Lemon Mascarpone Tart

Love at first sight is how I felt about this lemon and mascarpone tart. There was no picture of this tart in the cookbook (don't you hate it?!), I had to read the recipe to visualise what the result would look like but my instinct told me that it's the one.

I love lemon tart but sometimes the sourness can be overpowering. Meringue, fresh cream or ice cream has to be added to balance the tartness of the lemon. The mascarpone cheese in this recipe has reduced the acidity of this tart and the caramelised sugar on top of it has added the perfect finishing touch to it.

Lemon and Mascarpone Tart (Torta di Limone e Mascarpone) Recipe
(Adapted from Giorgio Locatelli's Made in Italy Food & Stories)
Serves 6-8

Giorgio Locatelli- "Because the lemon and mascarpone mixture for this is quite liquid when it's first mixed, we completely cook the pastry case first, then turn the oven down, so that the topping can set without the pastry cooking further."

Ingredients

350 g (1/2 recipe quantity) of Sweet pastry (recipe follows)
2 egg yolks, beaten
Icing sugar, to finish

For the fillings:
300 g mascarpone cheese
50 ml whipping cream
50 ml milk
100 ml lemon juice
100 g caster sugar
120 g egg yolks

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 170C. Roll out the pastry and use to line a 28cm non-stick tart tin. Line with ovenproof cling film, fill with rice or dried peas or beans and bake blind for 4 minutes. Take out the weights, remove the cling film and cook for around 10-12 minutes, until golden - the colour you want it to be at the end.
2. Take out of the oven, brush the pastry all over with the beaten egg yolks and return to the oven for another 2 minutes. This forms a skin, so that even if there are tiny holes in the pastry, the topping won't seep through and burn.
3. Turn the oven down to 110C (I used 130C as the filling didn't set well with 110C). The pastry is now cooked, so all you need to do is set the topping.
4. To make the topping, mix together the mascarpone, cream, milk, lemon juice and sugar in a bowl. Whisk the egg yolks separately, then add to the mascarpone mixture and incorporate quickly with a hand blender.
5. Spoon into the pastry case and put into the oven for 20-25 minutes until the centre is set but still the slightest bit wobbly. Leave to cool, during which time the topping will firm up.
6. To finish, dust the top with the icing sugar and caramelise it with a blow torch. Serve at room temperature.

Sweet Pastry (Pasta Frollo) Recipe
Makes enough for two 28cm tarts or eight 10cm tarts

Giorgio Locatelli - "This is a very good, easy pastry that isn't difficult to work with and won't break if you roll it. We use it to line a non-stick tart pan and bake it 'blind', ie empty, so that it can cook a little and crisp up before you add a wet topping of fruit, frangipane, etc. We use oven-safe cling film, filled with rice, dried peas or beans to weight it down, rather than baking paper, as it is tricky to keep this touching the pastry everywhere and keep it completely flat; whereas cling film immediately sticks to it. Make sure you leave enough overlapping the edges to life it out easily. Six minutes at 170C is enough to start setting the pastry, then you can take out the cling film and weights and return the tart case to the oven for about 15 minutes, until just golden, or whatever is required for your recipe. Make sure you preheat your oven for a good half an hour before your you start. It is easier to make double or even triple the quantity you need, as a larger volume will mix better, and you can freeze what you don't use straightaway.

Ingredients

225 g butter
150 g icing sugar
2 eggs
450 g flour

Method

1. Put the butter into a food mixer with a paddle and whiz until soft. Add the sugar and continue to mix until the mixture turns pale. Add the eggs one by one, and when they are incorporated, add the flour. Continue to mix until all the flour is incorporated. Divide into 2 balls.