San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
Stonemill Matcha’s Yuzu Meringue Tart With Matcha Crust
Makes 1 9-inch tart
At the Valencia Street teahouse, pastry chef Mikiko Yui blends East and West in her riff on a classic lemon meringue tart. The subtle flavor of matcha that colors the tart dough a vibrant green is a lovely earthy counterpoint to the brightly tart Japanese citrus curd. You can find yuzu juice at Japanese markets and online. (Make sure the yuzu juice doesn’t have any added salt.)
Matcha tart dough
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature 2⁄3 cup plus 2 tablespoons powdered sugar, sifted 1 large egg 1¼ cups pastry flour, plus more for dusting
¼ cup almond flour 2 tablespoons matcha
Yuzu curd
2⁄3 cup yuzu juice 2⁄3 cup plus 4 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided
2 large whole eggs, plus 4 egg yolks
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cubed
Italian meringue
1 cup granulated sugar
4 large egg whites, room temperature ½ teaspoon yuzu juice To make the tart dough: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and powdered sugar together until well combined. Slowly beat in the egg until fully incorporated into the mixture. Add the pastry flour, almond flour and matcha and mix to combine.
Tip the dough out onto a well-floured work surface and knead briefly until smooth. Pat and shape the dough into a flat round about ½-inch thick, then wrap in plastic and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Remove dough from the refrigerator and allow to rest at room temperature for 15 minutes.
Fit the dough into a tart pan and press it firmly against the bottom and up the sides of the pan so the crust ends up being about 1⁄8 inch thick. Trim excess dough and use a fork to prick the dough all over. Cover and chill for at least 30 minutes before baking.
Bake for 10 minutes, then briefly remove from the oven to tamp down the dough with a measuring cup or some other heat-proof tool with a flat bottom. Return to the oven and continue baking until the tart shell is a light golden brown around the edges, about 10 minutes. Allow the tart shell to cool to room temperature on a baking rack before filling.
To make the yuzu curd: Fill a large mixing bowl with ice water. Place a fine-mesh strainer over a medium heat-proof mixing bowl. Set aside.
Combine yuzu juice and 2⁄3 cup sugar in a medium saucepan and heat it up to just below a simmer.
In a mixing bowl, whisk together the whole eggs and egg yolks (reserve the whites for the meringue) along with 4 tablespoons sugar. Gradually whisk in hot yuzu juice mixture. Pour it back in the saucepan and cook mixture over medium-low heat, whisking constantly until thickened, about 2 to 3 minutes. Cook until the mixture starts to simmer, about 1 minute.
Pour the curd through the strainer into the bowl. Dot the top with the cubed butter and use an immersion blender to combine until all the butter is melted and incorporated. Set over the prepared bowl of ice water; let cool, stirring occasionally.
Reduce oven to 325 degrees.
Place the par-baked tart shell on a parchment-lined baking sheet and fill with the cooled yuzu curd. Smooth the surface of the curd and bake until the edges dull slightly, about 20 minutes. Cool on a baking rack.
To make the Italian meringue and finish:
Place sugar and ½ cup water in a medium saucepan and stir to combine. Attach a candy thermometer to the side of the saucepan. Set over high heat and bring to a boil, stirring from time to time at the beginning of the process to make sure the sugar is fully dissolved.
Once the mixture comes to a rolling boil, stop stirring and keep a close eye on the candy thermometer. Dip a pastry brush in water and brush the sides of the saucepan as needed to remove any sugar crystals. Turn off the heat once the sugar mixture hits 240 degrees. (Leave the candy thermometer in.)
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, combine the reserved 4 egg whites and yuzu juice. Whip on medium speed until soft peaks form, then stop the mixer. Check whether the sugar syrup is still at 240 degrees and reheat if needed. Reduce mixer to low speed, then very slowly stream the sugar syrup into the egg whites. Once all the sugar syrup is incorporated, increase the speed to medium-high and mix until the meringue is bright white, shiny, fluffy and forms firm peaks, about 3 minutes. The meringue will still be warm by the end of the process.
Unmold the cooled tart and transfer to a serving plate. Spread the meringue over the filling. Use the back of a spoon to create a spiral pattern or decorative peaks. Use a kitchen torch to gently brown the meringue, then serve.