Mini = less guilt?

Today is Friday. I am taking the day off to go work on the farm. The skies are blue. The wind is calm, and Shakespeare can suck it.

I completed a six week wellness workshop in Malad last Friday. Teaching these workshops are always interesting -- to borrow from Forrest Gump, you never know what you're going to get. The nine folks who stuck out the six weeks became friends by the end, and I was quite sad to say goodbye to them.

What do I do to show someone I care? I make food. This workshop was at 1:00, right after lunch, which required me to make DESSERT. For those of you who know me, know that baking and I are a hit and miss. This was a hit!

One of the ladies in the workshop eats lemons. She loves them. I wanted to make something lemony, and to generalize, most older people like pie.

That said, I made mini lemon tarts. The original recipe called for a pine nut crust, which was problematic on two accounts: I am allergic to pine nuts, and I am deathly afraid of pie crust. Thank you Athens mini fillo shells! If you are not a chicken shit like me, this would make for a lovely pie, otherwise, the mini tarts were fabulous.

People tend to feel less guilty when they eat something in mini form. Go figure.

I'll report on farm progress. Cross your fingers for scapes.

I want to try this recipe with limes next time.

Crust makes me quake in fear. These do not.

My makeshift double-boiler.

Blueberries balanced the tartness and added some color.

Mini lemon tarts

adapted from epicurious

1/2 cup lemon juice, about four lemons

2 large eggs, cold

2 large egg yolks, cold

3/4 cup sugar

6 tbs cold unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces

Fillo shells

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place fillo shells on a baking sheet and bake for about five minutes. Remove and set aside. Meanwhile, add about two inches of water to a double-boiler and bring to a boil. If you don't have a double-boiler, as I don't, use a pot that is a bit smaller than your metal bowl so the bowl just fits into the pot.

In the metal bowl, add the sugar, eggs and yolks. Whisk for about 1 minute or until the mixture is smooth. Se the bowl over the pot and stir constantly. You don't want your eggs to curdle! If you can manage the heat, turn your bowl occasionally to avoid hot spots. After about 2 minutes, when your eggs are foamy, add 1/3 of the lemon juice. Continue to stir, stir, stir until the mixture thickens again. Add another 1/3 of the lemon juice and repeat the process. Continue whisking until the mixture is again thickened and add the remaining juice. Whisk until the mixture is thick and light in color. It takes about 8 to 10 minutes in total.

Turn off the heat and leave the bowl over the water. Whisk in the butter a piece at a time. The lemon custard may loosen slightly, but it will thicken as it cools. Spoon the warm custard into the fillo tarts. Let the tarts sit for 1 hour before service to allow them to set up. Serve at room temperature or cold.