A Mother’s Day lemon tart
Mother’s Day is almost here and there are so many ways to mark this special day. For foodies like me, that means a dish that is meaningful for both my mom and me, and which is also delicious and celebratory.
The one that fits the bill is a lemon tart, specifically a tart au citron and not lemon meringue pie, though that is yummy, too.
You almost have to become a mom yourself to appreciate the depths and heights of what your mom did for you, apart from the biological aspect of carrying you for nine months, enduring a painful birth and the subsequent years of caring. Not to mention the (at least for me) sleepless nights when they were babies breastfeeding to when they morphed into young adults out late at night. Much of this does seem to be underappreciated until the second Sunday of May, but that’s okay. It’s a mom’s job, anyway.
As we kids grew older, our relationship with our mom changed, as did my kids with me. It’s like an alien planet when you become adults hailing from different generations. Add to that, we seem to live on a planet that is literally alien to us now, what with abnormal climate patterns, disputed borders, shifting values and a communication free-for-all.
Each generation of mothers will always do things differently because the culture and attitudes change with time. Some of these differences can lead to the relationships between mothers and children being at times sweet, bittersweet and maybe even a bit sour. But in the end the ties between mothers and their children are endearing, enduring and encouraging.
One of my best memories of my mom was when she brought me on my first trip to Paris. We were billeted at a hotel just down from a metro stop and right beside the metro entrance was a patisserie with the most wonderful tart au citron. The pate brisee was flaky, the lemon cream filling was light and tangy, and all it needed was a dollop of cream.
During the pandemic, when we couldn’t celebrate Mother’s Day physically as we can today, I recreated that lemon tart with an Italian meringue topping that I piped on decoratively and torched. And it was just like our relationship: buttery, at times sweet and bittersweet, with a bit of tanginess. We raise our kids with a hope and a prayer and tackle the sweet with the bitter as part of the job—a mom’s job.
At the end of the day, it’s still the best job in the world.
Tart Au Citron
For the pate brisee (buttery pastry), combine in a bowl:
- 2 1/4 cups flour
- 1/4 tsp. salt
Cut in with two knives to resemble crumbs (or pulse in a food processor):
- 1 cup butter, cut into small pieces
Blend in to form a dough:
- 4 – 6 Tbsps. cold water
Press this onto the bottom of a 12-inch tart pan (or use a 9-inch pie plate). Bake at 400 F until golden brown.
For the lemon cream, whisk together in a bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water:
- 6 egg yolks
- 3/4 cup sugar
- Juice and grated peel of 3 lemons
Whisk about 5 minutes or until it thickens. Remove from the heat and whisk in:
- 1/2 cup butter, cut into cubes
Let cool then fold in:
- 12 cups whipped cream
- Pour into the prepared crust.
To make the Italian meringue, combine in a saucepan:
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup water
Cook until it reaches 238F on a candy thermometer (soft-ball stage, or when a small amount of hot syrup dropped into cold water forms a soft ball). Immediately take off the heat.
Beat until soft peaks in a mixer:
- 3 egg whites
Slowly add the hot syrup in a stream while continuing to beat until stiff.
Use the meringue to top the lemon filling (swirl with a spatula or use a piping bag) and brown with a torch or in the broiler of an oven. If you don’t have a broiler, just stick the tart into a very hot oven (450F) until the tips of the meringue are lightly browned.