Lemon & Rosemary ANZAC Tart
With ANZAC Day commemorated here in Australia tomorrow I have begun noticing bags of rolled oats disappearing from grocery stores. To myself and many like-minded foodies, this is a clear indicator of some serious ANZAC biscuit baking going on in many homes around the country.
I have to admit I've never made them in my life. Do I like them? Sure, but I'm not the biggest biscuit fan at the best of times, so it got me dreaming of alternatives and amazing combinations that may, or may not, result in something palatable.
I wanted to create something that embraced remembrance and the ANZAC biscuit, yet was beautiful enough to serve at a luncheon or dinner party because it's more my kind of thing.
I have spent hours researching flavours, exploring concepts I enjoy through inspirational sweets by Flour and Stone and Half Baked Harvest and getting side tracked with cheesecake recipes; my ultimate cake weakness. Strangely enough, it's the sidetrack into the land of cheesecake recipes that helped pull all of my ideas together.
What I came up with was this tart recipe.
A not-so-sweet sweet - my favourite kind.
So here it is.
My Lemon & Rosemary ANZAC Tart.
A zesty lemon yoghurt and ricotta 'cheesecake' filling with a hint of golden syrup sitting on an ANZAC biscuit base spiked with rosemary in honour of remembrance. And just to make sure we aren't forgetting the whole story of ANZAC Day, this beautiful tart if finished off with a velvety smooth golden syrup based caramel drizzle with gorgeous fresh figs for a nod to our Turkish friends who also fought and lost loved ones all those years ago.
Serves 8-12 (depends how hungry you are!)
INGREDIENTS
Rosemary ANZAC Biscuit Base
1 1/4 cups traditional rolled oats
3/4 cup plain flour
1/3 cup desiccated coconut
2 tsp very finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves (reserve some sprigs of rosemary for serving)
75g unsalted butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup golden syrup
Lemon Filling
500g fresh ricotta
1/2 cup natural yoghurt
2 large eggs
2 egg yolks
3/4 cup caster sugar
100ml fresh lemon juice (1.5 - 2 lemons)
Lemon zest (from 1 lemon)
Golden Syrup Caramel
60g unsalted butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup golden syrup
2 tbsp thickened cream
To Serve
Figs
Clotted or double cream
METHOD
Preparation - Grease and line the base of a 20-22cm tart pan.
1. Base (Steps 1-3) - Combine rolled oats, flour, coconut and rosemary in a bowl and set aside.
2. Put golden syrup, brown sugar and butter in a small saucepan. Stir constantly over a medium heat for 5 minutes, or until melted and smooth. Do not allow the mixture to boil. If it begins to bubble, turn the heat down slightly. Remove from heat and set aside to stand for 2 minutes.
3. After standing, add the butter mixture to the dry ingredients. Mix well to combine and leave aside for 5 minutes. Press the ANZAC biscuit mix into the base and side of the tart pan. Ensure it is even and not too thick.
4. Filling (Steps 4-5) - Add the ricotta, yoghurt, eggs, egg yolks, caster sugar, golden syrup, lemon juice and rind together in a bowl. Whisk gently until combined. Pour over the tart base, leaving a small amount of the sides of the base exposed.
5. Bake the tart for 45 mins, or until cooked through, turning halfway. Remove from oven and allow to cool in the pan.
6. Golden Syrup Caramel (Steps 6-8) - combine brown sugar, butter and golden syrup in a small saucepan. Stir constantly over a medium heat for 5 minutes, or until melted and smooth (similar to step 2). Add the cream, stir, bring to the boil then decrease to a simmer for 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and cool for 15 minutes.
7. Once the tart and caramel have cooled, refrigerate them both for 3-4 hours or overnight before serving.
8. Serving - Remove the tart from the fridge and place on a cake pedestal or serving platter. Slice or segment figs and lay over the centre of the tart. Drizzle with the golden syrup caramel and a sprinkle of rosemary. Serve and devour!
WINE SUGGESTION
Believe it or not, you have a few choices when matching this particular tart.
If having it as part of a celebration or festive occasion, a dry Italian prosecco will work perfectly with the lemon and ricotta notes in the filling.
As part of a luncheon or dinner party you could also choose to enjoy a delicious dessert wine such as Krinklewood's Lucia Dessert Wine which would work perfectly with the lemon, caramel and fresh figs.
After all of that, why not sit back with a little limoncello too! Yum.
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