DESSERTS

LIME CHOCOLATE ALMOND SHORTBREAD TART…Making it YELLOW for IWD!!

“Men become passionately attached to women who know how to cosset them with delicate tidbits.”
Honoré de Balzac

IMG 4614

Lime Chocolate Almond Shortbread Tart…making it YELLOW!!

Got a mail from the talented Zorra @ Kochtopf the other day announcing an event being co hosted by her for International Women’s Day on 8th March. In her words…”fiordisale asked me to organize with her a special event for International Women’s Day. March 8 is a major day of global celebration for the economic, political and social achievements of women. Food connects people, so we would like to invite you to cook or bake something yellow for this special day. Yellow because on this day in Southern countries there is the tradition to give sprigs of bright yellow Mimosa flowers to women. The flowers are intended as a sign of respect and also an expression of solidarity with the women in their support for oppressed women worldwide.So this year, instead of the Mimosa sprigs, we will make yellow food! It can be whatever you like: pasta, meat, fish, fingerfood or a whole menu as long as it is yellow.”

International Women's Day

A foodie event in YELLOW to support IWD! Great idea & enough to get the mind ticking again! The idea is to colour the blogosphere YELLOW on IWD
…a GLOBAL DAY OF CELEBRATION Celebrated on 8 March, International Women’s Day (IWD) is the global day connecting all women around the world and inspiring them to achieve their full potential. IWD celebrates the collective power of women past, present and future more

IMG 4591

If it’s on my mind, then I have to do something about it. I spent a day browsing all my books for ideas, & then eventually the net for more ideas. This recipe appealed to me for it’s out & out simplicity, regular pantry ingredients, & a great looking end result. In Rachel Ray’s words…No need to get out your rolling pin or even grease the pan for this dessert. Just use your fingers to mix the shortbread dough, then dump it straight into a cake pan, press down and bake.

IMG 4566

Shouting it LOUD…YELLOW!!

You can view the original recipe HERE too. Mine is an adaptation which I made last week…( this week was booked for our anniversary’s ‘CLOUD’ cake). I added almonds to the shortbread crust for a added crunch & flavour, & some low fat cream so that the custard would be a little richer. Just a personal choice because I was indulging myself for IWD!! Instead of raspberries, which we don’t get here, I grated a layer of chocolate & topped it with the custard. Finished the top with something from the main ingredients to tie it all together! The combination of flavours beautifully complimented each other…this is a great YELLOW bake for dessert. Simple to make & great on taste!! I decorated the top because I enjoy doing arty stuff, but a dusting of sugar, like in the original recipe, would make it taste great too!

The recipe as adapted from Everyday Rachel Ray
Ingredients:
For the shortbread base:
Butter- 3/4 cup (chilled)
Flour -1 cup
Almonds – 1/2 cup (whole)
Sugar – 1/2 cup
Almond Extract – 1 tsp (optional)

For the Custard:
Eggs – 3 /large
Sugar – 3/4 cup
Cream – 150-200 ml (low fat)
Flour – 1/4 cup
Lime juice – 1/4 cup (0f 2-3 limes)
Lemon Extract – 1 tsp
Zest of 2 limes
Few drops of yellow food colour ( because egg yolks here are very pale in colour…& we needed yellow!)
Chocolate-chips – 1/2 cup or dark grated chocolate (I grated the dark chocolate directly over the baked shortbread)
For garnishing the top – Powdered sugar, grated dark chocolate, ganache, roasted almonds, lemon slices etc.
collage2
Method:
For the base:
  • Preheat oven to 200 degrees C. Keep an 8″ spring form tin ready. (I greased the bottom, though Rachel Ray says there’s no need to. I like to play safe!)
  • Put the flour + sugar + whole almonds in a processor & pulse it in short pulses, till almonds ground fine.
  • Add the cold butter (cut roughly into pieces) & continue to pulse till the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
  • Add the extract & pulse just till the mixture starts coming together & starts getting caught around the blades of the processor.
  • Turn into a bowl, mix briefly till uniform & then press uniformly into the base of an 8″ spring form tin.
  • Bake for 20mins till the top is golden brown. Take out & place on rack.

collage

For the custard:

  • While the base is baking…
  • Beat the eggs with 3/4 cup sugar.
  • Add the zest + lime juice + cream + 1/4 cup flour + lemon extract & beat again. Add yellow food colour if required.
  • Once the base is done, remove onto a rack & reduce the oven temperature to 170 degrees C.
  • Sprinkle base with chocolate chips & grate some chocolate directly over it.
  • Pour the custard into the base & bake for approximately 45 minutes. After 10-15 minutes, if the top is browning too fast, slide a sheet of foil loosely over the top.

collage 1collage1

  • Once set, remove & cool completely, then sift powdered sugar over the top & decorate as you like!
  • Chill well before serving!

    IMG 4633

    Pretty in YELLOW …A slice of tart! Here’s to all you great women…

ENJOY YOUR DAY TODAY…the 8th of March, 2008!!

yellow logo 3While the colour is yellow, another important date on the calendar is approaching…LiveSTRONG Day 2008 has been announced. This year it is on May 13th.

Do check out a foodie event at Barbara’s blog Winos & Foodies . In her words, “Here in the food and wine blogging community we will be supporting LiveSTRONG Day with our A Taste of Yellow event. Please join me again as we remember those loved ones who are no longer with us, support those still fighting and celebrate with those who have won the fight.”

About me: I am a freelance food writer, recipe developer and photographer. Food is my passion - baking, cooking, developing recipes, making recipes healthier, using fresh seasonal produce and local products, keeping a check on my carbon footprint and being a responsible foodie! I enjoy food styling, food photography, recipe development and product reviews. I express this through my food photographs which I style and the recipes I blog. My strength lies in 'Doing Food From Scratch'; it must taste as good as it looks, and be healthy too. Baking in India, often my biggest challenge is the non-availability of baking ingredients, and this has now become a platform to get creative on. I enjoy cooking immensely as well.

13 Comments

  • Purnima

    Deeba, I m reeling under the effect of being hit by awesome cakes,one after the other! Happy Intl Women’s Day!

  • Purnima

    SOrry..submitted soon..the pics are gorgeous, esp. the last one with a lady on!!Absolutely Droolworthy, as usual!!!!!!!!

  • Ivy

    Hi Deeba, I’ve been seeing a lot of yellow cakes today. This one looks great as all of your cakes.
    Happy IWD for all women out there.

  • Maya

    Droooling and more drooling..Yet another item added to the list og must-tries frm your work..Great entry Deeba!!

  • Bellini Valli

    This cake sounds delicious as does everything that comes from your blog Deeba. This is a great entry for International Women’a Day!!!

  • Nags

    lovely idea for IWD. I adore the way you have those pictorial represenations on the blog. Very cute and must be so time-consuming for you!

  • meeso

    Wow, I wish I would take the time to make something like this because it looks and sounds absolutely amazing! It’s a beautiful tart!

Thank you so much for stopping by. I'd love to hear from you.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

C is for Chettinad Simply Delicious Lotus Biscoff Desserts Baking Pretty Eggless Desserts