Friday

tart & tangy


like i mentioned earlier, a friend gave me the big sur bakery cookbook for my birthday and i couldn't wait to make something out of it! it's a wonderful cookbook about a quaint eatery in one of the most beautiful places on earth and is filled with great stories of local farmers, fishers & butchers, including the story of a woman named Clovis and her bearss limes. i didn't use that variety of lime for the tart this time but it was still amazing - perfectly balanced between the salty homemade graham crust, tart lime custard and fluffy white meringue topping. reminded me a little of the super tart lemon meringue pie my grandma always made that had everyone around the table puckering. the graham crackers that you make for the crust are a real treat to nibble on while you're making the rest of the pie - or stash them away for later.
have a great weekend!

Clovis's Lime Tart
makes one 10-inch tart

for the graham cracker crumbs:
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup plus 1 tbs brown sugar
1 tbs honey
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup plus 1 tbs whole wheat flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
cream the butter, sugars and honey with the paddle attachment of an electric mixture until light and fluffy. add the remaining ingredients and mix until dough comes together. roll the dough between two pieces of parchment until you have a rough 1/4-inch thick rectangle. chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or up to 3 days. preheat oven to 375 degrees F. peel back the top layer of parchment and place dough on a cookie sheet. bake for 20-25 minutes or until brown. let cool to room temperature. break the graham cracker into pieces and pulse in a food processor until fine.

for the shell:
2 cups graham cracker crumbs (see above)
2 tbs sugar
2 tbs unsalted butter, melted
preheat oven to 350 degrees F. in a medium bowl, combine crumbs, sugar and melted butter. lightly grease a 10-inch tart pan with removable bottom. sprinkle the crumbs into the pan and use the bottom of a measuring cup to press the crumbs evenly over the entire pan and up the sides. refrigerate for 20 minutes. bake 7-10 minutes, remove and cool completely on a rack.

for the filling:
1 1/2 cups fresh lime juice
1 cup sugar
6 eggs
1 cup heavy cream
reduce oven to 325 degrees F. whisk together all the filling ingredients in a medium saucepan. cook over low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the liquid is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon. pour into cooled crust and back 10-15 minutes or until the filling is set. let the tart cool to room temperature and then place it in the freezer until the filling is firm to the touch, about 25 minutes.

for the meringue:
6 egg whites
1 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
increase oven to 400 degrees F. place the egg whites, sugar and salt in a heatproof bowl and place over a saucepan of barely simmering water. whisk the mixture constantly until the sugar dissolves. remove bowl from heat and whisk the whites with an electric mixer on high speed until medium peaks form. add vanilla and whisk to combine. remove tart from the freezer. spread the meringue over the top of the tart, leaving the edges of the shell uncovered. bake 2-4 minutes until the meringue is browned. refrigerate until ready to serve & enjoy!

18 comments:

Casey said...

I've never thought of making my own graham crackers... sounds divine!

Ash said...

Clovis and her limes!! I am so glad that you made this recipe. The craving for tangy, citrus curd never seems to leave me...

Louise said...

You had me at tart and tangy... that alone sounds mouthwatering. I love getting new cookbooks.

The French said...

This really hurts. I'm trying to be sooooo good but now there's a lime tart staring me in the face, daring me to make it. Add the Big Sur component (Big Sur makes me weak in the knees) and I don't stand a fighting chance against this post. Oh well, I surrender. Guess it's lime tart for dinner. Woe is me:)

Anonymous said...

This sounds like the perfect thing for an afternoon tea/coffee I am hosting Sunday. Its full of Spring! I wonder how it would be with lemon rather than lime?

Alessandra said...

the food styling and photography = sooo yum! they're fantastic. thanks for serving as inspiration for my own new little blog. please take the time to give it a gander!
http://byaccidentsandsagacity.blogspot.com/

maranaomi said...

mmm, i can't wait to try this recipe.

Jenny said...

Thanks for giving me info about making graham cracker crumbs, this is what I want.


Keep posting!

Traineeship said...

What a beautiful birthday present.
The food looks really delicious.
Thank you for the recipe.

Adriana said...

i just fell in love with your site, like this, boom! awesome! added to blog roll

and that lime tart, needs to meet my oven, very soon!

i'll keep reading!

Adriana from Baking Powders

Amanda :: Grace & Gusto said...

My local farm stand has barrels full of gorgeous limes. Thank you for giving me a reason to buy them all. :)

Lila said...

I love me a graham cracker crust. Nothing beats it!
Lila Ferraro
Queen Bedroom Sets

Coconut Recipes said...

Ooooh! This is calling my name. I love the photos! Nice shot of the slice.

-Sarah.j.s.

Mar said...

mmmmmm delicius!!!

Nisrine@Dinners and Dreams said...

Few desserts are better than lemon meringue pie. I can taste tangy just looking at it. Have a fabulous weekend!

Fashionfoodfatale said...

Ooh yum! And what a great cookbook The Big Sur is one of the most beautiful places on earth Almost as delicious as this tart!

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Evil eye said...

Nice Cake! It is so hard not to have a bite of this cake. I am so impressed to see these pictures.