Fromage frais tart is the lighter, French answer to the anglo-saxon cheesecake. I really liked the delicately lemony taste of this version, which makes the tart exquisitely light and refreshing. The thousands of tiny poppy seeds dotting the pristine filling also give it a stunning look and crackle delightfully under the teeth. Serve it with a fresh berry coulis and fruits as a dessert or for a posh afternoon tea with friends.
Lemon, poppy seeds and fromage frais tart
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Recipe by: adapted from amazingly beautiful blog La Tartine Gourmande Busy:20 min, Total prep time: 1h15min |
Lightly butter a loose-base 20 cm cake tin (I used a 24 cm one and I would have liked the filling to be a bit thicker- see picture above). Line the mould with the pastry and make small holes at the bottom; place in the fridge.
In a bowl, mix the fromage frais (or yogurt and mascarpone), egg yolks, corn four, sugar, lemon zest and poppyseeds. Reserve.
Place the egg whites in a bowl and whip them into firm peaks with a pinch of salt — add 1 teaspoon sugar near the end to make them firmer. Fold carefully into the fromage frais mixture.
Pour this batter into the pastry, level the top and bake for about 45 to 50 minutes . When ready, the top of the batter should be nicely puffed up and browned.
Let cool completely before unmoulding. The batter will settle back down, don't worry, this is how it should be. Dust the tart with icing sugar and serve with fresh fruits. In season, berries are a wonderful match. In the winter, serve it with a quick coulis made by whizzing frozen raspberries with a bit of icing sugar, or with fresh pomegranate grains.
The tart can be eaten at room temperature or straight out of the fridge for extra freshness.
Preheat the oven to 175 degrees C (350 degrees F)
Lightly butter a loose-base 20 cm cake tin (I used a 24 cm one and I would have liked the filling to be a bit thicker- see picture above). Line the mould with the pastry and make small holes at the bottom; place in the fridge.
In a bowl, mix the fromage frais (or yogurt and mascarpone), egg yolks, corn four, sugar, lemon zest and poppyseeds. Reserve.
Place the egg whites in a bowl and whip them into firm peaks with a pinch of salt — add 1 teaspoon sugar near the end to make them firmer. Fold carefully into the fromage frais mixture.
Pour this batter into the pastry, level the top and bake for about 45 to 50 minutes . When ready, the top of the batter should be nicely puffed up and browned.
Let cool completely before unmoulding. The batter will settle back down, don’t worry, this is how it should be. Dust the tart with icing sugar and serve with fresh fruits. In season, berries are a wonderful match. In the winter, serve it with a quick coulis made by whizzing frozen raspberries with a bit of icing sugar, or with fresh pomegranate grains.
The tart can be eaten at room temperature or straight out of the fridge for extra freshness.
Fromage frais, called fromage blanc in France, is very similar to stirred yogurt in terms of texture and fat contents but its taste is closer to that of a mild fresh cheese. With a lower fat content than cream cheese, it is a great ingredient to use for cheesecakes.
If you cannot find fromage frais, use a mixture of greek style yogurt and mascarpone (see quantities in the ingredients list).
If you cannot find fromage frais, use a mixture of greek style yogurt and mascarpone (see quantities in the ingredients list).
Ingredients
1 pre-rolled shortcrust pastry
2 eggs
320 mL natural fromage frais or a mix of 240 mL (1 cup) greek style natural yogurt and 160 mL (2/3 cup) mascarpone
4 tablespoons sugar
2.5 tablespoons cornflour
Zest of 1 small organic lemon
1 heaped tablespoon poppy seeds
Icing sugar, to dust
Serve with berries or seasonal fruits
1 pre-rolled shortcrust pastry
2 eggs
320 mL natural fromage frais or a mix of 240 mL (1 cup) greek style natural yogurt and 160 mL (2/3 cup) mascarpone
4 tablespoons sugar
2.5 tablespoons cornflour
Zest of 1 small organic lemon
1 heaped tablespoon poppy seeds
Icing sugar, to dust
Serve with berries or seasonal fruits
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