.

Repeat with the remaining pieces of dough, placing them into the pan to form a complete circle around the pan’s outside edge.

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Cover the wool roll and let it rise for 60 to 75 minutes, until puffy.

To finish and bake the roll: Brush the roll with milk, being careful not to deflate the delicate dough.

Bake it for 28 to 32 minutes, until it’s golden brown on top; a digital thermometer inserted into the center of the loaf should read at least 190°F.

Remove the roll from the oven and cool it in the pan until you can transfer it safely to a rack to cool completely.

Storage information: Store leftover wool roll bread, well wrapped, at room temperature for several days.

Enjoy!

Useful links for Kitchen Tools & Ingredients for Orange Cranberry Filled Wool Roll Bread:

Oxo Good Grips Stainless Steel Food Scale

Kitchen Aid Artisan Stand Mixer

Lavatools Javelin Pro Instant Read Thermometer

6 Quart Dough Rising Bucket

OXO Good Grips Medium Cookie Scoop

Norpro Ravioli/Pastry Wheel