Lime Tartelettes

Before the summer is officially over, here is another refreshing and delicious lemon/lime recipe!
By now, I think you are all quite familiar with my passion for lemons and all things citrus.

Though I quite like pies, I don´t make them often. I thought it's time to use more of the delicious organic limes I had at home.

The crust I made was inspired from a Marry Berry recipe but with slight modifications. with some modifications to make it even more crumbly and delicious. For the curd, I used the recipe of the famous French pastry chef Pierre Herme. I don't think you will ever use any other recipe; the lemon cream is beyond delicious.

For the crust you need (enough for 6 tartelettes, 8 cm diameter):

• 175 g pastry flour
• 100 g cold butter cut into cubes
• 25 g powdered sugar and 20 g vanilla sugar
• 45 ml of cold vodka (or water)
• Dash of salt

In the food processor, mix flour, sugar and salt, pulse for few seconds to combine, add the butter and pulse again to get a sandy mixture. Slowly add the vodka, first one tbsp then teaspoon by teaspoon. Each flour has a different absorption capacity, so be careful not to get a soggy dough.

Once the dough forms a ball, drop the mixture on the working surface and just gather it. Do not over work it. Wrap it in plastic and leave it in the fridge for at least an hour or overnight.

With a rolling pin, roll the dough to about 6 mm thick and place it in the pie mold. Prick it with a fork, cover it with baking paper, add some beans or ceramic beads, and bake in a preheated oven (180C) for 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the baking paper and the weight and bake for extra 10 minutes or until the edges are golden brown. 

For the lemon curd

• 2 eggs
• 100 g sugar
• the zest of 2 limes or lemons
• 90 ml lime or lemon juice
• 150 g soft butter

In a big bowl combine the zest and the sugar and mix well (I did that the night before to allow the sugar to absorb the lemon flavor). ِِِِِِAdd the eggs and whisk until well combined. Add the lime or lemon juice, and whisk again. Put the bowl on a pot with simmering water (or double boiler) and keep mixing for about 10 minutes or until the mixture reaches 82 C and thickens.
Take off the heat and let it cool for at least 10 minutes until the temperature drops to under 60 C. Add the butter and whisk until well combined. Leave the cream to cool completely. You can keep it in the fridge in a well sealed jar for up to 5 days! 

For the meringue you need:

• 60 g egg white
• 100 g sugar
• pinch of salt
• lemon zest or few drops of vodka

In a clean bowl placed over a pot with simmering water, add the whites, salt, sugar and zest or vodka. Start whipping on slow speed until the mixtures reaches 45-50 C. Once it reaches this temperature remove it from the heat and gradually increase the speed until you reach the top speed. Keep whipping until the meringue forms stiff peaks. 

Assembly:
Fill each tart shell with lemon curd and be generous to fill it up to the top.

Pipe some meringue on the top. You can skip the meringue if you want, but it does add a nice touch and it balances the tartness of the lime cream.Blow torch the meringue for a brief time to give it a beautiful color.

Decorate to your liking and you're ready to serve.

Keep in mind that once you burn the meringue you have to eat it immediately. If you place the tarts in the fridge, you risk getting a soggy meringue and wet tarts.

I hope you try these little cute tartelettes, as the French call them. They do require some time to make with several steps but the final result is so worth it: crumbly and buttery base, a lemony and creamy curd and a soft and sweet meringue! Just the perfect combination! Seriously I doubt you will stop at one, I know I couldn't!

Kumquat and Turmeric Upside Down Cake!

When I first moved to Madrid, it was a bit hard for me. I left my family, friends and country behind for the first time. That was a real challenge. However, Madrid is such a welcoming city and its people are really nice that I quickly managed to adapt. Now after all these years, I can easily say Madrid is my home. Even when I escape its hectic city-life pace, I quickly miss it and can't wait to get back.

Probably, the things that I love the most about Madrid is how cosmopolitan it is, its amazing parks, beautiful streets and its hidden little gems here and there that can be easily missed if you don't know your way around the city.  Being an international city, home to millions and welcoming millions of visitors annually, you are spoiled by the variety of ingredients you would find here.

As I walk around my neighborhood, a favorite pastime of mine,  I am always delighted to discover new shops that open up and showcase ingredients that are not readily available elsewhere.
Recently I discovered a Chinese grocery and was so glad to see a wooden box full of kumquats. Without much thinking, I went inside and bought these little nuggets of intense zesty freshness.
I ate half of what I bought and saved the rest for a recipe I wanted to test: a citrusy cake spiced with turmeric!

The end result was a cake that's easy to make, full of flavor, and quite pretty without any post-baking decoration.

For a 20 cm pan you need:

• 2 eggs (room temperature)
• 110 g sugar
• 110 g soft butter
• 120 g cake flour
• 3/4 tsp to 1 tsp turmeric 
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• dash of salt
• zest of 3 kumquats or half an orange
• 1/2 tsp cointreau (optional)
• About 10-15 kumquats for the bottom

First grease the pan, cover it with parchment paper and generously butter the bottom and the sides.

Sprinkle sugar over the butter, slice the kumquats and arrange them over the butter and sugar layer.

In a bowl combine flour, baking powder, turmeric and salt and set aside.

In another bowl, cream the butter and the sugar, then add the eggs one by one while mixing and finish with the zest and cointreau. Once everything is well combined, fold in the flour mixture.

Pour the batter in the pan and bake in a preheated oven (180C) between 25 to 30 min. Remember the baking time varies between an oven and the other, the size and the material of the pan, so always check after 20 min.

Once the cake is well baked and golden in color, take it out and let it cool for about 5 min and the flip it over the serving plater. Peel of the parchment paper and let it cool completely.

The cake is perfect with a cup of coffee or tea, you can also serve it with whipped cream or yogurt and honey. Enjoy!

Tangarine and Cardamom Cake

The long needed Christmas and New Year's vacations are long over and we are now back to our daily routines. Madrid post-vacation is cold and wintery and I couldn't be happier as I love this kind of weather. For me this weather is synonymous with a laid back routine with time spent indoors seeking the comfort of a warm bed or the joy and warmth baking provides.

Speaking of comfort, what´s more comforting than a piece of cake with a hot cup of coffee or tea eaten alone or shared with close friends when it's raining outside.

I often combine the flavor of fruits with that of spices and there are combinations that work better than others. Cardamom and citrus is a winning combination that I often use in my baking. I would usually use oranges but this time I decided to change and try out tangerines. The result was just perfect.
With a strong flavor base and few key ingredients this cake is really easy to make and is perfect in the morning, afternoon or for these guilty moments of late night snacking.

The follwing ingredients are enough for a high cake using a 15cm cake pan, but 18 or 23 cm pans can aslo be used however you need to reduce the baking time.

For the cake you need:

• 2 large eggs at room temperature
• 100 g sugar
• 160 g flour
• 100 g tangerine purée (recipe follows)
• 50 g yogurt
• 1 tsp ground cardamom
• 70 melted butter
• 1 tsp baking powder and 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cointreau (optional)
• pinch of salt

To make the tangerine purée just place 100 g of tangerine in a saucepan and cover with cold water and cook for about 20 minutes or until tender. Cool down, remove the pits (if present) and just process into purée.

To make the cake, combine flour, baking powder and soda, cardamom and salt in a bowl and set aside.
In another bowl, whisk the eggs with the cointreau then add the sugar gradually. Keep whisking until you have a pale and creamy mixture. Lower the speed of the mixer and add the melted butter, then the yogurt and the purée.
Turn off the mixer and fold in the flour mixture with a spatula or a large spoon.
Pour the batter in a greased pan and bake in a preheated oven (175C) for about 30-35 min or until a skewer inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.

You can serve the cake as it is, or you can add a simple frosting, by combining powdered sugar and some tangerine juice!

The vibrant and warm flavors of the cake are like a ray of sunshine in these wintery days, just what you need!

A Jazzed Up Cherry Compote!

In my last post I have mentioned that I will be posting some recipes featuring cherries as a main ingredient. As the season of these amazing summer fruits is coming to an end, there are many ways to preserve them while at their peak of freshness and quality.  You can of course make jam out of cherries and it will taste wonderful but this time I thought of preserving them as compote. This option is slightly different from jam as you won't need to chop or process the cherries, however, you may pit the fruits or leave them whole.

Cherry jam made only with cherries has a wonderful taste on its own but I do find it needs a booster and what better way than to add some citrus fresh for added freshness and taste? I do believe that lemon, lime and orange (or any citrus for that matter)  add so much flavor to both sweet and savory recipes even when used sparingly.

This compote recipe is really quite simple but perhaps the only problem with it is the cherry pitting. It does take time and you better wear gloves if you don't want your hands to stain! However, the end result is really worth it! I have made several batches of this compote, and I think I will keep on making it until the cherry season is over. It is really that good!

For 2 small jars or a big one,  you will need:

• 350 g pitted cherries
• 180 sugar
• 1 lemon and 2 orange peels (a small slice of each fruit is enough, remember you only need the zest)
• 1/4 tsp of pectine (optional, it thickens and helps in the setting of the compote)
•  1 tsp lemon juice and 2 tsp orange juice

Combine everything in a heavy bottom sauce pan, mix well then leave to simmer over a gentle heat for about 30 min. When done, the cherries are tender but still holding their shape. If you overcook them, the fruits will disintegrate and you don't want that in a compote.

Transfer to sterilized jars and close. Once cooled transfer to the fridge. If you want to preserve them out of the fridge, you need to sterilize the filled jars again. However, once opened, it's better to put them in the fridge. I usually don't bother with this process as I only make small batches.

Enjoy them over your pancakes, over a toast and some butter, as a filling for a cake, over baked brie or camembert, really, the choices are endless.

I will share with you soon an easy recipe using this extremely delicious compote, stay tuned!