Zingy Lemon Tarte With Ginger Crust
By: Nicole Aloni
Published: Monday, November 30, 2009 - 2:46pm

Ingredients




Crust

1 cup + 6 tablespoons sweetened flaked coconut, lightly packed
8 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups finely ground ginger snap crumbs (ground in the food processor)
Filling 

1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
6 egg yolks, lightly beaten
3 eggs
2 tablespoons grated lemon zest
pinch of salt

3/4 cup cold unsalted butter, cut in small pieces
2 teaspoons Frangelico
1 1/2 ounces to 2  of good quality white chocolate

Preparation

1 Pre heat the oven to 325 degrees. 2 Spread the coconut onto a cookie sheet and bake until golden brown, about 10 minutes.  Cool before using. 3 Melt the butter in saucepan, cool to tepid.  Finely crush the coconut with your hands, add it to the butter along with the ginger snap crumbs. Blend with a fork. 4 Press evenly into the bottom and sides of a 11 inch tart pan (if you have a second pan about the same size you can set it on top of the crust and use it to press a perfect shell). Bake in pre heated oven for 20 minutes, until golden brown.  Let cool. 5 Prepare the filling 6 Dissolve the sugar in the lemon juice in a large non-reactive bowl or the top half of a double boiler.  Whisk in the eggs, egg yolks, lemon zest and salt. 7 Place the bowl with the egg mixture over a pan of gently boiling water.  The bowl should fit snugly into the pan without touching the water. Cook over low heat, stirring with a wooden spoon or spatula, for 12 to 14 minutes until the mixture becomes thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. 8 Remove from the heat and stir to cool slightly.  Add  the butter, a piece at a time, stirring until completely incorporated.  Add the Frangelico.  Pour the filling into the pre baked crust  and sprinkle the white chocolate over the surface. let it set for a minute to begin to melt. 9 Using a knife, draw feathery patterns of the melting white chocolate through the lemon, leaving some chunks.  You will have a lovely marbled yellow and white cloud pattern. Chill until set (at least 3 hours or overnight).  If berries are in season, serve each slice with raspberries or strawberry slices.

About


A lemon tarte appears on everyone’s top ten dessert list. This recipe combines lemon with white chcoclate for an elegant presentation.  The simple Coconut Ginger Snap crust , quick and forgiving, is a great addition to your dessert repertoire.  It can be used to enhance any simple fruit tart, cheesecake, mousse pie, or ice cream pie.