Cheese Mousse and Lemon Curd Tart

English: (Romanian below)

For me the tart is the ideal dessert because it offers you the possibility to be creative. You can make a delicious combination with everything you find around your house: a variety of fruits, cream, etc. I chose this recipe because it represents the right balance between sweet and sour, thus being very refreshing. Moreover, it can be done anytime of the year due to its key ingredient, lemon, which can be found anytime in any store.

It takes 3 hours the complete this dish, not because it is very difficult, but because each element needs to cool down very well before it can be added.

For the crust we need:

• 250 g flour
• 125 g cold butter 
• 100 g powder sugar
• 2 egg yolks
• one vanilla bean (can be replaced with 2 tsp bourbon sugar)
• 2 Tbsp cold milk

I started by combining the sugar, flour and vanilla, the I added the yolks and the butter sliced in small cubes and I mixed them all together (by hand or with the help of a kitchen mixer) until the dough started to look like bread crumbs. In the end I added the milk and I mixed a little bit more with my hands until the dough was done.

! Try to mix as less as possible, otherwise the dough will become elastic which is not what we want. Also, keep the dough in the fridge for at least one hour before baking. 

After that, on the kitchen counter where I sprinkled some flour, I stretched the dough with a rolling pin until it had aprox. 5 mm. I greased a 26 cm diameter round baking tray with some butter, I put the dough in the tray, I baked the tart in the preheated oven at 180 Celsius for aprox. 20 minutes until golden and then I let it completely cool down.

TIP: To prevent your tart from rising while baking in the oven, cover the middle of it with some baking paper and pour some kidney beans on top of it. Their weight will prevent the tart from rising. 

For the cheese mousse we need:

• 200 g cream cheese 
• 100 g white chocolate
• 200 ml whipping cream
• 1 tsp vanilla essence

I melted the white chocolate at Bain-Marie* in a heat resistant bowl and then I let it completely cool down, while in a separate bowl I whipped the cream. Finally, I combined the cream cheese with the chocolate and vanilla and I gradually added the whipped cream with the help of a spatula, using circular moves, in order to keep it fluffy and to keep the mousse texture of the mixture. I added the mousse on the tart crust and put it in the fridge for 2 hours.

For the lemon curd we need:

• 5 egg yolks
• 100 ml lemon juice
• 210 g granulated sugar
• zest from 2 lemons
• 100 g butter with high fat

I mixed all the ingredients above and I kept them at Bain-Marie* for aprox. 20 minutes, continuously stirring, until the mixture became thick and shiny. It is important to stir slowly, in one direction, to prevent the mixture from separating. After it was done I let it cool down and I poured it over the tart, which I left over night (or at least 6 hours) in the fridge, until the curd became a jelly.

*Bain-Marie= heating our mixture over a pot of hot, almost simmering, NOT BOILING water, where our bowl does not touch the water in the pot. This technique is used because the steam created is a more gentle source of heat than the direct heat of the stove which could ruin our dish.

Enjoy! 

Romana:

Pentru mine, tarta este desertul ideal deoarece iti da posibilitatea sa fii creativ. Poti realiza o tarta gustoasa cu orice gaseti prin casa: o  multime de fructe, crema etc. Am ales aceasta tarta deoarece reprezinta combinatia ideala intre dulce si acru, fiind foarte racoritoare. De asemenea, poate fi facuta in orice anotimp deoarece ingredientul cheie este lamaia, gasita oricand la magazine.

Prepararea dureaza cca 3 ore, nu pentru ca ar fi greu de gatit, ci pentru ca toate cele 3 elemente trebuie lasate la racit inainte de a fi "asamblate".

                                                                
                
Pentru blatul de tarta avem nevoie de:

• 250 g faina
• 125 g unt rece
• 100 g zahar pudra
• 2 galbenusuri
• o pastaie de vanilie ( daca nu aveti se poate inlocui cu un pliculet e zahar vanilat bourbon) 
• 2 linguri lapte rece

Am amestecat zaharul cu faina si cu vanilia, apoi am adaugat untul taiat cubulete impreuna cu galbenusurile si am amestecat (cu mana sau cu ajutorul unui robot de bucatarie) pana cand compozitia a capatat aspectul unor firimituri. La final am adaugat cele 2 linguri de lapte si am cotinuat sa amestec cu mana pana cand aluatul a devenit omogen.

! Incercati sa framantati cat mai putin posibil, altfel aluatul va deveni elastic, ceea ce  nu e de dorit. De asemenea, aluatul trebuie sa stea la frigider cel putin o ora inainte de coacere.

Pe blatul de bucatarie am presarat faina si cu ajutorul unui facalet am intins aluatul de tarta la grosimea de cca. 5 mm.  Am uns o forma de tarta rotunda cu diametru de 26 cm cu unt apoi  am asezat aluatul in forma si am copt apoi tarta in cuptorul preincalzit la 180 de grade cca 20 de minute si am lasat-o sa se raceasca complet.

PONT: Pentru ca tarta sa nu se umfle in cuptor, acoperiti-o cu foaie de copt si puneti deasupra o mana de boabe de fasole. Greutatea acestora va impiedica tarta sa creasca.

Pentru mousse-ul de branza avem nevoie de:

• 200g crema de branza
• 100 g ciocolata alba
• 200 ml smantana pentru frisca
• 1 lg esenta de vanilie

Am topit ciocolata alba la Bain-Marie* intr-un vas termorezistent si am lasat-o sa se raceasca, iar int-un vas separat am butut apoi frisca. In cele din urma am amestecat crema de branza cu vanilia si ciocolata topita si cu ajutorul unei spatule am incorporat frisca, in mai mule transe, cu miscari circulare, pentru a ramane aerata si pufoasa si pentru a putea conferi in continuare textura de mousse dorita. Am turnat compozitia in forma de tarta si am dat-o la rece pentru 2 h.

 

Pentru curd-ul de lamaie avem nevoie de:

• 5 galbenusuri
• 100 ml zeama de lamaie
• 210 g zahar tos
• coaja de la 2 lamai
• 100 g unt gras

Am amestecat toate ingredientele de mai sus la Bain-Marie* pentru cca 20 de minute, pana cand compozitia s-a ingroasat si a capatat o textura lucioasa. Important este sa amestecati incontinuu, lent, in sensul acelor de ceas, pentru a evita taierea compozitiei. Dupa ce aceasta s-a racit, am turnat curd-ul peste tarta si am tinet la frigider cel putin 6 ore (ideal peste noapte), pana cand curd-ul de lamaie a  capatat aspectul unui jeleu.

*Bain-Marie= incalzirea amestecului la baie de aburi, deasupra unei oale cu apa fierbite, nu data in clocot. Aceasta tehnica este folosita deoarece aburul este o sursa de caldura mai blanda decat flacara directa a aragazului, care poate distruge preparatul.

                                                                       Enjoy! :)