Layered Lemon Tart & Mother's Day Giveaway with Cuisinart (Contest Closed)

This is an exciting post for me to write because it has a lot of good things going for it. First off this whole post is to celebrate Mother's Day and all the wonderful moms out there (especially mine) who deserve a special day.

Secondly there is a tart. A lemony, creamy, tangy tart topped with whipping cream and any kind of fruit you wish. (It is a very very good thing. The kind of thing that children who love their mothers make for Mother's Day)

And thirdly I've paired up with Cuisinart for an awesome giveaway so that you can make your mom all sorts of delicious stuff (or even give her the prize if you win, making you the obvious choice for the Favorite Child Award).

 

The prize is a Cuisinart Elite Collection 12-Cup (3 L) Food Processor so that you (or your mom hint hint) can get busy chopping and mixing in the kitchen.

It makes a lot of tasks in the kitchen a whole lot easier (like grating tons of cheese) and has an excellent warranty. I am personally extremely hard on my electronics and appliances (apologies to my phone, cameras, oven, etc) but I still expect them to last and work well. This food processor has a ten year motor warranty so you know that it will be working away in your kitchen for years to come.

A few of the other features include:

• a 4 cup bowl and a 12 cup bowl so that you can choose bowl size according to how big your chopping/mixing task is
• adjustable slicing plate, reversible shredding plate, two chopping blades, and a dough blade.
• both a large and a small feed tube
• die-cast metal housing

 
To test out the food processor for myself I decided to try out a tart dough for a couple of reasons. The first one is that my mom enjoys quiches and tarts so whipping up a batch of dough for Mother's Day seemed like a good plan. Secondly, pie and tart dough is my weakness/nemesis and I spend a good amount of time avoiding recipes that use it or trying those recipes and being sad about my lack of pie dough skills. I've gotten better with practice but I was hoping that using the food processor would improve my final result.

 

First very cold butter is pulsed with flour, sugar, and salt until it looks all crumbly.

 

Then ice water is poured in while the food processor is pulsed until the dough just comes together. The whole process only took a few minutes. The dough gets split in two pieces, wrapped in plastic and put into the fridge to chill.

 

After chilling it gets rolled out and placed in a nine inch tart pan. I was really happy with how workable the dough was.Then the tart shell gets baked and left to cool.

 

While the tart shell was cooling I used the food processor to make the first layer of the filling. In the smaller bowl with the chopping blade I put some softened cream cheese, lemon juice, orange and lemon zest, whipping cream, and sugar...

 

..and whipped them together into a tangy creamy filling which I spread in a thin layer on the cooled tart shell.

 

Next came a generous layer of lemon curd. Why have one layer of lemon flavor when you can have two? I put the tart into the fridge to set a bit so that the lemon curd wouldn't get mixed up in the next layer.

 

While it was setting I poured chilled whipping cream, a little bit of powdered sugar, and vanilla into the big bowl of the food processor and processed it until it was thick and fluffy. Clean up was easy: I just stuck the bowls from the food processor in the dishwasher (yay dishwasher safe). Done and done.

 

The whole tart got decorated with strawberries, kiwis, and mangoes. The letters were made by using cookie cutters on slices of mangoes. (Love you mom!)

 

To get cleaner slices I let the tart chill in the freezer for a bit before cutting it.

So so tasty: flaky tart crust (yay!) with two creamy and tangy lemon layers is perfect for a Mother's Day celebration.

Playing around with the food processor was so fun that I ended up trying out a whole bunch of recipes and I'll be posting more of my favorites before the giveaway ends.

 

Tart Dough

 (from Baking Bites)

2 2/3 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
1 cup butter, chilled and cut into pieces
1/4 to 1/2 cup ice water

1. In the large bowl of your food processor put the flour, sugar, and salt. Pulse a few times to mix together.

2. Add the chilled butter and pulse until the dough is crumbly

3. Pour the ice water in slowly and use longer pulses to get the dough to come together. It will still look a bit crumbly but will hold together well when squeezed.

4. Divide the dough in half, press into two disks, wrap in plastic and let chill in the fridge for 1 - 2 hours. (You can freeze the second half because this recipe only uses one disk)

5. Roll out the chilled dough and line a 9 inch tart pan. Cover in foil and place pie weights or dried beans on it and bake at 350 for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and weights and bake for another 10-15 minutes until golden. Let chill before filling.

Lemon Cream Cheese Layer

1 package of softened cream cheese (8oz)

1 tbsp of orange zest

1.5 tbsp of lemon zest

2 tsp lemon juice

1/3 cup whipping cream

1/4 cup sugar (or to taste)

1. Place the softened cream cheese, the zests, and lemon juice in the small bowl of the food processor. Pulse until all the ingredients have combined

2. Add the whipping cream and pulse until smooth. Then add the sugar and sweeten to your liking.

3. Spread on the bottom of the tart shell and place in the fridge or freeze to firm up before adding the next layer.

Lemon Curd

I use Martha Stewart's recipe: Lemon Curd

You can also buy lemon curd in the jam section at the grocery store if you are short on time.

Whipped Cream

1 cup whipping cream

3-4 tbsp powdered sugar (or to taste)

2 tsp vanilla

1. Combine in the large bowl of the food processor fitted with the chopping blades. Turn the food processor on and let it whip the cream until thick and fluffy.

 

  HOW TO ENTER (it's really easy)

Leave a comment below telling me what your mom's favorite dessert is.

A winner will be chosen randomly on May 13 (Mothers Day!)

If you want to get some extra chances to win you can enter up to four more times by doing the things listed below (one separate comment each)

1. Tweet about the giveaway and then comment with a link to your tweet.  Use this tweet: "Mother's Day Giveaway! Win a Cuisinart Food Processor #yaymoms http://tinyurl.com/cp3soph "

2. Follow @Clock_worklemon on Twitter. Comment with your twitter handle

3. Pin this post on Pinterest with the caption  "Mother's Day Giveaway: Win a Cuisinart Elite Food Processor with Clockwork Lemon" (you can use the "pin it" button at the bottom of the post) then leave a comment with a link to the pin

4. Post the giveaway on your facebook (you can use the facebook "like" button at the bottom of the post) then leave a comment saying that you posted it.

And the winner is: Ashley!

 This giveaway is open to residents of Canada and the USA only

Full Disclosure: Cuisinart is sponsoring this giveaway and has provided one food processor for product review and one for a prize giveaway. All opinions are my own

Monj Llorente

Comments

[Ann]

I, on the other hand, love so many sweet treats. Chocolate souffle is on the top of my list. And fine chocolates, such as Lake Champlain or Godiva. MMMMMMMMMMMM!

[Deb]

Equal favorites for my mom are Lemon meringue pie or Kahlua cheesecake.

[Ashley]

My mom's favourite dessert is anything that contains very dark chocolate.

[Jessica]

My mom's favourite dessert is anything with chocolate in it. I'm pretty sure that's where my love of chocolate comes from too.

I'm also very hard on my electronics. I've been using the same 3 cup food processor for years and now I'm at the point where things are spilling out because I'm not just making food for myself anymore. Great review of the Cuisinart, I'll keep it in my when I'm thinking of upgrading.

[Laura]

coffee ice cream!

[Jordanne Kapp]

My mom loves caramel, any sort of caramel. She gets extra caramel on everything.

[Amanda @ Once Upon a Recipe]

What a beautiful tart and a beautiful (and delicious) way to celebrate the lovely mothers out there!

[Jess]

My mom's favorite dessert is pumpkin pie! <3

jess
seworange@gmail.com

[Jess]

I tweeted! https://twitter.com/#!/seworange

[Jess]

I am following you on twitter

this is me:https://twitter.com/#!/seworange

[Christine]

My mother's fav is Vinarterta - an icelandic layered cake. Delicious. She also enjoys tiramisu and mille feuilles (the Quebec kind). Yummmm!! That torte looks amazing!
I will Facebook this right after I post :)

[Chelsey]

My mom is not a big fan of desserts but she always likes anything with caramel!

[Maria @ Miss Maria With The Cornucopia]

My Mom's favorite dessert is homemade apple pie. She puts so much of her love into baking pies. Once the pies are done baking and the dirty dishes have been washed and put away, I love the look in her eyes when she finally sits down to enjoy a slice of magic.

I can't seem to make an apple pie quite like Mom. I've tried, and I've come close but there's always something just a wee bit off...it must be mama's love.

[Gwen N]

Followed you on twitter @sweetartsupplies
My Mom loves peanut butter cookies - homemade of course.
Would love to win this - mine died a few years ago and I have never replaced it -

[Patricia Knowles]

Peach cobbler

[Tahnis]

I liked this on facebook

[Vincci]

Mama T loves HK-style fruit tarts (and makes a mean one to boot!)

She would definitely use the shredder blade to make turnip cake! ;)

[Vincci]

Also, I already follow you on Twitter! @VincciT and I pushed the "Like" button :)

[Anna]

Anything with custard.

[Dragon In Knots]

My mother likes crème brulée :)

[Shelli]

My mom was famous for her pies...in our tiny little town, whenever anyone had a family get together, a wedding, funeral, whatever--they'd call my mom to make the pies, and she'd make like a dozen of them. Of course we had them for all our own family get togethers also (my mom's family is huge...at last count I think it was almost 100 just from my grandparents down to my cousins and our kids).

I think her favorite, however, was a devils food cake with seven minute frosting (from scratch, of course--that's my husbands favorite cake now).

[Shelli]

I tweeted about this fabulous giveaway:
https://twitter.com/#!/shellinspire

[Sandra Cobb]

My mothers favorite is pecan pie (id have to guess!)

[Shelli]

I also am now following, of course.

my name is shellinspire

[Dragon In Knots]

Posted on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Dragon-in-Knots/107568282658578

[Shelli]

I pinned the giveaway
http://pinterest.com/pin/245586985900401031/

[Sandra Cobb]

Pinned! http://pinterest.com/pin/8233211789135568/

[Sandra Cobb]

Tweeted giveaway from @Sandracobb

[Sandra Cobb]

Followed you on twitter! :) @Sandracobb

[Shelli]

And finally, I posted on facebook, and liked this post and the page. =)

I LOVE Cuisinart! I would be so thrilled to win a new FP!!

[Sandra Cobb]

Posted to facebook as well :)

[Rhoda]

My moms favorite is strawberries and cream angel food cake which is a recipe that has developed over the years between all the girls in the family. Whoever is in charge of making it for her birthday each year does their own little tweaks so it's a constantly changing recipe!

[Elana]

My mom's favourite dessert is lemon meringue pie, so I bet she'd love this tart!

[Mara]

My mom likes this special mocha cake, the recipe for which comes from a local restaurant. It's basically layers of crushed chocolate wafers with chocolate meringue between them, frozen. Easy and super yummy.

[Mara]

I tweeted the giveaway!

https://twitter.com/#!/MausMara/status/198005526309777408

[Mara]

Oh yeah, I also follow you on Twitter, @MausMara.

[Amy Jo Schenewark]

Yum! This might be my favorite dessert! Now I just need a food processor!

[Mary at n00bcakes]

Tweetin' it up!
https://twitter.com/#!/n000bcakes/status/198032651762933761

[Karen Millen UK]

Thank you so much for sharing these!

[Danielle Bridges]

My mom's favorite dessert is anything chocolate!

[Misty Ostrowski]

My mother's favorite dessert is one from her home country Korea called Hodduk, which is a dough filled with a cinnamon-brown sugar mix, rolled out super thin, and then fried in a little oil. It's delicious!

[Barbara]

Any dessert I have ever made for my mom (including cookies I made when I was little, where I mistook tablespoon for teaspoon with the baking soda, yuk!)- she'd probably say that was her favorite. But, she really does gush a great deal about the homemade maple walnut ice cream I make :)

[Jessica @ bake me away!]

I totally have (and love) this exact food processor, so this isn't an entry - please draw again if my comment is picked! What a way to showcase the things it can do. I haven't used mine to make doughy/crusty things yet, so this is a good reminder! This pretty tart is way up my mom's alley. I might make it limey for her!

[Tara Noland]

I tweeted you giveaway

[Tara Noland]

My mom's favourtie dessert was snowball cookies at Christmas time.

[Tara Noland]

I liked it to Facebook

[Kait]

Happy Mothers Day! My Mom's favourite dessert is Pecan Pie! You definitely know it is a special occasion when we have Pecan Pie for dessert. So delicious and classic.

Excellent review of the Cuisinart - have always wanted one!

[Nadia]

My moms favourite dessert is lemon squares. Of corse she only likes the ones that she makes.

[Nicole B]

My mom's favourite dessert is Mississippi Mud!

[Ping Lee]

Strawberry Cheese Cake!