Lemon Meringue Tart

My first recipe post!

To be frank i don't cook well and the only desserts i make are usually packet mix. I've made (in my mind) perfect creme brulee and chocolate fondants from scratch a while ago but i haven't expanded my repetoire since then.

I love eating lemon meringue tarts and for that reason i am attempting to make one. As it is my first tart, i decided to use pre-made shortcrust pastry.

I came across the recipe for a lemon curd from David Lebovitz's website, which i find to be awesome! Unlike other recipes, this did not require cream. I modified it a bit by adding cornflour to thicken the curd, took off the egg whites, doubled the lemon juice to make it super tangy and reduced the butter.

http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2009/05/tart-au-citron-french-lemon-tart/

For the meringue i just found any o' recipe to get the water to sugar ratio right, but then again i didn't stick by it and used half the sugar. I used 3 egg whites instead of 4 so i did not have enough meringue but nonetheless it tasted alright =)



Lemon Meringue Tart

Pastry:
pre-made shortcrust pastry

Lemon curd:
1/2 cup lemon juice (or more if desired)
zest of one lemon
1/2 cup sugar
50g butter
4 egg yolks
1 tsp cornflour

Meringue:
4 egg whites
1/2 cup sugar

-------

1. Thaw pastry sheet and mould into tart tin, making sure to press into the edges. Using a fork, poke holes into the base. Cover and put into the fridge to rest for 30 mins.



2. Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Blind bake by lining the tart with baking paper and placing weights on it to avoid the pastry bubbling up. I used ceramic weights but rice, beans etc will do the job.



3. Bake 15mins, remove weights and baking paper and bake for another 10 mins at 160 degrees until the base is golden. Remove tart and cool.



4. For the curd, combine juice, zest, sugar and butter. Stir constantly on low heat. Take some of the mixture and mix into the eggs. Pour eggs into mixture and continue stirring. Slowly add in cornflour until mixture just thickens and custard like.



5. Strain immediately in a mesh strainer onto the tart base, smooth the top and bake for 5-10 mins to set the curd.





6. Using a whisk/electric beater, beat egg whites until soft peaks start to form. Slowly one tablespoon at a time add sugar whilst whisking. Continue until all sugar combined and soft peaks form. The meringue should be glossy and smooth.



7. Smother over tart and using the spatula, create little peaks usiing the back of the spatula to make it pretty. Bake for 5 mins so the meringue is nicely browned.

Alira Restaurant

We purchased the $49 for 2 people deal from Spreets which included four course with beer or wine. Boasting an ex Bentley, ex Universal head chef, it was an extremely enticing invitation considering both restaurants produce innovative creations.

It was quite a journey walking to Alira from Town Hall on a freezing winters night but we were greeted by an exotic cosy hideaway. Unfortunately we couldn't admire the wharf views at night.

Our waiter was attentive (and quite attractive!) who carefully explained our meal. Influenced by the flavours of Spain, Middle East and North Africa, the utilisation of spices is Alira's signature.




I adored the beer and wine menu which features beer and wine i have never heard of! The amazing list consisted of a selection from Spain, Italy, Portugal and Austria as well as cocktails and the usual pleasers.

The meal comprised of tapas, starting off with a chef's selection of four share tasting plates served with lebanese bread. The highlight was definitely the sweet tender baby Mococcan carrots which were lightly spiced and fragrant.






Next came the coca escalivada with Persian feta which is a Catalan-style thin base pizza with roast onion puree, roast peppers and eggplant. The portion was miniscule and could be devoured in one mouthful. A bit disappointing it was such a small plate to share amongst two people.



What came next was even more disappointing in terms of portion size. One plate with four pan seared pork belly cubes served with salsa mojo rojo and with shaved brussel sprout and almond salad. The pork belly skin was extremely crunchy that you can hear your neighbour's crunch. It was beautifully seared and well balanced with a lighter almond salad. However it is not possible for 2 people to have one plate of that size to share as a main.





The meal ended on a good note when the Moroccan doughnuts with spiced custard and barberry jam made an appearance. The doughnuts were guey on the inside but crunchy on the outside which were perfectly complimented with creamy custard and a distinctly sharp acidic barberry jam for some oomph.





It was a scrumptious meal but not satisfying if using the spreets voucher. To do Alira justice you will need to visit and order a lot more tapas to share to truly enjoy the experience.

Alira Restaurant
Shop 120
26-32 Pirrama Road
Pyrmont
Tel - 02 95184884
www.alira.com.au

Wasabi Bar and Bistro

Stardeals - 7-Course Japanese Banquet for 2 People

Im a sucker for those cheap food deals that bombard my email everyday =) The stardeal for Wasabi Bar & Bistro offered a 7 course Japanese banquet for $49 for 2 people?! Surely not.

So we purchased the voucher and hiked from Wynyard to Kings Cross on a weeknight to avoid the crowd, which was a great decision (the weeknight booking i mean, not the hike~ haha). It was quiet and a little eerie around 6.30pm but the numbers quickly multiplied by 7pm.

We were offered a laminated copy of the banquet menu, featuring:

Choice of red/wine wine or warm sake (110ml pp)
1. Agedashi tofu
2. Fried or steamed gyoza
3. Choice of spicy sashi salad, tofu wake salad, salmon avocado salad or green seaweed salad
4. Tempura prawns
5. Assorted sushi 6 pieces
6. Choice of main - teriyaki chicken, chicken katsu, chilli chicken or pork, teriyaki salmon or grilled salmon
7. Choice of dessert - green tea ice cream, black sesame ice cream, vanilla ice cream or sweet potato soup.



Warm Sake for one

I've now learnt that sake (and warm for that matter) is not my thing. A bit too pungent, despite its innocent appearance. My companion adored the sake and kindly drunk my share to avoid it going to waste =)


Agedashi Tofu

Very generous servings of light agedashi tofu was served. The batter was kept crisp and thin and slight chewy for the ones soaked in sauce. The tofu itself was silky and smoothilicious.


Steamed gyoza


Fried gyoza


Tofu wake salad

The chef was a bit heavy handed with the ponzu sauce for the tofu wake salad. The slightly weak peanut dressing was not very well balanced either. It would have been nice to have some sesame sprinkled on top for more crunch or drizzle the salad with a more robust peanut dressing.


Tempura prawns

In comparison, the ginormous tempura prawns were absolutely divine! Big chunky prawns covered in light tempura batter served with tentsuyu (tempura dipping sauce).


Assorted sushi

By this stage we were already quite full but we couldnt resist the visually appealing sushi assortment that came to our table. The sushi comprised of a small handful of rice with a sizeable piece of fish/squid. I've had better sushi elsewhere but this was quite acceptable.


Miso soup


Teriyaki Salmon


Chicken Katsu

Funnily enough, considering the size of the entrees, the mains were much smaller servings than expected. Chicken Katsu was a thin slice of fillet deep fried and smothered with tonkatsu sauce and mayo. It lacked meatiness and the overpowering sauce blanketed the remnants of chicken.

The teriyaki salmon on the other hand, was scrumptious. Chunky pieces of salmon in teriyaki sauce with an assortment of onions, carrots and capsicum to compliment. The serving was small, but i guess i was full anyway!


Black Sesame ice cream

Have to say, the black sesame ice cream was the biggest let down. It seemed to be more of a vanilla ice cream with sesame pieces, rather than black sesame flavoured ice cream.

Overall it was a great deal to pay $49 for a dinner for 2 but without a voucher, i doubt i would make the trek again. However, i have to admit it would be a great eat out after a big night out at the Cross =)

Wasabi Bistro and Bar
Shop 1,1-3 Kings Cross Road
Darlinghurst 2010
tel - 02 9360 6220
www.wasabibistro.com.au/

Restaurant Balzac

I havent been back to Randwick since the good old uni days when we walked to Randwick KFC for lunch =). Even though i would have loved to stop by KFC, our aim tonight was to walk to the very end of the busy Belmore Street to Restaurant Balzac.

Past all the busy shops is Balzac, situated in a stylish sandstone establishment. It is a great place to dine on a weekend - not your usual hush hush fine dine restaurant, the place was brightly light with simple decor and the patrons were all laughing and chatting, having an enjoyable night out with family and friends.

Complimentary bread was massive and came with a generous tub of irresistably creamy butter. If you loved the bread and wanted seconds, dont forget you will be charged $1 for additional bread!



Spoonfuls of fennel creaminess with tasty spanner crab meat resting at the base was perfect for a warming amuse bouche. Not only did i scoop clean the base, i think i licked the spoon?


Amuse bouche - fennel, spanner crab, spanish onions

Entrees were a bit pricier than expected, but it came in good quality generous portions.


Roast Scallops, Chicken Oysters, Sweetcorn, Salsa Verde and Jus Gras $29

My thin slices of house cured wagyu beef encased juliennes of celeriac. It worked wonders having the softness (and slightly bland) beef contrasted with crunchy onion rings and full bodied earthy flavours from calves offals (internal organs- not for the faint hearted).


Houses Cured Wagyu Beef with Celeriac Remoulade, Onion Rings and Calves Offal Kebab $25


Thrice Cooked Hand Cut Chips with Béarnaise $10

My main of rabbit was a surprisingly filling dish. Wrapped in pancetta, the rabbit was a bit overdone unfortunately. What was nice was the sweetness of the pumpkin and chestnuts to balance out the saltiness and to lighten the dish.


Macleay Valley Rabbit with Pancetta, Butternut Pumpkin, Sage and Chestnut $39


Berkshire Pork Belly, Black Pudding. Pomme Boulangere and Jus Charcuterie $38


Palmers Island Mulloway with Saffron Noodles, Calamari, Clams, Mussels and Fennel $36

Predessert was a definite winner! Juicy roasted pineapple cubes with hints of chilliness were wonderfully complimented with light coconut foam.


Pre dessert - roasted chilli pineapple with coconut foam

Chocoholics beware - chocolate fondant to die for, is here! A luscious serving of chocolate fondant oozing with sauce is the perfect finish to a wonderful meal.


Warm Chocolate Fondant with James Squire Porter Ice Cream $18

Restaurant Balzac
141 Belmore Street
Randwick
Tel - 02 9399 9660