Soul Nourishment: Coo's Lemon Tart and Leprechaun Traps

A good friend and incredible mentor died suddenly Friday morning and my heart was ripped open with grief. Alongside the immense grief of losing someone so dearly loved, came a tsunami of gratitude. I was in a place where I was completely supported, and around people I loved. Although my heart ached to be near my partner, I am so grateful to be near family and friends. Nicolas Buti was an incredible man and I send so much love those left behind, particularly his fiance Sarita and my best friend Natalie who was there when he died. Taking extra time to be grateful for my own breath and beating heart, and being gentle and tender with those around me.

I drove down to Alameda to spend time with my nieces and as always, these little ones heal my heart and make the world a better place.

We spent the night cooking, baking and setting leprechaun traps. Could you ask for a more nourishing night?!

Look at these cuties! Fried rice and smoothie time

At Elleke's request, we made a lemon tart. We lacked some key tools for making lemon curd so we simplified it by making something similar to a lemon bar. With improvisation and the incredible meyer lemons picked right off the backyard tree, the dessert was delicious! 

The recipe is from my trusty "The Art and Soul of Baking" which is an incredible start and guide to baking nearly everything!

Coo's Lemon Tart

Vanilla Shortcrust Dough

1 1/4 cup flour

1/4 cup sugar

1/4/ tsp salt

1 stick (4 ounces) cold butter

2 large egg yolks

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 to 3 tsp water

Combine flour, sugar, and salt together. Add butter and crumble with your hands until the mixture looks like peas and crumbs. Add egg yolks, vanilla and water and mix until just combined. Press into a tart shell.

Lemon Filling

4 eggs

5 tbl flour

2 cups sugar

2/3 cup lemon juice

Whisk eggs and flour until combined and there are no sneaky clumps of flour. Add sugar and lemon juice and whisk together.

Bake tart shell at 350 for 35 min or until golden brown. Remove from oven and turn down oven to 325. Let cool for 20 min and then pour the lemon filling into the crust. Bake at 325 for 50-60 min or until the middle is set. Let cool completely before serving! This will allow the lemon filling to thicken. 

I love making tarts with kids because unlike a pie crust, which calls for some tlc, a tart shell is pretty simple to make and hard to mess up. This lemon filling was incredible with fresh meyer lemons which gave it a sweeter taste that had more depth than a usual lemon filling. 

We finished the night with a leprechaun "trap" that turned into a cozy resting spot for the leprechauns on their journey. We filled it with tiny potatoes, coins, a pool, lounge station, and of course a little lemon tart. The leprechauns seemed to come and enjoy it during the night, and I got to enjoy green milk with my coffee this morning

                              Little tiny baby potatoes!

Happy St. Patricks Day! I hope the leprechauns visited your home and I hope that you give your soul a little nourishment today. Squeeze your littles tight, tell each other you love one another, and be grateful for this breath, this day, this life.