Lemon Olive Oil Tart
Welcome to what I’m Currently Craving! This is a section where I share my latest ingredient obsession and tell you a thing or two about its flavor, texture and unexpected ways to use it. My hope is that you will know by instinct how and when to incorporate it in different dishes, no matter if your recipe doesn’t call for it. No more forgotten ingredients in the dark corner of your pantry or in the last drawer of your fridge!
The ingredient: olive oil
I made this olive oil lemon tart to show you what a delicious experience baking with olive oil can be. In this tart the notes of the lemons are not hidden but only enhanced by the fruity notes of extra virgin olive oil. The supple and rich texture of the oil helps in creating a smooth and silky texture on this lemon tart. The flaky crust is made only with olive oil as well, so is double the goodness of this beloved pantry staple.
The good news is baking with olive oil is one of the best ways to add more of this ingredient into your daily nutrition! But if you are like me, you are probably making a lot of faces just thinking about using olive oil other than for sautéing in a pan or for deeply dipping your toasty and warm piece of bread. The mere thought of eating something sweet made with olive oil would have made me cringe, and probably would make you cringe as well. I would have complained with something like “why on Earth would you swap butter for olive oil in a recipe???” and would have rolled my eyes as far back as I could. But, gladly, I had to eat my words! Baking with olive oil is one of the best things I could have adopted in the kitchen. And I’m hoping you jump in the wagon as well!
I’m sure you have probably read by now all the amazing properties that olive oil has. It contains monounsaturated fats that help you keep in check your cholesterol levels and feed your brain, has anti-inflammatory properties and can lower your risk of hard disease. But to get the most out of every olive oil drop you take, you should always go with a good quality extra virgin olive oil. And cook it properly to not break it down.
The smoke point of olive oil is around 375°, which only means that after reaching that temperature it becomes unstable and actually bad for you. Instead of the anti-oxidants you’ll get some of the free radicals the fat molecules release because of the high temperature. When I’m cooking with olive oil, if for any reason it heats too much and I see dark smoke coming from the pan and the oil getting translucent (usually when I’m starting to heat the oil before bringing anything to the pan), I simply throw it away, wipe or rinse my pan and start over.The best you can do is cook oil below its smoke point and drizzle some over your finished plate to get the most health benefits out of it. Or bake with it! Because olive oil will retain its properties through the baking process, especially because most baked recipes require an oven temperature from 325° to 350°.
As happens with wine, coffee, tomatoes and many other foods, there are different regions that produce olive oil and of course, each oil from each region has its particular flavor. The main producers are Italy, Greece and Spain. I grew up with Spanish olive oil. What I love about it is that it has flavor, it doesn't taste just like oil. It is fruity and has a nice subtle piquant. It’s absolutely amazing for dipping bread. I’m pretty sure my love of bread was born because of this oil! Italian olive oil is more mild flavored and also the most common type sold in the US.
If found this post at sheknows.com, if you want to read a bit more!
Another use? It is a fantastic scrub!! I mix some olive oil with granulated sugar (not turbinado or demerara because the granules are too thick for the face skin) and create a thick paste, then massage it all over my face. It starts like a scrub but eventually the sugar starts dissolving, leaving you with a pasty-enough oil to give your face a well deserved massage.
How to use olive oil in baking
My favorite method for incorporating olive oil in cake batters is to use the chiffon or sponge cake method, which only means that you will mix your ingredients by aerating them with a whisk instead of beating them with a paddle. Different form the traditional butter cake, that you start beating your butter with sugar and then add the eggs, with this method you whisk in high speed the eggs with the sugar and, with the mixer running, you will slowly pour the oil (any oil). This way the oil will emulsify with the rest of the ingredients, yielding a very light batter. I’m not a fan of using olive oil in quick breads because you tend to mix those by hand, and the texture with olive oil can be a bit heavy after baked. But if you have a trusted recipe for muffins or any quick bread using olive oil, its a great way to start experimenting with it!
Other of my favorite sweet recipes with olive oil that you should check out soon
Double Chocolate Olive Oil Muffins
And one savory for good luck:
Now, for this olive oil lemon tart, you will need some basic ingredients and a few hours in the fridge. It will always be best to make it the day before, even two, but it will set nicely in just a few hours. The crust is super easy to make, just press it in pieces on the tart pan, like playing with play-dough, and cover all the surface with it. It’s my adaptation of the classic olive oil lemon tart from Cook’s Illustrated. Check how easy it is to make!
How to Bake this Lemon Olive Oil Tart
I started by preheating my oven at 350°.
I made my crust dough by mixing the flour, sugar and salt. Then I made a well in the center and poured the oils and 1 tablespoons of the water. I used a wooden spatula to gently mix, and in the middle of the process added the second tablespoon of water. I ended up with a rough crumbly dough and that’s how it is supposed to look.
I like to start by pressing about ⅓ of the dough towards the edges of the pan to make sure the border is well covered. Then I use the rest of the dough to cover the bottom. I bake the crust for about 25 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking.
About 10 minutes before pie crust will finish baking, I mix the sugar, flour and salt in a medium sauce pan. I whisk in the eggs and egg yolks until no streaks of eggs were visible, then I added the lemon zest and lemon juice. This order helps that the mixture ends up smooth. I cooked it over medium heat and I had to keep whisking, constantly, to prevent the eggs from cooking. This is the part where you will have the arm workout of the week!
When the mixture is a bit thick (takes about 7 to 9 minutes to get there) I retire from burner and add the oil whisking constantly. You need to do it this way to make sure the oil emulsifies with the mixtures. You don’t want a curd with a film of oil sitting on top of it. Then I strained it throughout a sieve over the crust.
I bake mine until the center is still a bit jiggly, about 10 minutes. Then it’s just about to let it cool down and chill in the fridge for a few hours. This crust is very delicate, if you try to handle it without cooling or chilling it could start crumbling in front of your eyes.
I like to sprinkle a bit of powdered sugar on top. You can always add some chopped nuts or fresh berries as well. Or for pure decadence you can make an Italian meringue and spoon it on top!
If you haven’t baked with olive oil before, I’m sure this olive oil lemon tart is the perfect way to start your olive oil baking journey! I’m pretty sure you are going to love it! Are you already baking with olive oil? Let me know in your comments! And don't forget to share with me if you make this recipe.
What ingredient should I be craving next?
Lemon Olive Oil Tart
Ingredients
Olive oil crust
◯ Unbleached all-purpose flour - 1 ½ cups
◯ Natural granulated sugar - 5 TBSP
◯ Fine sea salt - ¾ Tsp
◯ Extra virgin olive oil - ½ cup
◯ Water - 2 to 3 TBSP
Lemon Curd Filling
◯ Natural granulated sugar - 1 cup
◯ Unbleached all-purpose flour - 2 ½ TBSP
◯ Fine sea salt - ¼ Tsp
◯ Eggs, large - 3
◯ Egg yolks, large - 3
◯ Lemon zest - ½ to 1 TBSP, depending on how zesty you like it
◯ Freshly squeezed lemon juice - ½ cup (3 lemons)
◯ Extra Virgin olive oil - ¼ cup
Details
Yield:
a 9” tart pan or baking dish
Total time:
50 minutes plus a few hours on the fridge
Active time:
20 minutes
Baking time:
30 to 35 minutes
Equipment:
tart pan with removable bottom or a baking dish, medium saucepan, strainer, whisk
Steps
To make the crust:
Preheat oven to 350°.
In a large bowl mix the 1 ½ cups of flour, with the 5 tablespoons of sugar and the ¾ teaspoon of salt. Make a well in the center and pour the olive oil and 1 tablespoon of the water. Mix slowly, incorporating the liquid with the flour mixture and adding the remaining tablespoon of water halfway through the mixing process. If mixture is too dry at the end of the process add an extra tablespoon of water. Mix until you have a crumbly dough.
Take about ⅓ of the dough and press it evenly through the edge of the pan. Repeat with the remaining dough to fill the bottom. Treat it like playing with clay or cookie dough and use any loose dough to fill the gap. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until golden brown and when it feels firm and dry to the touch.
To make the filling:
When the crust is on its last 10 minutes of baking, mix the cup of sugar, the 2 ½ tablespoon of flour and the ¼ teaspoon of salt in a medium saucepan. Add the eggs and egg yolks and whisk until no streaks of eggs are visible. Add the lemon zest and the ½ cup of lemon juice and mix gently to incorporate the least amount of air possible.
Stirring constantly but not too fast with a wooden spoon, cook over medium heat until mixture thicken a bit, or reaches a 160° temperature in a candy thermometer, about 10 minutes. If you see it’s starting to curdle, retire from heat and stir or whisk a bit faster, then return to heat and the original pace. Remove from heat and pour the olive oil while whisking constantly to emulsify the oil into the mixture.
Putting everything together:
Take crust out of the oven. Through a large strainer, pour lemon curd on the tart shell. Bake for about 10 minutes, until it looks set around the border but still jiggles a bit in the center.
Let it cool down completely before chilling in the fridge for about two hours minimum, ideally overnight. Dust a bit of confectioner’s sugar on top and decorate with candied lemons, chopped pistachios, fresh berries, whipped cream or meringue! It will be good up to a week stored in the fridge.
