Lemon Tarts

Ingredients

• Your favourite pie crust
• 2 lemons
• 150 gms sugar
• 55 gms unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 extra-large eggs
• 1/2 cup lemon juice (3 to 4 lemons)
• pinch of salt

Directions

• Grate the lemons carefully to get the zest. Put the zest in a food processor alongwith the sugar and grind.

• Cream the butter with the sugar and lemon mixture. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, and then add the lemon juice and salt. Mix until combined.

1. Pour the mixture into a saucepan and cook over low heat until thickened (about 10 minutes), stirring constantly. 

• Remove from the heat and cool or refrigerate.

• Roll out the pie crust and bake blind at 180 C till done.

• Fill with the cooled lemon curd.

Chocolate Tart

Kids were away to Maasi's house in Mumbai and their Dad was going through withdrawl symptoms. How does it matter if they are 20 & 16 yrs respectively........ he was miserable.  So I decided to cheer him up with :)

Chocolate - What could be better ?

This is a rich decadent tart - designed to cheer up the lousiest mood.  

And  yes it worked 

INGREDIENTS

For the base

• 150g - approx 10 - 12 - Digestive biscuits
• 30g unsalted butter, melted
• 2 tbsp white caster sugar

For the chocolate ganache

• 175g thick cream
• pinch of salt
• 2 tbsp Baileys Irish Cream
• 50g fresh custard
• 110g dark chocolate 
• 50g milk chocolate

Cocoa Powder to dust

Method

1. Place the biscuits in a food processor and add the melted butter and sugar. Blitz until the mixture resembles fine sand in texture.
2. Place the biscuit mixture inside a 15cm loose bottom cake tin . Flatten using the back of a spoon then put in the freezer to set
3. Mix the cream, salt and Baileys and allow to stand for 5 minutes
4. Stir in the fresh custard.
5. Put the dark and milk chocolate in a bowl. Place over a bain marie ( a double boiler ) and allow to melt completely. Remove from the heat.
6. Add the infused cream to the bowl of melted chocolate, making sure to incorporate the cream thoroughly. 
7. Allow the ganache to cool to room temperature.
8. After 5 minutes, pour the ganache on the base and place the tart in the freezer to set for 2 - 4 hours. 
9. Dust with cocoa powder before serving.