Lemon Olive Oil Tart with Basil & Gin Granita
Speed - 97%
Simplicity - 99%
Tastiness - 100%
99%
Amazing!
This was such a great recipe to make. A twist on one of my classic favorites, the lemon tart. Loved it!
Ingredients
Basil Gin Granita
- 0.5 cup Honey
- 3 whole Lemons zested and juiced
- 1.25 cup Gin
- 2 cup Water
- 1 bunch Fresh Basil picked and chopped
Lemon Olive Oil Curd
- 6 4" Pastry Crusts
- 1.5 cups lemon juice
- 4 teaspoons Cornstarch
- 4 Eggs
- 4 Egg Yolks
- 1.5 cups Sugar
- Pinch salt
- 4 ounces Butter
- 0.25 cup olive oil
Instructions
Basil Gin Granita
- Using a small pan on medium-low heat, bring honey, lemon juice and water to a boil, whisking until everything is blended.
- Remove from heat and whisk in zest and gin, and pour over basil. Steep until room temperature, then strain through a fine mesh sieve and press out all the liquid well.
- Pour mixture into a large shallow casserole dish. Freeze for 45min-1 hour, then stir mixture well with a fork.
- Freeze for 40 minutes more, then stir again all over with a fork, repeating every 40 minutes to keep mixture fluffy, until granita is icy and slushy.
Lemon Olive Oil Curd
- Whisk together lemon juice, cornstarch, eggs, yolks, sugar and salt in a heavy-bottomed saucepan and carefully bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking constantly. Boil, whisking 2 minutes.
- Remove from heat and whisk in butter and oil until smooth.
- Strain into prebaked pastry crusts and chill until ready to serve.
- Serve with a small shaving of grainta over and fresh torn basil to garnish.
Few dessert items are more elegant in my opinion than a classic French-style lemon tart. Here I have called for you to purchase pre-baked pastry crusts, any of your preference, in order to save time. But of course if you have the resources at hand it is worth it to make your own pastry crust.
The Basil-Gin Granita is a delightful and easy way to make something frozen that is less labor-intensive than an ice cream. Feel free to experiment with different summer herbs of your choosing– tarragon or cilantro would both complement the lemon tart here very nicely!
The lemon curd recipe calls for a bit of olive oil, and it is extra important that it be very high quality so that the bright fresh flavor comes through and accents the citrusy lemon. Cheap olive oil is often cut with less flavorful oils such as canola, and can leave a bitter or acrid flavor in something as delicate as a lemon curd. Plus in the end you can use it as a garnish, and later for salad dressings.
For the granita, using a medium sauce pot on medium-low heat, bring honey, lemon juice and water to a boil, whisking until everything is blended. Remove from heat and whisk in zest and gin, and pour over basil. Steep until room temperature, then blend in a blender till very well mixed.
Pour mixture into a large, shallow casserole dish. Freeze for 45 minutes up to 1 hour, then stir mixture well with a fork. Freeze for 40 minutes more, then stir again all over with a fork, repeating every 40 minutes to keep mixture fluffy, until granita is icy and slushy.
If you wish this process to take less time, simply divide up the granita into two or three shallow trays and the freezing process will thusly move more quickly. However this also means you have to ‘babysit' the granita and stir it more often.
For the lemon curd, place your pre-baked pastry tart shells on a very flat tray and clear space in your refrigerator to set the tray in eventually. Cut the butter into half inch pieces and keep in the fridge.
Whisk together lemon juice, cornstarch, eggs, yolks, sugar and salt in a heavy-bottomed saucepan and carefully bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking constantly all around the bottom and inner edges of the pot to avoid burning or curdling the mixture (you do not want scrambled eggs with lemon!). Boil, whisking rapidly, for two minutes.
Remove immediately from heat and whisk in cold butter piece by piece until melted. Then stream in olive oil, whisking the whole time, until smooth.
Strain through a fine mesh sieve into a container that is easy to pour from. Portion the lemon curd into the prebaked pastry crusts and slide the tray into the refrigerator so they set up. Chill well until ready to serve.
Serve tarts on dessert plates with a small scoop or shaving of granita on the side, fresh torn basil, and a splash of that delicious olive oil to garnish.
Ingredients
Basil Gin Granita
- 0.5 cup Honey
- 3 whole Lemons zested and juiced
- 1.25 cup Gin
- 2 cup Water
- 1 bunch Fresh Basil picked and chopped
Lemon Olive Oil Curd
- 6 4" Pastry Crusts
- 1.5 cups lemon juice
- 4 teaspoons Cornstarch
- 4 Eggs
- 4 Egg Yolks
- 1.5 cups Sugar
- Pinch salt
- 4 ounces Butter
- 0.25 cup olive oil
Instructions
Basil Gin Granita
- Using a small pan on medium-low heat, bring honey, lemon juice and water to a boil, whisking until everything is blended.
- Remove from heat and whisk in zest and gin, and pour over basil. Steep until room temperature, then strain through a fine mesh sieve and press out all the liquid well.
- Pour mixture into a large shallow casserole dish. Freeze for 45min-1 hour, then stir mixture well with a fork.
- Freeze for 40 minutes more, then stir again all over with a fork, repeating every 40 minutes to keep mixture fluffy, until granita is icy and slushy.
Lemon Olive Oil Curd
- Whisk together lemon juice, cornstarch, eggs, yolks, sugar and salt in a heavy-bottomed saucepan and carefully bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking constantly. Boil, whisking 2 minutes.
- Remove from heat and whisk in butter and oil until smooth.
- Strain into prebaked pastry crusts and chill until ready to serve.
- Serve with a small shaving of grainta over and fresh torn basil to garnish.
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