LAZY MARY'S LEMON TART

ph: Fredrika Stjarne

Food & Wine has joined in with a February Pastry Calendar, one indulgent pastry for each day of February. I perused their offerings and the first dessert to catch my eye was a lemon tart recipe from Mary Constant called Lazy Mary's Lemon Tart. It's a super easy recipe since you toss most of the ingredients, including the star a whole Meyer lemon, into a blender and viola! the filling is ready to be poured into the par-baked crust. 

Lazy Mary's Lemon Tart

Pastry Dough:

1 3/4 c plus 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

1/3 c plus 3 Tbsp confectioner's sugar

3/4 tsp kosher salt

1/3 c plus 3 Tbsp chilled lard or vegetable shortening

2 Tbsp unsalted butter, cubed and chilled

1/4 c plus 2 Tbsp ice water

Filling:

1 large Meyer lemon, chopped

1 1/2 c superfine sugar

1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

4 large eggs

1. Make the dough: On a lightly floured work surface and using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll out the dough into a 14-inch circle about 1/8 inch thick. Ease the dough into a 9-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom (2 inches deep) and trim the overhang. Prick the dough all over with a fork and freeze until firm, 1 hour.
2. Preheat the oven to 375º F. Line the frozen pie shell with parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake for 25 minutes, until the edges are lightly golden. Remove the paper and bake for 15 minutes longer, until the shell is golden. Transfer to a rack and let cool completely, 3 hours.
3. Make the filling: Preheat the oven to 350º F. In a blender, combine the Meyer lemon, superfine sugar, butter, vanilla and eggs and puree until smooth. Pour the mixture into the tart shell. Bake for 40 minutes, until the filling is set. Transfer the tart to a rack and let cool to room temperature, 3 hours. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

BLACK HISTORY MONTH: AUNT GEORGIA'S PEACH COBBLER

via Dash of Jazz

February is Black History Month, a time to celebrate the achievements and contributions of African Americans. Twenty-eight food bloggers came together for what they coined Black History Month Virtual Potluck in order to share their food traditions new and old. The culturally-inspired recipes range from classic standards to new spins on traditional soul food dishes, with flavors that span from West African to Creole, Caribbean to Southern. Meiko and the Dish shares a recipe for crispy fried chicken that is buttermilk-brined, fried to golden-brown perfection, then finished with a drizzle of pepper jelly molasses. Chef Kenneth offers up his Cajun Creole inspired smothered okra with shrimp. Chocolate for Basil chose to feature a popular West African and Senegalese stew thickened and flavored by ground peanuts. But these are only a few of the wonderful dishes these talented and imaginative food bloggers pulled together for us. You can find all the recipes here at FOOD52. The dessert I'm featuring today is a peach cobbler from Jazzmine and her blog Dash of Jazz. It's her Great Great Aunt Georgia's signature dish, which you know, ya'll, means she baked it to perfection. 

I hope you decide to try this heirloom cobbler recipe when peaches come back in season, although it sounds like Aunt Georgia didn't mind using canned peaches when necessary. Either way, it sounds wonderful. 

Aunt Georgia's Peach Cobbler

3 pounds peaches, peeled and sliced

Juice of 1 lemon

1/2 c cold butter, cut into cubes

1 1/4 c plus 3 tsp flour

1/4 tsp sea salt

1/2 c brown sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp white sugar

1 Tbsp cold water

1/4 c butter

1 beaten egg

Crust

1. Mix 1 1/4 cup flour with sea salt in a large bowl. Add cold butter and work together with hands until a coarse meal forms. Add cold water and continue working until the dough melds together. Shape into a square, wrap in plastic wrap, and place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Filling

1. While dough chills, mix peaches, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and remaining flour in a large bowl. Add lemon juice and mix well.
2. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat and add in filling mixture. Cook until bubbly and thickened, stirring as necessary.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pour filling into a square (I used 8in X 8in) baking pan. Set aside.
4. Roll out dough and cut into 8 one-inch strips. Lay over top of filling in a lattice or criss-cross pattern. Brush with beaten egg then sprinkle with white sugar.
5. Bake for about 45 minutes or until crust is golden. Allow to cool and set for at least another 45 minutes then serve.