Lemon
Lighting
From
Sonia El-Nawal, Pastry Chef, Theo - New York City
Adapted by StarChefs
Yield:
6 servings
Lemon
Curd:
- 1
cup lemon juice
- 1
cup sugar
- 16
egg yolks
- 1
1/4 unsalted butter, cold and cubed
- Zest
of one lemon
In
a pot, mix lemon juice, sugar, yolks, and zest and cook until
thick. Keep whisking, but not incorporating too much air. When
it has thickened, take off fire and whisk in butter, transfer
to a clean pot and refrigerate.
Short
Bread:
- 2
cups all-purpose flour.
- 3/4
cup sugar.
- Pinch
of salt.
- 1
pound unsweetened butter, soft.
Mix
the flour, sugar, and salt in a bowl by hand. Work in the butter
until the whole mix is crumbly, lay out in a sheet tray, bake
on 325† until golden brown. Set aside to cool until assembly.
Italian
Meringue:
- 7
ounces sugar
- 1
3/4 ounces water
- 3
ounces egg whites
Mix
sugar and water in pot and boil. In a kitchen aid bowl, whip the
egg whites until they form a soft peak. Pour in the syrup quickly;
let this beat until whites have cooled.
For
assembly, whip a 1/2 cup of heavy cream, fold it into the curd.
In a cup or Ramekin, layer shortbread first, then curd, then Lemon
sections, then more curd. Ending with Italian Meringue, spoon
it in and flatten the top with a spatula. Now burn the top with
a blow torch. You can refrigerate this up to 3 hours before eating.
