Lemon and yuzu meringue tart

A show-stopping lemon meringue pie with a fashionable twist from Will Torrent's Patisserie at Home - a great book if you aspire to cook like a pastry chef (but don't be daunted. The instructions are particularly clear.)

Will writes: I wanted to update the classic tarte au citron with an unusual flavour and an old-fashioned technique. Yuzu is a Japanese citrus fruit, like a hybrid of lemon and lime with a hint of mandarin. I like to top my lemon tart with meringue, piped high and flambéed at the dinner table with a blowtorch!

1 x quantity Pâte Sablée (see below)

25 g white chocolate

Lemon and yuzu curd

2 tablespoons yuzu juice (available online or in good Japanese supermarkets)

juice and grated zest of 2 lemons

3 egg yolks

100 g raw cane sugar

2 tablespoons butter, chilled and diced

Meringue topping

100 g sugar

2 tablespoons water

3 egg whites

You will also need:

a 20-cm fluted tart pan, greased and lightly dusted with flour

baking beans

sugar thermometer

piping bag fitted with a plain nozzle

kitchen blowtorch (optional)

Serves 6–8

Preheat the oven to 180ËšC (350ËšF) Gas 4.

Take the Pâte Sablée out of the fridge and put on a lightly floured surface. Using a rolling pin, roll it out to a rough circle at about 25 cm in diameter.

Loosely wrap the dough around the rolling pin and transfer it to the prepared tart pan. Unravel the dough into the pan. Gently coax the dough neatly into the curves and angles of the pan, press lightly into the sides and cut off any excess with a small, sharp knife.

Lay a sheet of greaseproof paper over the pan and fill it with baking beans. Put the pan on a baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for about 10–15 minutes.

Lower the oven temperature to 160ËšC (325ËšF) Gas 3. Remove the paper and beans from the tart pan and return the tart case to the oven for 5–10 minutes. Remove the tart case from the oven and allow to cool completely, then remove from the pan.

Meanwhile, melt the chocolate on low power in a microwave or in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water (not letting the base of the bowl touch the water). Brush the melted chocolate inside the cooled tart case.

For the lemon and yuzu curd

Put the yuzu juice, juice of 1 lemon and all the lemon zest in a saucepan and bring to the boil over low heat.

Put the egg yolks and sugar in a mixing bowl and whisk with a balloon whisk until it looks like the sugar has dissolved. Very slowly pour the boiled citrus juice into the mixing bowl, whisking constantly. Pour the mixture back into the pan, set over medium heat and stir. It will start to thicken and resemble thick, glossy curd.

Now remove it from the heat and whisk in the butter, one piece at a time. Mix until all the butter has melted. Finally, pour the curd into the tart case and allow to cool completely.

For the meringue

Put the sugar and water in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Simmer over low heat until the syrup reaches 121ËšC (250ËšF) on a sugar thermometer.

Meanwhile, put the egg whites and remaining lemon juice in a stand mixer and begin whisking until stiff peaks form. Once the syrup has reached the right temperature, slowly pour it in a steady stream into the meringue bowl with the beaters still running. Avoid letting the syrup touch the beaters. Keep whisking until you have used up all the syrup and the meringue is glossy, thick and has cooled substantially – this may take several minutes of whisking. The bowl itself must have cooled too.

Fill the piping bag with meringue and pipe bulbs of different sizes onto the curd in the tart case (see picture - love this effect FB)

To serve, blast the meringue with a kitchen blowtorch or under a very hot grill.

Pâte sable

This is one of my favourite types of pastry. It’s a rich, sweet shortcrust but made with icing sugar to achieve a really lovely crisp, crumbly texture (‘sablée’ means sandy) that works perfectly with rich cream and fresh fruit. It’s so versatile that you can use it for tarts and biscuits but also as the base for gâteaux.

200 g butter, softened

100 g icing sugar

a pinch of salt

1 vanilla bean

finely grated zest of 1 lemon

2 eggs, lightly beaten

250 g plain flour

Makes enough to line a 20-cm tart pan

Beat the butter, sugar and salt together in a stand mixer or in a bowl with an electric whisk until pale – about 5 minutes.

Split the vanilla bean lengthwise using a small, sharp knife and scrape the seeds out into the creamed butter mixture. Add the lemon zest and beat again to incorporate.

With the whisk running, gradually add the eggs, mixing until fully incorporated.

Gently mix in the flour but do not over-work the dough otherwise the gluten will develop and you will end up with pastry that is tough rather than crisp and light.

Bring the dough together into a ball with your hands, wrap in clingfilm and refrigerate until needed – at least 2 hours, but overnight if possible.

What to drink:

Lemon is quite a tricky ingredient to pair with wine - it needs something with a similar acidity. I'd go for a beerenauslese Riesling myself or a late harvest Sauvignon Blanc. Alternatively you could go for something a little lighter like a well-chilled Moscato d'Asti.

Recipe from Patisserie at Home by Will Torrent, photography Jonathan Gregson published by Ryland Peters & Small £19.99.

Banoffee martinis and other cocktail desserts

If you’re looking for something a little different to serve for dessert on Saturday (which in case you’ve forgotten, guys, is Valentine’s Day) how about a dessert martini?

OK, purists will fling up their hands in horror - these are, of course, not martinis in the strict sense of the word, merely very pretty, seductive drinks - half cocktail, half dessert - which you serve in a (preferably frosted) martini glass.

What you need is a tub of ice cream or sorbet - the flavour is up to you, a neutral spirit (vodka, white rum or silver tequila) and possibly a complementary liqueur or fruit juice (a squeeze of lime juice with mango, for instance). Don’t be tempted to skimp on the ingredients though - you don’t want these cocktails to taste cheap.

Proportions should be 1 generous scoop of ice cream or sorbet per person, 11/2-2 shots of spirits and maybe 1/2 a shot of liqueur. Simply whizz all the ingredients up in a blender, check for taste (that’s the good bit), decorate and serve.

In the past I’ve made a sublime chocolate mint martini for two with a couple of scoops of Green & Black’s mint chocolate ice cream, 4 shots of vodka and 2 tbsp Kahlua. I see they don’t make that flavour any more but you could add a few drops of creme de menthe or peppermint essence to their dark chocolate ice cream.

Fruit sorbets respond really well to this treatment. Add a couple of shots of tequila to a few fresh strawberries sweetened with a little sugar, whizz then add a scoop of strawberry sorbet and whizz again for a delicious frozen strawberry margarita. Mango sorbet is great with white rum and a dash of lime, lemon sorbet can be enhanced by vodka and limoncello and orange by vodka and a dash of Cointreau or Grand Marnier.

The trick is to add the alcohol element cautiously (you can always add a little more) and carefully check the balance between the base flavour and the booze. It's useful to have some sugar syrup (gomme) to hand to add a little extra sweetness if needed. Oh, and start with all your bottles fridge cold so your frozen cocktail doesn’t thaw too quickly.

Finally for a sure-fire winner let me give you my recipe for a banoffee martini which also makes a very effective - and easy - dinner party dessert if you make it in slightly larger quantities.

Banoffee Martinis
Serves 2
1 medium sized ripe*, peeled, sliced banana (about 100g peeled weight)
3 shots (6 tbsp) vanilla vodka
2 shots (4 tbsp) toffee-flavoured liqueur (such as Dooley's)
2 shots (4 tbsp) whole milk (i.e. not semi-skimmed)
A tiny pinch of ground nutmeg (optional)
Good quality powdered drinking chocolate to garnish

Whizz the banana in a blender with the vodka. Tip the puree into a shaker full of ice cubes, add the toffee liqueur, milk and nutmeg if using and shake vigorously. Strain into chilled martini glasses and sift a little chocolate powder over the surface.

* This is important. Don't attempt this with an underripe banana or the banana flavour won't come through.

Orlando Murrin's seed cake

If you're thinking of baking something for teatime today try this traditional English caraway seed cake from cookery writer Orlando Murrin.

Interestingly Orlando's version differs from the original which according to the site Gode Cookery was made with yeast and ale*. His is more like a madeira cake or pound cake, flavoured with citrus and much more to contemporary tastes. It would be perfect with a cup of oolong tea or a glass of Rainwater madeira

Orlando Murrin's Seed Cake

160g/6oz softened butter, if using unsalted add a pinch of salt
190g/7oz golden caster sugar, plus 1tbsp extra to glaze
1/2tsp vanilla extract
a little lemon and orange zest finely grated
3 large eggs, separated
225g/8oz self raising flour
1 tbsp caraway seeds
150g carton of natural yogurt

21cm (7inch) cake tin, loose bottomed, lined with baking paper (e.g Bake-o-Glide)

Heat oven to 170°C/150°C fan.

Cream butter with sugar, vanilla and citrus zest. Beat in egg yolks. Mix in half the flour and half the yogurt, then the remaining half of each and the caraway seeds, until combined. Beat egg whites to soft peaks and fold in – be patient as the cake mixture is stiff. Turn into the tin and smooth top. Sprinkle evenly with the remaining caster sugar, which will form a thin sugar crust.

Bake for about an hour, until a skewer comes out clean, checking after 45 minutes and covering with foil if necessary to prevent it from becoming too brown. It is a characteristic of this cake to rise to a peak and crack.

*There's also some interesting speculation on its origins on the blog Baking for Britain.

Claire Clark's Austrian Coffee Cake

The cover recipe from pastry chef Claire Clark's gorgeous new book 80 Cakes from around the World, photographed by the equally talented Jean Cazals.

Claire writes: When the Turkish army retreated in haste after the Battle of Vienna in 1683, they left behind bags of coffee, or so the story goes. Perhaps it was the bountiful supply of coffee that led to Vienna’s famous café culture.

Many a fine cake has come out of Vienna and this coffee cake is a prime example of how good a sponge cake can be. It is really simple to make but the results are stunning. I was reminded of this when I went for dinner at my neighbour’s house. Kath baked this cake for dessert and filled it with fresh raspberries. Use whatever fruits are in season.

Editor's note: there are a couple of ingredients - the freeze-dried raspberries and candied rose fragments you'll probably need to buy in advance or online (see below) You will also need a 20cm bundt ring tin

185g unsalted butter, at room temperature

185g caster sugar

3 medium eggs, lightly beaten

185g self-raising flour, sifted

a pinch of salt

To finish

125g hot, strong black coffee

15g caster sugar

1 tablespoon rum

300ml whipping cream

25g icing sugar

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

To decorate

1 tube (2g) freeze-dried raspberries (Waitrose sells them)

5 fresh black figs

5g candied rose fragments (sold here)

Heat the oven to 170°C/Gas Mark 3. Grease and flour a 20cm bundt ring tin. Using an electric mixer*, beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in the eggs, creaming well after each addition. Fold in the flour and salt with a large metal spoon.

Transfer the mixture to the prepared cake tin and bake for about 25 minutes, until it is golden brown and springs back when gently pressed with your finger. Leave in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn out on to a wire rack to cool.

Sweeten the hot coffee with the sugar and stir in the rum. Return the cooled cake to the bundt tin and slowly pour the coffee over it. Invert immediately on to a serving plate and leave to cool once more.

Put the cream in a bowl with the icing sugar and vanilla and whip to medium peaks. Spread most of it over the cake, using a palette knife; it does not have to look perfectly smooth. Spoon or pipe the remaining cream into the centre of the cake and level with a spatula. Grind half the freeze-dried raspberries to a powder in a pestle and mortar or with a spice grinder. Using a tea strainer, dust the powder over the cream. Sprinkle with the remaining raspberry pieces. Cut the figs into quarters and arrange them in a circular fashion on top of the cake. Sprinkle with the candied rose fragments.

What to drink: You could pair an Austrian sweet wine with this such as an Ausbruch or a sweet gewurztraminer but I'd probably drink more black coffee

Extracted from 80 cakes from around the world by Claire Clark, published by Absolute Press at £20. Photo © Jean Cazals.