As the days lengthen and I relish the prospect of the warmer days ahead, I start to plan menus for spring celebrations. To mark Easter, Mothers’ Day, and other occasions, I like to serve a festive lemon tart.
Traditional lemon tarts come in two varieties. Lemon curd tarts are prepared by filling a cooked crust with puckery lemon curd. The curd is made by cooking egg yolks, sugar, lemon juice, and butter on the stovetop until thickened. This can be delicious, but I’m partial to a tart in which a lemon-flavored custard, enriched with almond flour, is baked in the tart shell. I share my recipe here.
Lemon tart is made with sweet pastry (pâte sucrée) rather than flaky pastry (pâte brisée). Sweet pastry is sweetened with sugar and enriched with egg yolks, giving it a tender, almost cookie-like texture. I learned to make sweet pastry by hand at cooking school in Paris many years ago. It can be a messy, cumbersome task, but now I use a food processor, which simplifies the process considerably. This pastry is more delicate than flaky pastry, but it is also forgiving because you can easily repair any tears with dough scraps.
You will have leftover egg whites after making the pastry. With the high price of eggs these days, don’t let them go to waste! You can store egg whites in the refrigerator for up to four days. Why not make use the whites to make my recipe for Almond Tile Cookies?
This tart is delectable on its own, but to make it even more special, serve it with mixed berries (raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries) and whipped cream. Welcome spring with this lemon tart!
Equipment: food processor; 9½-inch removable-bottom tart pan; rolling pin; parchment paper; pie weights, such as dried beans, rice, or commercial pie weights
Ingredients
For the crust:
2 large egg yolks
2 tablespoons heavy cream
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1½ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
¼ cup granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon fine salt
8 tablespoons cold unsalted butter (4 ounces/1 stick), cubed
For the filling:
4 large eggs
⅔ cup granulated sugar
Pinch of fine salt
½ cup heavy cream
⅓ cup almond flour
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (from 2 lemons)
¼ cup strained lemon juice (from 2 lemons)
Confectioners’ sugar for dusting
Mixed fresh berries and whipped cream for serving, if desired
Preparation
To prepare the crust:
1. Blend the egg yolks, cream, and vanilla in a small bowl with a fork. Place the flour, sugar, and ¼ teaspoon salt in a food processor work bowl fitted with the metal chopping blade. Pulse several times to blend. Add the butter and pulse until a coarse meal forms. Add the egg yolk mixture and pulse until the mixture forms moist, coarse crumbs; it will not be totally cohesive. Transfer the mixture to a clean work surface and bring the crumbs together with your hands, kneading as necessary. Press the dough into a disk. Wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or for up to 2 days.
2. If the dough has been refrigerated for more than 1 hour, let it sit at room temperature for 20 minutes before rolling. Coat a 9½-inch removable-bottom tart pan with cooking spray, or brush it lightly with oil. Dust both sides of the dough lightly with flour and place it between 2 sheets of parchment paper. Roll the dough to a rough 12-to-13-inch circle, about 3/8 inch thick. Carefully remove the top sheet of parchment. Invert and center the rolled dough over the prepared tart pan. Carefully peel off the parchment paper. Working your way around the perimeter, lift the overhang with one hand while you gently press the dough into the bottom and sides of the pan with your other hand. If the dough tears, use a little of the trim to patch it. Fold a little dough over the rim toward the center.
Roll the rolling pin over the top of the pan to cut off the excess dough. Press the dough into the hollows of the rim with your finger to set the shape. Crimp the edges with your thumb and index finger. Prick the bottom of the crust with a fork. Cover the crust with plastic wrap and freeze for 1 hour. (You can freeze the unbaked crust for up to 1 week.)
3. To blind bake the crust: Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Place a sheet of aluminum foil on a rimmed baking sheet to catch any possible drips. Cut a 14-inch circle of parchment paper. Line the crust with the paper and press it into the edges of the pan. Add enough pie weights to cover the bottom evenly. Set the pan onto the prepared baking sheet. Bake the crust for 20 minutes. Carefully lift and remove the paper and pie weights. Return the crust to the oven and bake until the edges are light golden, and the bottom has set, 5 to 8 minutes. Let cool on a rack.
To prepare the filling:
4. Whisk the eggs, sugar and a pinch of salt in a medium bowl until blended. Add the cream, almond flour, lemon zest, and lemon juice; whisk until smooth and blended.
To bake the tart:
5. Place the cooled, partially baked crust on the foil-lined baking sheet. Scrape the filling into the crust. Bake until the filling is puffed around the edges and set in the center, 30 to 35 minutes. Let the tart cool on a rack.
6. Shortly before serving, use a skewer to loosen the crust from the edges of the pan. Place the pan on a can. Let go of the sides.
They should fall onto the counter, leaving the tart on the base set over the can. Use a large metal spatula to carefully transfer the tart to a serving platter. Dust with confectioners’ sugar, and serve with berries and whipped cream, if desired.
Makes 1 tart, 8 slices.
—Patsy Jamieson