Best Lime Tart Recipes

LIME CURD TART

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix the butter and sugar together until they are just combined. Add the vanilla. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour and salt, then add them to the butter-and-sugar mixture. Mix on low speed until the dough starts to come together. Dump onto a surface dusted with flour and shape into a flat disk. Press the dough into a 10-inch-round or 9-inch-square false-bottom tart pan, making sure that the finished edge is flat. Chill until firm.
• Butter 1 side of a square of aluminum foil to fit inside the tart and place it, buttered side down, on the pastry. Fill with beans or rice. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and beans, prick the tart all over with the tines of a fork, and bake again for 20 to 25 minutes more, or until lightly browned. Allow to cool to room temperature.
• Remove the zest of 4 limes with a vegetable peeler or zester, being careful to avoid the white pith. Squeeze the limes to make 1/2 cup of juice and set the juice aside. Put the zest in a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Add the sugar and process for 2 to 3 minutes, until the zest is very finely minced. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter with the sugar and lime zest. Add-- the eggs, 1 at a time, and then add the lime juice and salt. Mix until combined.
• Pour the mixture into a 2-quart saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until thickened, about 10 minutes. The lime curd will thicken at about 175 degrees F, or just below a simmer. Remove from the heat and set aside.
• Fill the tart shell with warm lime curd and allow to set at room temperature. Once set, serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve.

KEY LIME TART

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Process graham crackers and 2 tablespoons sugar in a food processor until fine crumbs form; add butter. Process until combined. Transfer mixture to a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom; pat into bottom and up sides. Place pan on a baking sheet, and bake until crust is fragrant and slightly colored, about 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine condensed milk, lime juice, egg yolks, remaining 1/2 cup sugar, and salt; whisk until smooth. Pour mixture into crust (warm or cool is fine), leaving 1/8 inch at the top; return to oven. Bake until filling is set around edge but still slightly loose in center, 20 to 25 minutes.
• Cool completely at room temperature; then refrigerate until chilled, at least 2 hours. Serve, garnished with zest, if desired.

BEST LIME TART

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°. In a small bowl, combine cracker crumbs, butter, almonds and sugar. Press onto the bottom and up the sides of a greased 9-in. tart pan. Bake until edges are lightly browned, 15-18 minutes., In a large bowl, whisk egg yolks, milk, lime juice and zest. Pour over crust. Bake until center is almost set, 12-14 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. Refrigerate at least 2 hours., In a large bowl, beat cream until it begins to thicken. Add sugar; beat until stiff peaks form. Fold in sour cream and grated lime zest. Spread over tart. Garnish with raspberries and lime wedges.

LEMON AND LIME CREAM TART

Steps:

• With this particular tart, as it has a moist filling, it's important to egg-wash the uncooked tart shell before adding the filling. This adds a sort of waterproof layer and keeps the pastry crisp and short for longer.
• Whisk together the sugar and eggs in a bowl. When they are well mixed, slowly stir in the cream and the juices. Put the cooked tart shell back into the oven and then pour the filling into it -- I find this reduces spillage. Bake for around 40 to 45 minutes at 180C/350F/Gas 4 or until the filling is set, but still semi-wobbly in the middle (obviously different ovens will cook at different rate so it is good for you to try this tart a couple of times to gauge exactly when you should take it out of the oven). After cooling for an hour, the semi-wobbly filling will have firmed up to the perfect consistency; soft and smooth. If you cut it before it has had time to rest it will pour out or be extremely gooey.
• You can dust it with a little icing sugar, if you wish. Serve with a huge pile of fresh raspberries or strawberries. Whatever you decide to serve it with should be quite simple so that you let the tart do the talking.

RASPBERRY AND LIME CUSTARD TART

Steps:

• Make shell:
• In a bowl with a pastry blender or in a food processor blend or pulse together flour, butter, shortening, and salt until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add 2 tablespoons ice water and toss or pulse until incorporated. Add enough remaining ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing with a fork or pulsing to incorporate, to form a dough. On a work surface with heel of hand smear dough in 3 or 4 forward motions to make dough easier to work with. Form dough into a ball and flatten to form a disk. Chill dough, wrapped in plastic wrap, at least 1 hour and up to 24.
• On a lightly floured surface with a floured rolling pin roll out dough into a 16- by 7-inch rectangle (about 1/8 inch thick). Fit dough into a 13- by 4-inch rectangular tart pan with a removable fluted rim. Chill shell, covered, 1 hour, or until firm.
• Preheat oven to 400° F.
• Line shell with foil and fill with pie weights or raw rice. Bake shell in middle of oven 10 minutes. Remove weights or rice and foil and bake shell until pale golden, about 5 minutes more. Cool shell in pan on a rack. Shell may be made 2 days ahead and kept in pan, covered, at room temperature.
• Reduce temperature to 250° F. and transfer pan to a baking sheet.
• Make custard:
• Whisk together custard ingredients.
• Pour custard into tart shell. Bake tart on baking sheet in middle of oven 30 minutes and transfer to rack to cool. (Custard will continue to set as tart cools.) Tart may be prepared up to this point 1 day ahead and chilled, covered.
• In a small saucepan cook 1 cup raspberries and sugar over moderately low heat, mashing with a fork and stirring occasionally, 5 minutes and pour through a fine sieve into a small bowl, pressing hard on solids. Discard solids and cool raspberry mixture. Remove rim of tart pan and transfer tart to a platter. Pour cooked raspberry mixture over custard and arrange remaining 2 cups raspberries on top.

MANGO TART WITH TEQUILA-LIME GLAZE

Steps:

• For the lime shortbread crust: Position an oven rack in the top third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Add the flour, granulated sugar and salt to a food processor and pulse 2 to 3 times to combine. Add the cold butter cubes and pulse until the butter breaks down into small, uniform-size pieces, about the size of small pebbles. Add the lime zest and egg yolks and process a few more seconds or until the mixture looks like wet sand; the dough will not come together into a ball.
• Spray a 9-inch nonstick tart pan lightly with cooking spray, making sure to spray the sides of the pan as well as the bottom. Pour the dough into the tart pan and spread evenly. Using your hands, press the dough into the bottom and up the sides of the pan. To prevent any dough from falling out of the pan, place your left thumb over the top of the pan along the crust and press the dough up the sides with your right pointer finger. This way, you will tightly pack the dough along the sides with your pointer finger and stop it at the top of the pan with your left thumb. Continue to press the dough into the pan and along the sides until it is tightly packed and evenly distributed. Poke the bottom of the crust with a fork all over and then place the tart pan on a baking sheet.
• Bake until the sides of the crust are a deep golden brown and the crust bottom is light golden brown on top, about 25 minutes. Let cool completely.
• For the mango filling: Add the mango and lime juice to a blender and puree on high speed for 1 minute until completely smooth. Hold in the blender.
• In a small bowl, mix together the gelatin and 1/2 cup of the coconut milk. Let stand 5 minutes. As the gelatin rehydrates, the coconut milk will begin to look curdled; don't worry--it isn't.
• Set a medium saucepan over medium heat and add the granulated sugar, salt and remaining coconut milk (about 1 1/4 cups). Stir the mixture together and bring to a simmer. Continue to simmer until the sugar melts completely; the coconut milk will become opaque. Remove from the heat and immediately whisk in the gelatin mixture. until completely melted. Strain the mango mixture into the coconut milk mixture and whisk again to combine. Let the mixture cool to room temperature, about 20 minutes.
• Using a hand mixer, whip the heavy cream until soft peaks form. Fold the whipped cream into the mango filling and then pour the entire filling into the cooled tart crust; the filling will come to the very top of the crust. Refrigerate for 2 hours to set the filling completely. You can make the tart up to this point 1 day in advance.
• For the tequila-lime glaze: Line a baking sheet with a cooling rack. Cut the 2 larger sides of the mango off of the pit, followed by the 2 smaller sides. Peel the 4 pieces of mango, then cut them into 1/4-inch half-moon slices.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the confectioner' sugar, tequila and lime juice. Dip each slice of mango into the glaze and coat completely. Let drip dry over the bowl for a few seconds, then lay the mango pieces on the cooling rack for at least 15 minutes for the glaze to set.
• When ready to serve, remove the tart from the tart pan and place on a cake stand. Lay the mango slices in a circle around the tart, setting aside the smallest slice for later; the mango slices will meet in the center of the tart and then fan out overlapping each other around the tart. Roll the reserved mango slice into a rosette and place in the center of the tart. Garnish with the lime zest and serve immediately.

LEMON-LIME SOUFFLE TART

Steps:

• Lemon Curd (makes 2 cups, only use 1 1/2 cups).
• In a large heatproof bowl, whisk together the eggs, egg yolks, and sugar.
• Whisk in the lemon zest, juice, and salt.
• Place the bowl over a pot of barely simmering water, and gently cook the curd, whisking constantly to avoid scrambling the eggs, until curd thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 10 minutes (or you can cook over direct heat if you are sufficiently skilled).
• Remove the bowl from the heat, and whisk in the butter.
• Strain the mixture through a fine sieve, and set the bowl in a large bowl filled with water and ice.
• Whisk until cool.
• Cover the curd, and refrigerate until it is thoroughly cold, at least 2 hours.
• The curd will keep for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.
• Almond Crust.
• To make the crust: In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and confectioners' sugar until combined, about 1 minute.
• Beat in the egg and zest.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, almond flour, and salt.
• Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in two batches, scraping down the sides of the bowl between additions.
• Mix until dough is smooth.
• Scrape dough onto a piece of plastic wrap, and form it into a disk.
• Chill for at least 1 hour and up to 3 days.
• Make the tart.
• Preheat the oven to 325°.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll dough out to a 14-inch round about 1/8 inch thick.
• Fit the dough into a 10-inch tart pan with a removable bottom.
• Trim away any excess dough, and use a fork to prick the crust all over.
• Bake the tart crust until pale golden, 20 to 25 minutes.
• Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
• (The tart shell can be made 8 hours ahead.) Increase oven temperature to 375°.
• To prepare the filling: In the detached bowl of an electric mixer, whisk together 5 tablespoons sugar, egg yolks, flour, lemon juice, and lime juice.
• Place the bowl over a pot of gently simmering water, and whisk the mixture constantly to avoid scrambling the eggs.
• Continue whisking until mixture gets quite thick, about 8 minutes.
• Strain through a fine sieve into the bowl of an electric mixer, if necessary.
• Using the whisk attachment, beat the lemon cream on high speed until thick, cool, and light, about 5 minutes.
• In a clean bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites until they hold soft peaks.
• Slowly add the remaining 5 tablespoons of sugar, and beat until stiff peaks form, taking care not to overbeat the whites.
• Fold a third of the meringue into the lemon cream to lighten it, then fold in the remaining meringue in two batches.
• Spread the lemon curd in an even layer into the bottom of the crust.
• Spoon the soufflé topping onto the lemon curd, mounding it attractively.
• Bake the tart until the soufflé is golden brown and spongy, 20 to 25 minutes.
• Dust the top with confectioners' sugar, and serve warm.

MANGO-KEY LIME TART

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Finely grind crackers with sugar in a food processor (you should have about 1 1/4 cups). Add butter and pulse until combined. Transfer mixture to a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom; press into bottom and up sides. Place pan on a baking sheet and bake until crust is fragrant and slightly darker, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool completely.
• Meanwhile, puree mangoes in food processor and strain through a coarse sieve. In a bowl, whisk together 1 1/4 cups strained mango puree, condensed milk, lime zest and juice, yolks, and salt. Pour into crust. Bake until filling is set around edges but still slightly loose in center, about 25 minutes.
• Let tart cool on a wire rack 1 hour; then refrigerate until chilled, at least 2 hours and up to overnight. Serve, with whipped cream and diced mango on the side.

LEMON TART WITH A TOUCH OF LIME

Steps:

• Make the dough: In a food processor, pulse flour, sugar and salt. Add butter and pulse briefly until well combined. Add egg and pulse just until dough comes together. Dough will be rather soft. Wrap with waxed paper or plastic wrap, and press to make a 1-inch-thick disk. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or it will be too soft to handle. (Make the dough up to 2 days in advance, if desired.)
• Remove dough from the refrigerator and let soften at room temperature until pliable and soft, about 15 minutes. Using your fingertips, press dough into a 9-inch fluted tart pan with removable bottom, making sure it is pressed evenly across the bottom and up the sides, about 1/8-inch thick. Press the dough against the sides to the very top. Pinch off any excess and smooth the edge. You'll have slightly too much dough - save any left over to patch cracks after blind baking. Chill the tart dough in the pan until ready to bake. (You can also freeze it at this point, if you like, for up to a week.)
• When ready to blind bake, heat oven to 350 degrees. Place the dough-lined tart pan on a baking sheet, and bake to a pale golden brown, about 30 minutes. (Pie weights shouldn't be necessary, but check the dough during baking, to make sure sides are not slumping. If so, press the sides back up with a wooden spoon.) For even browning, turn the tray halfway through the baking. Remove from oven, and cool to room temperature.
• Make the filling: Put lemon and lime zest, lemon juice, lime juice, sugar and butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Cook until butter is melted and mixture is hot, 4 to 5 minutes. In a medium bowl, beat together eggs and yolks.
• Whisk the hot mixture gradually into the eggs to temper them. Then pour everything back into the saucepan and return to heat. Cook, whisking constantly, until mixture thickens to a milkshake consistency, about 5 minutes. (Do not overcook, or it will curdle.) Pour through a fine-meshed sieve into a bowl and allow to cool to room temperature, whisking occasionally. Mixture will continue to thicken as it cools. (At this point, you can continue with the recipe, or cover the filling and refrigerate for up to 2 days.)
• Spoon the lemon curd into the baked tart shell. Using a spatula, spread the curd evenly into the shell. Bake in a 350-degree oven until filling is set (not jiggly), about 10 minutes. Cool to room temperature. (This can be done several hours before serving.) Just before serving, top tart with lime zest and dust edges with confectioners' sugar, if desired.

LIME MERINGUE TART

Steps:

• Combine the flour, 3 tablespoons of the sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a bowl and place in the freezer for 30 minutes. Put the flour mixture in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Add the butter and Crisco and pulse about 10 times until the butter is in small bits. Add the ice water and process until the dough comes together. Dump on a well-floured board and form into a disk. Wrap in plastic and chill for at least 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Roll out the dough and fit into a 9-inch tart pan with removable sides. Don't stretch the dough when placing it in the pan or it will shrink during baking. Cut off the excess by rolling the pin across the top of the pan. Line the tart shell with a piece of buttered aluminum foil, butter side down, and fill it with dried beans or rice. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove the beans and foil and prick the bottom of the shell all over with a fork to allow the steam to escape. Bake for another 15 to 20 minutes, until lightly browned. Set aside to cool.
• Raise the oven temperature to 425 degrees F.
• For the meringue, whip the egg whites, cream of tartar, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment on high speed until frothy. With the mixer still running, slowly add the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar and beat until the meringue is thick and shiny, about 2 minutes.
• Immediately spread the lime filling in the cooled tart shell and pipe the meringue over it with a large star tip. Be sure the meringue covers the entire top and touches the edges of the shell, to prevent it from shrinking. Bake for 3 to 5 minutes, until the meringue is lightly browned. Cool to room temperature.
• Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment for 1 minute. On low speed, add the eggs, one at a time, and then add the lime zest, lime juice, and salt. Don't worry; it will look curdled.
• Pour the mixture into a small saucepan and cook over medium-low heat for 6 to 8 minutes, until thick, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Whisk briskly when it starts to thicken and cook over low heat for a minute or two, whisking constantly. Don't allow it to boil! It will be 175 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer. Pour into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and chill.
• Yield: 3 cups

LIME TART WITH BLACKBERRIES AND BLUEBERRIES

Steps:

• For lime curd:
• Set fine metal strainer over medium bowl and set aside. Whisk eggs, egg yolks, and sugar in another medium metal bowl to blend. Whisk in lime juice. Set bowl over large saucepan of gently simmering water (do not allow bottom of bowl to touch water). Whisk constantly until curd thickens and instant-read thermometer inserted into curd registers 178°F to 180°F, about 6 minutes. Immediately pour curd through prepared strainer set over bowl. Add butter to warm strained curd; let stand 1 minute, then whisk until blended and smooth. Press plastic wrap directly onto surface of curd, covering completely. Refrigerate until cold, about 4 hours. DO AHEAD: Lime curd can be made up to 2 days ahead. Keep chilled.
• For crust:
• Using electric mixer, beat butter and sugar in medium bowl until well blended, 1 to 2 minutes. Add egg yolk; beat to blend. Add flour and salt and mix on low speed until mixture resembles large peas. Using hands, knead in bowl just until dough comes together.
• Transfer dough to 9-inch-diameter tart pan with removable bottom. Break dough into pieces, then press dough evenly up sides and onto bottom of pan. Cover and chill 1 hour. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep chilled.
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Uncover crust and bake until golden brown, about 35 minutes. Cool completely in pan on rack.
• For topping:
• Remove sides from tart pan and place crust on plate. Spread lime curd evenly in baked crust. Arrange blackberries in 2 concentric circles just inside edge of tart. Mound blueberries in center of tart. Place jam in small microwave-safe bowl. Heat in microwave until jam is melted, about 15 seconds. Whisk to loosen and blend, adding water by teaspoonfuls if thick. Brush jam over berries. DO AHEAD: Tart can be made up to 8 hours ahead. Chill uncovered.

TEQUILA LIME TART

Steps:

• For the crust:
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
• Add wafers and pine nuts to food processor, pulse until well ground up. Pour into bowl and add melted butter. Mix by hand, with a wooden spoon, and press into 10-inch tart pan. (reserve 4 tablespoons of crumbs to sprinkle on top when done baking.)
• Place tart pan in the oven and bake for 8 minutes.
• For the filling:
• In a mixing bowl add egg whites and sugar, beat until there are soft peaks.
• In another mixing bowl, add remaining ingredients and mix thoroughly. Fold in the egg whites. Pour into tart shell and bake for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with reserved crumbs. Let cool before cutting and serve with fresh whipped cream.

LIME CUSTARD TART

Steps:

• Make crust:
• Pulse together all crust ingredients in a food processor or beat with an electric mixer until a dough forms. Press dough evenly onto bottom and up side of tart pan with floured fingers. Chill shell until firm, about 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Line shell with foil and fill with 1 inch of pie weights, then bake in middle of oven until edge is pale golden, about 22 minutes. Carefully remove foil and bake shell until edge is golden and bottom is pale golden, about 20 minutes more. Cool completely in pan on a rack.
• Make custard:
• Reduce oven temperature to 300°F.
• Mix together all custard ingredients in a bowl with a whisk (do not beat) until just combined. Set tart shell (in tart pan) in a shallow baking pan and pour three fourths of custard into shell. Carefully put tart in middle of oven and pour remaining custard into shell with a small cup.
• Bake tart until just set in center, about 1 hour. Cool tart completely in tart pan on rack, then chill, covered, until cold, at least 2 hours. Just before serving, remove side of pan.

BLUEBERRY TART WITH LIME CURD

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400 degrees. Roll dough 1/8 inch thick, and line 4 1/2-by-14-inch rectangular tart pan placed on a baking sheet. Place in refrigerator to chill for at least 30 minutes.
• Line tart shell with parchment and dry beans or weights; bake 20 minutes. Remove paper and beans; reduce oven to 350 degrees. Bake shell until golden, about 10 minutes. Remove from oven; cool on a rack.
• Pour lime curd into tart shell. Place berries and honey in a medium bowl; toss to combine. Heap blueberries on curd, and garnish with lime zest. Serve.

NECTARINE LIME CURD TART WITH A BROWN-SUGAR CRUST

Steps:

• Make curd:
• Halve and pit nectarine. Cut halves into pieces and in a blender purée until smooth. In a heavy saucepan whisk together purée, yolks, granulated sugar, lime juice, butter, and vanilla. Cook mixture over moderately low heat, whisking constantly, until it just reaches a boil, about 7 minutes, and immediately remove pan from heat. Strain curd through a sieve into a bowl and cool, its surface covered with a buttered round of wax paper. Chill curd at least 2 hours and up to 2 days.
• Make crust:
• Preheat oven to 375°F.
• Cut butter into pieces. In a food processor pulse flour, brown sugar, and salt until combined well. Add butter and blend until a dough begins to form (mixture should hold together when squeezed between fingers). Press dough evenly into bottom and up sides of a 13 1/2- by 4- by 1-inch rectangular tart pan with a removable fluted rim. Bake crust in middle of oven 20 minutes and cool in pan on a rack. Crust may be made 2 days ahead and kept in pan, covered, at room temperature.
• Halve and pit nectarines. Cut halves into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Spoon curd into shell, smoothing top, and arrange nectarine slices decoratively on top. In a small saucepan heat jam over low heat until hot. Pour jam through a sieve into a bowl, pressing hard on solids. Lightly brush fruit with glaze. Chill tart, loosely covered with plastic wrap, until ready to serve. Tart may be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered.

CRANBERRY-LIME TART

Steps:

• For lime curd:
• Whisk lime juice and cornstarch in heavy medium saucepan. Whisk in sugar and yolks, then add butter. Whisk constantly over medium heat until mixture simmers and thickens, about 8 minutes. Strain into small bowl. Mix in lime peel. Cover; chill overnight.
• For crust:
• Finely grind flour, sugar, almonds, and salt in processor. Add butter and vanilla; cut in, using on/off turns, until mixture just forms soft moist clumps. Gather dough into ball; flatten into disk. Wrap in plastic. Refrigerate 1 hour. Press dough onto bottom and up sides of 11-inch-diameter tart pan with removable bottom. Using thumb, press dough up sides to extend 1/8 inch above rim of pan. Freeze crust 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake crust until golden brown, pressing with back of spoon if crust bubbles, about 25 minutes. Transfer to rack and cool completely.
• For cranberry topping:
• Whisk 1/4 cup water and cornstarch in heavy large saucepan to blend. Add sugar, honey, and five-spice powder, if desired. Stir over medium-high heat until mixture comes to boil. Add cranberries; cook until mixture boils and berries just begin to pop but still maintain shape, occasionally stirring gently, about 5 minutes. Cool completely (mixture will thicken).
• For white chocolate cream:
• Stir chocolate in top of double boiler over simmering water until melted and smooth. Remove from over water; whisk in sour cream and vanilla. Cool completely.
• Spread white chocolate cream into crust; freeze 15 minutes. Spoon curd over; spread evenly. Spoon cranberry topping by tablespoonfuls over, then spread carefully to cover completely. Cover and chill overnight. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Keep refrigerated.)
• Remove pan sides; transfer tart to platter. Sprinkle chocolate curls around edge of tart. Garnish with lime twists.
• *A blend of star anise, cinnamon, cloves, fennel seeds, and pepper available in the spice section of most supermarkets

PORTOBELLO TART WITH SPRING GREENS AND LIME BALSAMIC VINAIGRETTE

Steps:

• For the vinaigrette:
• Squeeze the lime juice (from the now cooled lime) through the feed opening of a running blender. With the blender still running, add the vinegar, corn syrup, shallot and rosemary, 1 at a time, and pour the oil in a slow steady stream into the vinegar mixture very slowly to emulsify. Remove to a container and season with salt and pepper, to taste.
• For the spring greens:
• Tear the greens into bite-sized pieces, and remove the stems if using arugula. (Make sure greens are no longer wet from being rinsed.) Toss greens with Parmesan, season with salt and pepper, to taste, and set aside.
• For the filling:
• Heat the clarified butter over medium heat in a large saute pan. Add the onion and cook for about 15 minutes until translucent and beginning to caramelize, then add the portobellos and white mushrooms to the onions. Cook for another 10 minutes then reduce heat to low and add the tomatoes, chives, salt, and pepper, and allow flavors to integrate.
• For the vol-au-vent (tart pastry):
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Roll out puff pastry dough, and using a 4-inch circle cutter (aka biscuit cutter), cut out 8 dough rounds. Place 4 of the dough rounds on a lightly greased baking sheet. Using a 3-inch circle or biscuit cutter, cut a concentric circle in the middle of the remaining 4-inch dough rounds to create a 1/2-inch wide circle of dough. These 1/2-inch wide circles of dough are to be used without the 3-inch pieces from the center. Place 1 of these 1/2-inch wide circles of dough on top of each of the rounds already on the baking sheet, matching up the edges. Brush egg wash over the surface of each of the paired dough circles and rounds. Then use a fork to prick through the dough around the perimeter (that is, through each dough circle and into the accompanying round beneath it). Place in the oven and bake until golden brown, about 6 to 8 minutes. The center of each will rise. Remove pastry shells from oven and allow to cool slightly.
• Using the tip of a butter knife, break through the risen center part of each pastry shell to make a crater. Spoon some of the mushroom mixture into each of these craters. Place some greens on top of each tart and drizzle with lime balsamic vinaigrette.

GINGER LIME TART

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• Zest 1 lime, then juice all 4 limes. Combine lime zest, juice, cream, sugar, eggs, egg yolks, and ginger in a large bowl. Whisk until well combined and pour into the prepared crust.
• Bake in the preheated oven until set, about 45 minutes. Let cool slightly.
• Meanwhile, heat lime marmalade over low heat until melted. Remove from heat and cool slightly, about 5 minutes. Pour lime marmalade over the warm tart and spread out evenly. Allow to cool completely before slicing and serving.

COCONUT, SYRUP & LIME TART

Steps:

• Make the pastry (it's easiest in a food processor). Whizz the flour, sugars and a pinch of sea salt for a few seconds. Add the butter. Whizz for another few seconds until the mixture looks like coarse breadcrumbs.
• Whisk the egg yolk with 2 tbsp ice-cold water in a small bowl, then pour into the flour mixture. Whizz until the pastry has collected in a ball around the spindle, then remove it and press into a fat disc. Wrap the pastry in cling film and leave to rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
• Bring the pastry back to cool room temperature and roll it out thinly on a well-floured surface. It is very short and crumbly, so work it quickly on a cold surface and patch up any tears using a little flour dabbled with a wet pastry brush. Line a loose-bottomed 25-26cm x 4cm tart tin, so it's slightly proud of the tin. Chill for at least 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 200C/gas 6/ fan 180C. Line the pastry with foil, then pour in ceramic or dried beans. Bake for 12-14 minutes, remove the foil and beans and cook for a further 5 minutes or until the pastry is no longer raw-looking but remains uncoloured. Remove from the oven and put to one side while you get the filling ready.
• Put the creamed coconut in a heatproof bowl and add 150ml/¼ pint of boiling water. Whisk until the coconut has dissolved, then leave to cool.
• Put the remaining ingredients, except the double cream, into a food processor and whizz to combine. (The syrup and treacle can be weighed together and are easier to pour if the cans have been warmed first. Use a plastic spatula to scrape every last jot into the processor.) Add the cooled creamed coconut and double cream and whizz again.
• Preheat the oven to 170C/gas 3½/fan 150C. Put the tart tin on to a heavy baking sheet. Pour the filling in to reach the top of the pastry - it doesn't rise much so it won't overflow. Bake for 40-50 minutes, or until the tart is golden and set. Leave to cool for at least 15 minutes before serving warm or at room temperature. Serve dusted with icing sugar, with a jug of crème fraîche or double cream alongside.

KEY LIME MERINGUE TART

Steps:

• For Key lime curd:
• Whisk eggs, yolks, sugar, lime juice, lemon juice, and coarse salt in medium metal bowl. Set bowl over medium saucepan of simmering water (do not allow bottom of bowl to touch water). Whisk constantly until curd thickens slightly and instant-read thermometer inserted into curd registers 140°F for 3 minutes, 5 to 6 minutes total (do not allow to boil). Remove bowl from over water. Gradually whisk butter into curd a few cubes at a time until smooth, allowing butter cubes to melt before adding more. Strain curd through fine sieve set over small bowl. Press plastic wrap directly onto surface of curd and chill overnight. DO AHEAD: Lime curd can be made 2 days ahead. Keep chilled.
• For crust:
• Using electric mixer, beat butter, cream cheese, and sugar in medium bowl until smooth. Add flour and salt and beat just until blended. Gather dough into ball; flatten into disk. Wrap in plastic and chill at least 1 hour. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep chilled. Soften slightly at room temperature before rolling out.
• Preheat oven to 375°F. Roll out dough on lightly floured work surface to 11- to 12-inch round. Transfer to 9-inch tart pan with removable bottom. Press dough onto bottom and up sides of pan. Trim dough overhang to 1/2 inch, then fold overhang in, forming double-thick sides extending 1/4 inch above sides of pan. Pierce crust all over with fork. Freeze crust 20 minutes.
• Line crust with foil; fill with dried beans or pie weights. Bake until crust is set, about 25 minutes. Remove foil and beans. Continue to bake until crust is golden and cooked through, about 20 minutes longer. Cool crust completely in pan on rack. Spread curd evenly in baked crust. Chill while making meringue.
• For meringue:
• Using electric mixer, beat egg whites in large bowl on medium speed until foamy. Increase speed to medium-high and beat until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar and powdered sugar 1 tablespoon at a time; beat until meringue is very thick and glossy, about 5 minutes. Beat in vanilla and coarse kosher salt.
• Spoon meringue in dollops atop curd, then spread and swirl decoratively with table knife. Using kitchen torch, brown meringue in spots, creating white and golden peaks and valleys. Chill uncovered at least 1 hour before serving. DO AHEAD: Can be made 4 hours ahead. Keep chilled.
• Remove sides from tart pan. Place tart on platter and serve.