So here we are, six days into 2016! Although the logical/cynical part of my brain knows that a new year is just an arbitrary marker of the regular passage of time, I still love the beginning of a new year. I made a few resolutions that I daren’t speak aloud because I think resolutions are like birthday wishes. If you tell people, they won’t come true.
2016 has already been pretty awesome. I’m about two months into veganism, and I’m learning all kinds of new things in the way of vegan cooking and baking. Yesterday was Phillip’s birthday and I made him homemade pizza for the first time in my life. I didn’t realize that really good pizza dough takes more than a day to proof, so I used Cook’s Illustrated’s “8 Hour Pizza Dough” recipe and it turned out great! I also made this aquafaba mozzarella from Avocados & Ales and some seitan pepperoni. It was so good it almost makes me regret I don’t do savory recipes on the blog! But don’t worry, we’re gonna keep it sweet around these parts.
One goal I have for 2016 that I don’t mind sharing with you is to veganize some of my old recipes (and take new photos). I made a non-vegan version of this tart very early on in my blogging career. I had a whole bunch of leftover Meyer lemons from making these killer vegan lemon bars, and I remembered how much I had loved this tart. It was super easy to do, actually. Just as good as the original, and possibly better. I love how you just toss the lemon, rind and all, into the food processor to make the filling.
Tell me your baking goals for the new year in the comments! Forget what I said about the birthday wishes thing. They’ll totally still come true if you tell me.
VEGAN BRÛLÉED MEYER LEMON TART WITH PISTACHIO CRUST
- ½ cup (60 grams) unsalted, shelled pistachios
- 1½ cups (180 grams) all-purpose flour
- ½ cup (60 grams) confectioner’s sugar
- 2 tablespoons (15 grams) cornstarch
- 9 tablespoons (130 grams) non-dairy butter (such as Earth Balance), cut into small cubes and frozen (plus more for greasing pan)
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1-2 Meyer lemons*, rinsed and dried
- 1½ cups (300 grams) sugar
- ½ cup (100 grams) coconut oil
- 1 cup firm silken tofu
- 2 tablespoons (15 grams) cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons agar agar
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric, for color (optional)
- Heat oven to 350°F. Spread pistachios out on a baking sheet and roast in then oven for about 5-6 minutes or until fragrant. Pour into food processor and grind into a fine powder. Add flour, confectioner’s sugar, and cornstarch to the food processor and process with the nuts until thoroughly mixed.
- Sprinkle frozen butter cubes over the top of the flour mixture. Pulse until the largest butter chunks are the size of peas, 6-8 pulses. Drizzle water over the mixture. Using long pulses, process until dough begins to clump together (the food processor will make a different noise when this happens).
- Dump out onto plastic wrap, gently gather into a ball, and wrap and chill for about 2 hours. Clean your food processor bowl and blade while the dough is chilling. You’ll need it again for the filling!
- Once chilled, roll dough into a 12-inch circle on a lightly floured surface. Transfer to a greased 9-inch tart pan, pressing into the sides and corners of the pan. Trim dough so there is a ½-inch overhang, then fold the overhang in to make the sides thick. Trim anything stuck up above the pan with a knife so you have a flat edge. Poke the bottom and sides of the dough with a fork all over. Freeze for 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter the shiny side of a piece of foil and press tightly against the crust. Place tart pan on a baking sheet and bake on the center rack of your oven for 20 minutes. Carefully remove the foil, press down any bubbles with the back of a spoon, and bake for another 5 minutes. Cool to room temperature on a wire rack.
- Slice lemons into thin rounds, removing end pieces. Place 130 grams of slices into the bowl of your food processor. Add sugar and coconut oil and process until the lemon is fully pureed. Add tofu, cornstarch, and salt and pulse until a smooth batter is formed.
- Pour into your tart shell until filling is level with the top of the crust (don’t overfill). Bake, on the baking sheet, for 30-35 minutes, until the filling is set, slightly puffy, and just barely jiggles when you nudge the pan.
- Cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes, then fully chill in the refrigerator. Right before serving, sprinkle an even layer of granulated sugar across the top of the tart, then use a kitchen torch to caramelize the sugar, forming the brûléed top. Cut and serve immediately.
