Tartine's Lemon Meringue Cake

This is a wonderful special occasion cake. I especially think of Easter and birthdays. It is both sweet and tart. The chiffon layers are brushed with lemon syrup and coated with a thin layer of caramel and filled with lemon pastry cream. The meringue icing is perfect: it is light enough that it compliments well the sweetness and acidity of the cake.

Makes a delicious 10-inch round cake

Chiffon Cake:
2¼ cups (11.25 ounces) all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1½ cups (10.5 ounces) sugar
¾ teaspoon salt
½ cup vegetable oil
6 large egg yolks, at room temperature
½ cup water
¼ cup lemon juice
1½ teaspoon grated lemon zest
10 large egg whites, at room temperature
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar

Preheat the oven to 325F. Line the bottom of a 10-inch cake or springform pan with 3-inch sides with parchment paper cut to fit exactly; don’t grease the pan.

Sift together the flour and baking powder into a large mixing bowl. Add 1¼ cups (8.75 ounces) of the sugar and the salt and whisk to combine. In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, egg yolks, water, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Make a well in the flour, add the yolk mixture, and then whisk thoroughly and quickly for about 1 minutes until very smooth.

In another large mixing bowl, beat the egg whites until frothy, then add the cream of tartar and beat on medium-high speed until it holds soft peaks. Add the remaining ¼ cup (1.75 ounces) sugar slowly while beating on medium-high speed until the whites hold firm, shiny peaks. Add a third of the egg whites and fold into the yolk mixture to lighten, then fold in the rest of the whites until just combined.

Pour the batter into the pan, smoothing the top if necessary. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 45-55 minutes. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack. Once completely cool, run a thin knife around the sides of the pan to loosen the cake an then release and lift off the pan sides. Invert the cake and peel off the parchment.

Caramel:
⅔ cup heavy cream
¼ vanilla bean
1¼ cup (8.5 ounces) sugar
¼ cup water
¼ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 teaspoon lemon juice
4 tablespoons unsalted butter

Pour the cream into a small, heavy saucepan. Split the vanilla bean in half lengthwise and use the tip of a sharp knife to scrape the seeds from the pod halves into the milk. Place over medium-high heat and bring to just under a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat to low to keep the cream warm.

In a medium, heavy saucepan, combine the sugar, water, salt, and corn syrup. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Then cook, without stirring, until the mixture is amber colored, 5 to 8 minutes. Remove from the heat.

The mixture will continue to cook off the heat and become darker, so make sure to have your cream close by. Carefully and slowly add the cream to the sugar syrup. The mixture will boil vigorously at first. Let the mixture simmer down, and then whisk until smooth. Add the lemon juice. Let cool for about 10 minutes.

Cut the butter into 1-inch chunks and add to the caramel one at a time, whisking constantly after each addition. Then whisk the caramel periodically as it continues to cool.

Lemon Pastry Cream:
½ cup + 2 tablespoons lemon juice
3 large eggs
1 egg yolk
¾ cup (6 ounces) sugar
pinch salt
16 tablespoons (8 ounces) unsalted butter

In a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water, combine the lemon juice, eggs, yolk, sugar, and salt (make sure the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the water). Whisk them together constantly until very thick, or 80°C (180°F) on an instant-read thermometer. Remove from the heat and let it cool down until warm to touch (60°C or 140°F on a thermometer). Place the lemon cream in a blender and with the motor running, add the butter in small pieces. Allow to cool completely. (You may refrigerate it, but allow to come to cool room temperature before using.)

Lemon Syrup:
⅓ cup water
⅓ cup (2.5 ounces) sugar
⅓ cup lemon juice

In a nonreactive saucepan, combine the sugar and water and bring to a boil over medium heat. Transfer to a cool bowl, let cool for a bit, then chill for half an hour. Stir in the lemon juice.

Assembly:
Split the chiffon cake horizontally into four equal layers. Place one layer on your serving plate (which I lined with wax paper around to cake) and moisten evenly with ¼ of the lemon syrup. Spread ⅓ of the caramel over the cake, then ⅓ of the lemon cream. Repeat with 2 more layers, using up the remaining caramel and lemon cream. Top with the fourth cake layer and moisten with the remaining lemon syrup. Cover the cake completely with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least four hours or overnight.

Italian Meringue:
7 large egg whites
1¾ cup (12.25 ounces) sugar
pinch of salt

In a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water, combine the egg whites, sugar, and salt and whisk until the whites are hot to the touch, about 120F, about 5 minutes. Beat on high speed until the mixture is very thick and holds stiff, glossy peaks.

Unmold the cake and spread the meringue all over. Use a spatula or a spoon to create dramatic swirls. Using a propane torch scorch the meringue, blackening the tips and swirls.

Tartine's Fruit Tart

Tartine is, without a doubt, one of the finest bakeries in America and an essential stop on every trip to the Bay area. During my last visit to San Francisco - just a few weeks ago - nearly every morning began at Tartine. And why not? It's such a wonderful place, situated in the Mission near the Castro, full of sweet and bready smells, fashionable people and a line that, unless you get there early, can extend beyond the doors of this tiny place. But a line should be no deterrent.

Last Christmas, a friend gave me the Tartine cookbook, which I heartily recommend. It is lavishly photographed, beautifully laid out, and chock full of detail and kitchen tips. The book somehow gives one the precise feel for the actual place. The recipe below, with some modifications, comes from the cookbook. This is a simple, low stress dessert, perfect for entertaining and making in advance. The results are ravishing! Makes six 4" tarts.

Sweet Tart Dough
1/2 cup, plus 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 large eggs
1 3/4 cups sifted all purpose flour

1 egg
1/4 tsp. salt

Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter, sugar and salt and mix on medium speed until smooth. Mix in the egg until smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the flour all at once and mix on low speed just until incorporated.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide into six roughly even-sized pieces. Shape each piece into a disc about 1/2 inch thick. Wrap each in plastic wrap or a baggie and chill for 1 hour to overnight.

To line the tart pans, place a dough disc on a lightly floured surface and roll out 1/8 inch thick, rolling from the center to the edges in all directions. Lift and rotate the dough a quarter turn after every few passes with the rolling pin. Carefully transfer each circle of dough to a tart pan, easing it into the pan and pressing it gently into place. Never stretch tart dough or the sides will shrink. If the dough becomes too soft, it can be put back into the refrigerator to cool. If the dough tears, just patch with a little extra dough pressing firmly to make it adhere. With a sharp knife, trim the dough level with the top of the tart pan. Place the tarts in the freezer for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 325F. Once chilled, remove the tart shells from the freezer and dock (make small holes) in the bottom of the tart shells with a fork or the tip of a sharp knife. Place in the oven and bake 5-7 minutes. When the tart shells go in, make the egg wash. Whisk the remaining egg and salt in a small bowl. A minute or so before the tart shells are the desired color, remove them from the oven, brush the entire interior of the shells with the egg wash and return to the oven until you achieve the desired color and the glaze is set. A well set glaze provides a barrier between the shell and the filling which prevents the shell from becoming soggy.

Let cool completely on wire racks. Then proceed with the recipe.

Makes six 4" tart shells.

Pastry Cream
2 cups whole milk
1 tsp. good quality vanilla
1/4 tsp. salt
3 Tbsp. cornstarch
1/2 cup, plus 1 Tbsp. sugar
2 large eggs
4 Tbsp. unsalted butter

Have a non-aluminum (glass or ceramic) mixing bowl ready for cooling the pastry cream with a fine mesh sieve resting in the rim.

Pour the milk into a heavy non-aluminum saucepan. Add the vanilla and salt, place over medium heat and bring just to under a boil, stirring frequently to make sure the milk solids do not stick to the bottom of the pan.

Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and sugar. Add the eggs and whisk until smooth. When the milk is ready, ladle about one third of the hot milk into the egg mixture, whisking continuously. Pour the egg-milk-sugar mixture back into the hot milk and continue whisking over medium heat until the custard is as thick as lightly whipped cream, about 2 minutes. For the cornstarch to work, the mixture must come just to the boiling point. You can see a few slow bubbles. If the cream boils, though, it will curdle. Immediately whisk the cream through the sieve into the waiting bowl. Let cool 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to release heat and prevent a skin from forming.

Cut the butter into 1 tablespoon knobs. When the pastry cream is about 140F whisk the butter into the cream, one tablespoon at a time, whisking until smooth before adding the next tablespoon.

To cool the cream, cover with plastic wrap, pressing the plastic directly onto the surface of the cream and place in the refrigerator. This prevents a skin from forming. Once the pastry cream has cooled it may be used. However, be careful not to overmix it once it has cooled. Overmixing will break down the starch and cause it to go runny. Pastry cream keeps in the refrigerator for up to five days.

Assemble the Tarts
2 half pints of raspberries
4-5 medium peaches
3 Tbsp. apricot preserves

Peel the peaches by dropping them, one at a time, into boiling water for about 10 seconds. The skin should then be easily removable. Cut the peeled peaches in half, removing the pit, then into quarters, sixths, or eighths, depending on their size. Set in a mixing bowl.

Have the tarts shells ready to fill. Spoon the pastry cream into each shell and smooth the surface with a small spatula. The tarts should be about 3/4 full. You may not use the entire pastry cream recipe. You don't want to fill the shell to the top or the fruit on top will cause the pastry cream to overflow the rim.

Gently scatter or arrange the peaches and raspberries on the filled tarts.

In a small saucepan heat the apricot jam or jelly over low heat until it is a liquid glaze. Strain through a sieve, if using jam, to remove the seeds and/or pulp. Brush the fruit with the glaze.

The tarts may be eaten straight away or stored for up to 2 days in the refrigerator. Serve them cool.