Lemon cakes, flans, buns ... Menton style

A few days in on the Côté d'Azur and time well spent in cafes

Hello Lemonistas,

Welcome to a special Sunday edition of The Lemon Grove, in which we take a look at the sweet, sour, buttery, crusty lemon tart with various styles that the cafes of Menton on the French Côté d’Azur, home of the eponymous Menton Lemon.

Each February thousands of French and international visitors join locals to celebrate the product of the town’s specific micro-climate in which the Menton Lemon grows and thrives. The heyday of growing was back in the early to mid-20th Century before being out-competed by cheaper lemons from places such as Sicily, where larger groves were producing thousands of tonnes a year under the protection of criminal gangs such as the Mafia.

In the previous issue of The Lemon Grove, we looked at Menton’s annual lemon festival, a fun festival that I visited this year as I have done several times in the past.

What follows are images of the various lemon tarts I ate during the festival, for research purposes you’ll understand. The town butts up to the Italian border, with most of the cafés owned and staffed by Italians.

As you can imagine there are many variations on the tart, but I offer one for you to try and taste a little Côté d’Azur magic.

Best wishes

Bruce

Here are some examples of lemon tarts and cakes in Menton. They are served with ice cream, meringue, and chocolate sauce and overseen by my new travelling pal, Mentonella (top right).

But first, Mirazur's chef proprietor, Mauro Colgreco, offers this amazing recipe for lemon cake with Menton lemons. He has a special interest in these fruits as his restaurant, named in 2019 as the Best in the World, sits just above the town and has a small grove of fruiting lemon trees. He is a great ambassador for the fruit and the town and attracts high rollers and gastronomes to his tables. I have not (yet) dined there, but it is only a matter of time!

A brioche bun, halved and filled with lemon cream!

Tarte au Citron de Menton

Popular across cafes and restaurants in Menton, lemon tart offers a bright lemon zesty and warmth of the creamy custard. Inspired by UK-based French genius chef Raymond Blanc, here is a recipe highlighting the mighty lemon. 

Tip: Make the lemon filling while the pastry is chilling in the fridge.

Ingredients & Method … SWEET PASTRY

250 gm flour, plain, sifted
75 gm unsalted butter, diced
75 gm icing sugar, sifted
3 egg yolks, medium
2 tbsp water, fresh/ tap.

Place the icing sugar and butter in a bowl. Add a pinch of salt and mix together with a wooden spoon.

Mix in 2 egg yolks. Add the flour and rub together between your fingers. Add a tablespoon of water if the pastry feels too dry.

Quickly shape it into a ball and flatten it out into a disc. Wrap it in cling film and chill for at least 30 minutes. 

While the pastry is cooling, turn your attention to the creamy filling. 

Ingredients & Method … LEMON CREAM FILLING

5 whole eggs, medium
150 gm, sugar, caster 
2 tbsp lemon zest, finely grated
85 ml lemon juice, Menton if you’re lucky
150 ml double cream

Combine the eggs, sugar, lemon juice, and zest in a large bowl. Whisk quickly.

Gently pour in the double cream before covering and chilling in the fridge.

Now, back to the pastry. Pre-heat your oven to 160°C/ 325°F/Gas Mark 3.

Roll it out on a floured work surface to around 3 mm thickness, and place it over a round, 24 cm diameter loose-bottomed cake tin. 

Gently press dough into the tin and trim off the edges. 

Using a fork, prick the pastry all over.

Line the tin with foil and fill it with ceramic baking beans (or dry beans).

Place in oven for ten minutes. Remove and take the foil and beans (save for another time or use).

Lemon tart and cream … fresh and delicious

TIP Raymond Blanc suggests returning the pastry to the oven for about 20 minutes, brushing it with the remaining egg yolk, and giving it another minute in the heat. This will add an extra seal and keep the pastry from going soggy.

Turn the oven down to 140°C/ 275°F/Gas Mark 1.

Pour the creamy filling into the pastry shell and bake for 25 – 30 minutes. Keep a watch so that it doesn’t burn. 

Remove and cool on a wire rack for about an hour. Remove from the tin, and place on Sprinkle with icing sugar. Optional, but a little decoration might be nice, such as sugared or fresh mint leaves. 

Serve with a dollop of cream and a cup of tea or coffee, and enjoy. 

Add other fruits and flavours, such as blueberries and mint, to pimp up your cake

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BRUCE & THE LEMON GROVE'S EVENTS DIARY

Travel planning for 2024 in the works for Seville, Menton, Turin (Slow Food’s Terra Madre), Liguria, Barcelona to name just a few!

Hosting & Cooking on the Demonstration Stage at:

• Next market in Aylesford, Kent is on Sunday, April 21.

I'll be sharing recipe ideas using food from the farmers market and interviewing many great local growers and producers making wine, bread, jams, marmalade, and much more. Follow Tonbridge Farmers Market for updates. 

If you enjoyed this post, please click on the little ❤️ below ⬇️.

Bruce McMichael
Writer, Podcaster, Event Host & Cook, Lemonista

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