Description
Creamy mascarpone blends with zesty Italian lemon tart in this elegant dessert showcasing Mediterranean flavors. Sweet pastry crust and silky filling invite you to savor each luxurious bite.
Ingredients
Scale
- 250 grams (9 oz) mascarpone cheese
- 250 grams (9 oz) fresh ricotta cheese
- 125 milliliters (4 oz) sour cream
- 250 grams (9 oz) all-purpose flour
- 200 grams (7 oz) cold butter, cubed
- 2 large eggs
- 2 large egg yolks
- ⅔ cup sugar
- ⅓ cup castor sugar
- ⅓ cup water
- 1 lemon, thinly sliced into rounds
- 1 tbsp finely grated lemon rind
- 80 milliliters (3 fl oz) fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Pastry Preparation: Pulse cold butter and flour in a food processor until crumbly, then blend in sour cream until the dough forms a loose ball. Shape into a disk, wrap in plastic, and chill for 20 minutes.
- Tart Shell Formation: Roll out pastry to fit a round tart tin, prick with a fork, and refrigerate for an additional hour. Preheat oven to 200°C with the rack in the middle.
- Blind Baking: Line the pastry with doubled foil and sugar, bake for 15 minutes. Remove foil and sugar, then return to oven for 5 minutes until pale golden.
- Filling Creation: Blend ricotta and mascarpone until smooth. Incorporate sugar, eggs, egg yolks, lemon rind, and lemon juice until well combined.
- Baking the Tart: Reduce oven temperature to 170°C. Pour filling evenly into the pre-baked pastry shell and bake for 30 minutes, watching for a subtle center wobble.
- Cooling and Setting: Let the tart cool in the tin, then refrigerate to set completely.
- Candied Lemon Garnish: Caramelize sugar and water in a frying pan. Add lemon slices, coating and cooking until golden. Transfer to parchment paper to cool and crystallize.
- Final Presentation: Unmold the chilled tart and elegantly arrange the candied lemon slices on top.
Notes
- Chill Dough Strategically: Refrigerating the pastry twice ensures a flaky, tender crust by preventing gluten development and maintaining butter’s cold structure.
- Master Blind Baking Technique: Weighing down the pastry with sugar prevents unwanted rising and creates a crisp, golden base perfect for creamy fillings.
- Monitor Filling Consistency: A subtle center wobble indicates ideal baking, ensuring a silky smooth texture without overcooking the delicate mascarpone mixture.
- Handle Candied Lemons Carefully: Work quickly when caramelizing lemon slices to achieve a glossy, crystallized finish without burning the delicate sugar coating.
- Prep Time: 40 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Desserts
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 9
- Calories: 382
- Sugar: 25 g
- Sodium: 123 mg
- Fat: 24 g
- Saturated Fat: 15 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8 g
- Trans Fat: 1 g
- Carbohydrates: 37 g
- Fiber: 0.5 g
- Protein: 6 g
- Cholesterol: 102 mg