I have a culinary torch and I'm not afraid to use it


I have way to much stuff. Honestly I'm not ashamed of it either. When it comes to kitchen tools if I see something that looks interesting or I see someone use it on a blog, I typically want it. I might not get everything but I still want it. I have my kitchen full of things that I have maybe used once and 2 stand up storage cabinets full of various items as well. Luckily most of the storage cabinets are full of things I got as presents or were my prize from the Bundts Across America contest. Now somethings were good buys, like my kitchen aid mixer and my 2 all clad pans but some items I don't know if I have ever used them. However that does not stop me from lusting after kitchen items. I think I drive P crazy with all my, oooh and ahhs over cake pans and cooking tools every time we go shopping. So my latest want is this super fancy ice cream maker, because you don't have to pre freeze the bowl at all so you could make a bunch of ice cream in one day. The response I got from P is that I already have an Ice cream maker, which is true I do but you have to freeze the bowl in advance and then you can only make one flavor and then you have to wait for the bowl to freeze again. As you can tell I'm not quite giving up on this one yet! But the reason I tell you all this is that today is my 3 year wedding anniversary and I received a culinary torch as a bridal shower gift and this is the first time I have used it. Sad but true. So I figured I will start using all of the kitchen tools and gadgets I have in hopes that by using them all P will buy me that ice cream maker for my birthday in August! I don't think I'm alone out there with the lusting for more kitchen tools and the lack of usage of ones that you already own, at least I'm hoping I'm not alone. I love this little torch now that it has been un boxed and I know how to fill it with fuel I have a feeling I will be torching food a lot more. And luckily I didn't burn down my house or put any burn marks anywhere on me. And this tart was great and the slight sugar crust was a great addition to the creamy lemon goodness.



Bruleed Lemon Curd Tart

Tart Shell
12 tablespoons butter, at room temperature, save the wrappers for greasing
1/2 cup of sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1 3/4 cups of AP flour
1/4 teaspoon of salt

Combine the butter and sugar together in a bowl. Add the vanilla. Combine the flour and salt, then add them to the butter-and-sugar mixture. Mix to combine until the dough starts to come together. Dump the dough onto a counter dusted with flour and shape into a disk. Press the dough into a 10 inch removable bottom tart pan, making sure that the finished edge is flat. Chill until its firm.

Preheat oven to 350. Butter 1 side of a piece of foil with the butter wrappers and place buttered side down on top of the tart. Fill the foil with pie weights or beans. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and weights then prick the tart all over with a fork, and bake again for 20 to 25 minutes or until light brown. Place on a rack to cool completely.

Lemon Curd
105g of Lemon Juice
72g of sugar
164g of eggs
72g of sugar
206g of butter, cold unsalted, cubed

In a medium saucepan, combine juice and the first amount of sugar. Bring to a simmer. Combine eggs with the second amount of sugar. Temper the eggs with about half of the hot juice mixture and then return the mixture to the pan and continue to cook on a low heat until 165 degrees or until it start to get firm but not when its actually firm. Remove it from the heat and pour into a mixing bowl. Add butter when the mixture has cooled slightly and once most of the butter has been incorporated blend with an immersion blender until smooth but make sure you keep the blender submerged so that you don’t aerate the mixture. Then place in a plastic storage container with plastic wrap pressed against the top of the curd so it does not form a skin. This can be kept in the fridge for a few weeks.

Assembly -
Take the pre baked cooled tart shell and fill it with lemon curd. Spread the lemon curd evenly so that the sugar can form a nice crust. Sprinkle sugar and using a culinary torch caramelize the sugar into a nice crust. Serve immediately.

** I didn't serve it immediately, in fact I put it in the fridge after wards so I could bring it to work the next day and it had cracks all over it. It still tasted great but didn't look as pretty.

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