People who know me would tell you that it's hard to tell which I like more: gardening or cooking. I'd say it depends on which I'm doing at the moment. Anyway, French cooking and French gardening go hand in hand. For me, cooking is an on-going adventure. Join me here on my culinary explorations, where I share with you both my old favorites as well as new inspirations. It's my fondest wish that these recipes serve as a springboard for your own new creations.
09/01/2010
Renaissance rose water tart(Tarte à l'eau de rose de la Renaissance)
Ingredients:
Short crust pastry for 1 single tart shell
6 egg yolks
1/2 c. sugar
5 oz. almonds, blanched and ground
1 1/2 c. crème fraîche or heavy cream
1/4 c. best quality rose water, Lebanese if possible
pinch salt
Optional: 1/3 c. sliced almonds*
3-4 T. powdered sugar
Line a 10-12" tart pan with the pastry and chill for at least 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 425 F. Whisk together the egg yolks and sugar. Add the cream, almonds, rose water and salt, and whisk until well combined. (No need to dirty the food processor unless you already used it to grind the almonds.) Pour the mixture into the pastry shell and place in oven. Bake for 10 minutes before reducing the temperature to 400 F. After a total of 15-20 minutes baking, when the surface of the tart is just starting to solidify, sprinkle with almonds if using. Continue baking until barely firm and golden brown. Cool completely. Place the confectioner's sugar in a small, fine strainer, and using a spoon to push it through, dust the surface of the tart evenly. Serve at room temperature, garnished with a few (organic) rose petals if you like.
Note: This tart was inspired by a delightful book I am currently reading: Les Aventures du Cuisinier Savoisie, by Michèle Barrière. The book contains 3 rather dark mystery novels set during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, each one involving an impassioned cook.
The success of this simple tart depends on using the freshest, finest ingredients you can find. Shop for just-laid eggs from outdoor chickens and unsterilized cream. *The sliced almonds are not authentic for the Renaissance because no mechanism existed for producing them. If you are not using a clay tart pan, you may want to prebake the crust, lining it with foil and filling it with dried beans, then baking at 425 for about 15 minutes until dry before filling and continuing.
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