Sydney has been experiencing a burst of rainy weather of late. So I spent one exceptionally rainy weekend inside baking a lemon & lime tart. Being inspired by the restaurant Noma and their ability to create beautiful 'plate-scapes', I set about creating my own 'garden of eden' dessert for two.
To make you will need a good sweet short pastry to make the tart shells. A buttery lemon curd for the filling and silky meringue thats perfectly whisked. I also gathered a few other finishing touches like gold leaf, micro herbs and edible flowers to decorate. When it came time to plate up, I decided not to restrict all the different elements to just being on the tart itself, rather I built a 'garden' around the tart, incorporating fresh passionfruit, puffs of meringue and a new found favourite; Pink Ice Finger Limes. These Aussie natives have flesh that resemble caviar, often referred to as 'lime caviar'. The little pink pearls 'pop' as you eat them, releasing a burst of slightly bitter lime juice, similar in taste to pink grapefruit.
The lime caviar look amazing in food presentation, I am surprised I haven't seen it used more often, especially as it's native to Australia and everyone is keen on using produce from our own backyards. I hope your rainy weekends are as productive as mine was.
Bon Appétit