Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy
Lemon just screams summer, doesn’t it? It takes me back to quenching my thirst with a tall glass of fresh squeezed lemonade on a hot summer day. It was also my strange food craving when I was pregnant with my second son. I couldn’t go anywhere without lemonade! While we haven’t quite reached summer yet, the temperatures are starting to feel like it.
When I went to Napa a few years ago, I had no idea that they grew olives right where they grew the grapes. I tasted a few different olive oils right at the vineyards and it was such a different yet educational experience. That olive oil was SO good! Here I was thinking Napa was all going to be about wine. It was a nice surprise.
I cook with olive oil everyday and often combine it with lemons for a Mediterranean or Spanish dish. I also love simple fresh seafood right off the grill with a lemon, garlic, parsley and olive oil drizzle. It is so bright and fresh! Combing the two as a dessert gives it a modern twist to a lemon bar or simple lemon tart. This zesty recipe uses almond biscotti cookies for the crust and an almond flavored merengue. I love the way the flavors of almonds and lemons merry together. When I tasted this tart, my mind was playing tricks on me. On one note, it was light and refreshing and yet the other side was bold and powerful. The merengue softened out the tartness of the lemons and the strong flavor of the olive oil. The almond cookie crust was a nice crunchy contrast in texture from the creamy lemon filling, giving each bite a balanced feel. Now when I take a bite of this easy to make tart, I think about a bright sunny afternoon, the olive trees in Napa and the burning sensation from the lemon juice hitting the papercut on my hand while squeezing the lemons for this recipe.
- Prep Time: 6h 30m
- Cook Time: 15m
- Total Time: 6h 45m
- Serves: 8
- Category: Dessert
Ingredients
Crust
- 11 ounces almond flavored biscotti cookies
- 1/2 cup butter, melted
Filling
- 6 teaspoons grated lemon zest (4 lemons)
- 1/2 teaspoon powdered gelatin ( 1 envelope)
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 4 large egg
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, diced and chilled
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Merengue
- 2 large egg whites
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
Instructions
Crust
- Preheat over to 350 degrees.
- In a food processor, grind cookies until it forms a powder. slowly drizzle the melted butter until powder starts to become clumpy. When you squeeze it, it should stick together.
- Coat the inside of your tart pan with oil spray. Press crust into the pan and all the way to the edges. Bake for 12-15 minutes. Set aside and cool.
Filling
- Place 1 tablespoon lemon juice in a small bowl, and sprinkle with gelatin; let stand until gelatin softens, about 5 minutes.
- Fill a large saucepan with water to a depth of a few inches. Bring to a simmer over medium.
- Stir together sugar, salt, and lemon zest in a metal bowl that will fit into the pan of simmering water. Work sugar and zest between your fingers until sugar is moist and aromatic. Whisk in eggs, then remaining 11 tablespoons lemon juice.
- Set bowl over pan of simmering water (do not allow bowl to touch water). Cook, whisking egg mixture constantly, until mixture thickens and a candy thermometer registers 180°F, about 12 minutes. Remove from heat. Whisk in softened gelatin-lemon mixture and stir until dissolved. Pour mixture through a fine mesh strainer into a blender; discard solids. Let mixture rest in blender at room temperature, pulsing occasionally, until it cools to 130°F, about 15 minutes.
- With blender running, add butter in 2 additions, processing until incorporated after each addition. With blender running, slowly and steadily drizzle in olive oil; process until combined, about 1 minute. Pour Lemon-Olive Oil Cream into prepared tart shell. Press plastic wrap against surface. Chill until firm and set, at least 6 hours and preferably overnight (12 hours).
Merengue
- Place egg whites, extract and salt in bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Beat whites until soft peaks form. Slowly drizzle in the sugar as it is beating. Beat until stiff and shiny.
- Transfer Italian Meringue to a pastry bag fitted with a tip of your choice, and decorate top of tart however you desire. Alternatively, go freeform and use a spatula, creating swirls and peaks.
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