Lemon Mousse Shortbread Tart

                             

       When serving this once to a friend I asked if he would like a napkin to which he held up his hand and said, "Not now, I'm having a religious experience."  Another partaker suggested that she should go and confess to her ecclesiastical authority after eating this dessert. This dessert certainly evokes spiritual experiences apparently!  It is one of my daughter's favorites and I have to leave her alone with her serious reflections as she is eating it.

     The tart and creaminess of the mousse supported by the shortbread crust are a lovely combination of soft textures, that seem sturdy enough but once in your mouth melt away emitting overtones of just enough sweetness to temper the tartness. The raspberries on top add an extra pinch of freshness and remind us that lemons and raspberries were born to be together.

SHORTBREAD CRUST
1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 cups flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:
      -Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

      -Cream the butter and sugar together very well,
           about 2 minutes with an electric mixer.  Add
           remaining ingredients and mix to a soft 
           dough.

      -Press into a square or round baking dish either
           8 x 8 inch, or 10 inch round.  Prick all over 
           with fork. This allows the heat to penetrate,
           and the steam to escape so the center can cook.

      -Bake for about 40 minutes or until just starting
           to brown.  Remove from oven and allow to
           cool completely.

LEMON MOUSSE
6 large eggs
6 large egg yolks
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 tab. cornstarch
1 cup fresh lemon juice, strained
2 tab. finely grated lemon peel
14 tab. (1 3/4 sticks) well-chilled unsalted butter, 
          cut into small pieces
3/4 cup chilled whipping cream
1 1/2 cups fresh raspberries
2 tab. or more sugar

Directions:
     -Whisk eggs and yolks in heavy saucepan until 
          foamy. Whisk in 1 1/2 cups sugar, mixed with 
          cornstarch, then lemon juice.  Mix in peel.  
          Stir over low heat until mixture thickens to 
          consistency of heavy custard, about 10 
          minutes. Do not boil.  Remove from heat and 
          whisk in butter until incorporated. Transfer 
          mixture to plastic or glass bowl and cool
          until very thick, stirring occasionally, about 
          50 minutes.

       -Whip cream in medium bowl to soft peaks. 
            Fold cream into lemon mixture just until 
            combined.  Spoon mousse into prepared 
            crust.  Cover and chill until set, about 2 
            hours. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead.)
                                  

     -Coarsely mash berries in small bowl using             fork.  Mix in 2 tab. sugar.  Taste, adding          more sugar if desired. Cover and          refrigerate 1 hour to release juices.  (Can           be prepared 1 day ahead.)  Use fresh whole           berries with or without sugar if preferred.

      -Cut tart into squares or wedges then spoon
           sauce over center of mousse to serve.  
           Garnish with fresh raspberries and sliver
           of lemon peel.
                                             

 Persnickety Notes:
         **When is it done?  Directions that tell you to cook a sauce such as Anglaise or thin custards often instruct you to cook stirring constantly until the mixture coats the back of a spoon or until it thickens - both very imprecise directions.  What do they mean?  Sauces with eggs in them should not be cooked to boiling as the eggs can scramble and make your finished product lumpy and grainy - thus the caution.  Constant or very frequent stirring is important to keep the mixture from coagulating on the bottom of the pan, where it will burn.  What I generally do is to cook the mixture with very frequent stirring over medium-high heat until I see the very first bubble from a boil or until it is very steamy and looks like it's just about to boil.  That makes more sense to me than coating the back of a spoon - I always wonder, how thickly?

**What pot are you using?  
Foods that contain lemon juice should not be cooked in reactive cookware.  Aluminum, copper,iron and non-stainless steel are reactive.  Their 
surfaces will release atoms of metal into the food and can give the lemon a 
bitter taste or discoloration,  Use something non-reactive made of 
stainless steel, glass or glazed ceramic.  I have a favoriteset of pots, going 
on 40 years old now, in which I make cream fillings and sauces, because 
they tend not to stick and burn on the bottom.  However,they are not great
for lemon.  We have a family tradition of cooking cream pies, banana and coconut being our favorite, that I insist on cooking in the 40-year-old aluminum pan so there are no burned brown bits in the finished product
but we have found if we let the cooked cream sit in the pan while it cools
it turns to an off-putting shade of green.  There was one Thanksgiving 
when we served Banana Green Pie.  The taste was fine but I learned to
quickly pour the cooked filling to a glass or plastic bowl to cool in
the future!