- By Admin
- December 06, 2023
Text by Eric Birlouez, photographs by Xavier Ferrand
Even today, this cake is one of the no. 1 desserts in France.
In 2018, a survey conducted by Opinion Way using a representative sample of 1,000 French adults even awarded it first place.
The lemon tart was voted by 16% of our fellow citizens, ahead of the fruit tart (13%... these however, coming in first among the over fifties). Then came the strawberry cream cake (12%), the eclair and the religieuse (11%). The Paris-Brest ranked fifth, followed by millefeuille, opera cake and rum baba. Many sources state that lemon meringue pie is thought to combine elements from different countries. But, as you know dear readers, there are a great number of “gourmet legends” which serve to compensate for a lack of historical certainty...
As a result, it is said that the crème au citron – the infamous lemon curd – was invented in England at the end of the 17th century by the "religious community of of friends", also known as Quakers (a dissident and puritanical “chapel” of the official Anglican church). This cream is then thought to have crossed the Atlantic where its lime version was served upon a pastry base and given the name of key lime pie. This designation comes from a region of Florida – the archipelago of the Keys - where lime was grown in abundance.
Its composition includes condensed milk
Initially, this cream would have been made at a time when the absence of a refrigerator did not allow for large quantities of fresh milk to be available.
Florida sailors are also said to have eaten large quantities of key lime pie because it helped them fight against scurvy, a fatal disease resulting from a deficiency of vitamin C in the body (although as everyone knows, it’s lemon that contains this vitamin). In reality, the origins of the all-American key lime pie are far more recent than claimed: this dessert is first mentioned in an advertising brochure published in 1931 by an American manufacturer of condensed milk! Still according to the legend, the key lime pie would then have arrived in French-speaking Switzerland, where local chef, Alexandre Frehse is thought to have been the first to create the recipe for lemon meringue pie. Meringue is said to have been created in 1720 by an Italian cook named Gasparini. Gasparini originated from the city Meiringen, which is where the name meringue originated from. Although it would be an American, Elisabeth Goodwell, a pastry chef from Philadelphia who, in 1806, is thought to have standardised the recipe for our current lemon meringue pie... It’s hard to separate fact from fiction.
STAR INGREDIENT: LEMON
Of course it’s the lemon that gives the cake the acidity that many foodies enjoy so much. But this can vary greatly depending on the pastry chef. As such, Sébastien Gaudard's lemon tart is one of the sweetest, with an acidity of 40%, while that of Jacques Genin shows a percentage of 80% (with this chef using three times more lemon zest and juice than the first). Created in 2001, Jacques Genin's lemon tart remains a benchmark for the industry: crisp shortcrust pastry, lemon curd that’s both creamy and acidic along with a touch of lime gives this dessert an exotic freshness.
With or without meringue?
While lemon may be French at times, meringue is always Italian. Silky (not crunchy and fluffy like French meringue) it is made with a boiled sugar syrup (i.e. between 118 and 120°C) and pour gradually over the frothy egg whites, whisking the mixture until the meringue has cooled. This can then be browned by briefly placing under a grill or using a blowtorch. Today, many pastry chefs put their own spin on the lemon tart. You can of course replace the lemon with lime but also by using other citrus fruits. To soften the flavour, ground almond can also be incorporated into the base of the tart.
Sources: Wikipedia and other websites:
- https://www.institut-nignon.com/tartecitron.html
- https://www.ouest-france.fr/leditiondusoir/2019-07-29/la-veritablehistoire-de-la-tarte-citron-meringuee -un-desdesserts-preferes-des-francais...