As I promised in the last post, here it is at last, the recipe for CAP lemon tart. It's been a busy week. In fact, I've been neglecting my pen a little lately. Between projects linked to my new business and aligners to correct my teeth, baking has clearly taken a back seat. For those wondering what this has to do with anything, I'm supposed to brush my teeth every time I put my aligners back in. So I'm on average brushing my teeth 6 times a day. This confers certain advantages (I must have the cleanest teeth in France), but it's a bit complicated when it comes to tasting my recipes.
I'm also in the middle of a reflection phase. CAP recipes are a bit of a trademark of mine, but I'm getting a bit bored of doing the whole program over again. I'm really allergic to routine and sometimes I'd like to let loose with more original, less structured recipes (like my strawberry-rhubarb tart, for example).
Aside from that, I've been getting more feedback lately on "peripheral" CAP issues (which I guess are less covered elsewhere) than on recipes. So don't hesitate to let me know in the comments what you like here and what subjects you'd like to see more of (well, if you're replying with recipes for hacks using hyper-chemical commercial products, clearly that's not going to be possible ^^).
I'm also wondering whether I should start making videos (today's lemon tart was supposed to be one, but publishing the top of my skull wouldn't have been much help!). I admit I've been putting it off for a long time, given the time it takes to produce a video. But if it turns out that you're looking forward to it (or not at all!), don't hesitate to let me know what you think.
How to make the lemon tart
So, back to the CAP lemon tart. Um, clearly the whole point of the recipe is the lemon cream (if you're familiar with fonçage, of course, otherwise you can find the detailed instructions for the CAP apple tart). What to do to avoid lumps, when to add the butter (if there is any) and how to spread it to avoid spatula marks. But first, a quick recipe point.
Which pastry for a lemon tart?
Lemon tarts can be made from 2 different types of pastry. Sweet dough or shortbread dough. Shortbread dough is a crumbly dough, which contains more butter and sugar than its counterpart. Both recipes are available in the technical datasheets, but I believe that shortcrust pastry is in the majority. This recipe uses a sweet pastry (you can find the recipe in the article).
How do you make lemon curd?
So, first step to making lemon cream: place half the sugar and lemon juice in a saucepan and heat. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs, cornflour (or cream powder, depending on the recipe) and remaining sugar, but do not whisk.
When to add the butter?
For the butter (if the recipe contains it), there are apparently several techniques. I've always learned to incorporate it in small pieces after cooking, but you can also melt it with the sugar and lemon. This is much less common, it seems to me.
When the mixture begins to simmer. Pour over the egg/sugar mixture and return to low heat, stirring constantly. Like custard, it will thicken as it cooks. Sometimes the whites coagulate a little during cooking, forming filaments in the cream. If this happens to you, don't panic: a quick whirl with the immersion blender and your lemon curd will be smooth.
It's at this point that I recommend adding the butter, when the cream has cooled a little and the butter will thicken it. The pieces of butter should be small enough (around 20 g) to blend well with the lemon mixture. The result is a smooth cream that can be poured over the white-baked tart shell. And now, ladies and gentlemen, comes the delicate moment of smoothing the lemon cream.
Smooth the lemon cream
So there are two solutions: at home, I advise you not to touch it and to turn the tart base to distribute the cream. Sometimes it's a bit hot because the lemon cream is a bit thick and doesn't spread well, so you finish with a spatula. A teacher told me that in CFA, they use large sieves to even out the cooked tart base. That way, all the edges are at the same height, and you just smooth them out with a single stroke of the spatula. Apparently, the result is perfect (but I've never tried it).
Then simply top with neutral glaze for a shiny result. To do this, boil neutral topping in a saucepan. Depending on the brand, it may or may not need to be diluted with water. Then simply brush it over the tart for a shiny finish. For a CAP-style lemon tart, we should now tackle the writing on the cone, but that will be the subject of a future post.
And if you like lemon tart (or especially if you don't!) find my recipe: lemon tart for those who don't like lemon tart!
Lemon tart CAP patisserie
Easy recipe for lemon tart with sweet pastry (CAP technique)
- A 20 cm darkening circle
- A hen's arse
- A heavy-bottomed saucepan
- Cling film
Sweet dough
- 200 g T55 flour
- 100 g butter
- 80 g powdered sugar
- 40 g whole egg, beaten
Lemon cream
- 80 g lemon juice
- 200 g whole eggs, beaten
- 125 g sugar
- 10 g cream powder
- 2 lemon peel
- 125 g butter
Sweet dough
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Mix the butter and flour in a food processor or by hand. Add powdered sugar and beaten egg (from which 40 g have been removed).
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Knead and stop as soon as the dough has amalgamated (to avoid overworking the gluten). Form into a ball, roll out into a large galette, wrap and place in the fridge for at least 20 minutes.
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After placing in the fridge, take out the dough and let it come to temperature for 5-10 minutes. It should be easy to roll out without breaking. When the pastry is 2 mm thick, shape a tart circle, making sure to create a right angle at the bottom. Pierce the base with a fork.
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Return the tart base to the fridge for 20 minutes, then bake at 180° for around 20 minutes (the pastry should be lightly browned). Once out of the oven, smooth the edges with a peeler or a very wide sieve.
Lemon cream
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Heat the lemon juice and half the sugar in a saucepan over low heat. In a separate bowl, combine the eggs, sugar, cream powder and lemon zest.
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When the juice begins to simmer, add it to the sugar-egg mixture and stir. Return to low heat, stirring constantly. The cream will thicken. When it reaches the consistency of mayonnaise, remove from heat. Blend with an immersion blender if the cream contains lumps.
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Wait a few minutes and add the butter in pieces. Pour over the baked tart shell. Heat neutral glaze and brush on for shine.
