Wednesday, March 3, 2010

When Your CSA Box Gives You Lemons...

...make a Lemon Tart!! 


I couldn't even wait to take a picture before diving into it.  Isn't it so nice and glossy and creamy?!

I used the recipe for Lemon Tart from The New Best Recipe Cookbook (a cookbook from America's Test Kitchen).  The recipe called for making lemon curd (from the juice and zest of about 5 of our CSA lemons, hallelujah!) on the stovetop, straining out the zest, and making sure to use all non-reactive bowls and utensils.  It was so worth it. 

The crust was perfect--tender but not chewy, with bite, but not crunchy. What was it? I don't know. It was perfect. (The crust did brown too much on the edges, but I should have been watching it closer and covered it).

The tart was creamy, rich, and bursting with lemon flavor, not cloying sweetness.

It was the best lemon anything I have ever had. 


Lemon Tart from The New Best Recipe cookbook:

1 recipe Sweet Pastry Dough for Prebaked Tart Shell, fully baked and still warm (see below)
7 large egg yolks, plus 2 large eggs
1 C plus 2 T sugar
2/3 C juice and 1/4 C finely grated zest from 4-5 medium lemons
pinch salt
4 T unsalted butter, cut into 4  pieces
3 T heavy cream

Oven 375.  In a medium non-reactive bowl whisk yolks and whole eggs til combined.  Add sugar & whisk.  Add lemon juice and zest and whisk.  Transfer to a non reactive saucepan and add butter pieces.  Cook over med-low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until curd thickens to a thin sauce-like consistency and registers 170 on a candy thermometer (~5 min).  Immediately pour the curd through a fine mesh stainless steel strainer over a clean non-reactive bowl.  Stir in heavy cream.  Pour curd into warm tart shell immediately.  Bake til filling is shiny & opaque and center 3 inches jiggle slightly when shaken, 10-15 min.  Cool on wire rack about 1 hr. Remove outer ring and tart pan bottom and place on a serving plate.  Serve within several hours.

Sweet Pastry Dough for Prebaked Tart Shell

1 large egg yolk
1 T heavy cream
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/4 C flour
2/3 C confectioner's sugar
1/4 tsp salt
8 T cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

Whisk yolk, cream, vanilla in small bowl.  Place flour, c. sugar, and salt in a food processor and process briefy to combine.  Add butter and process til mixture resembles coarse meal--about 15 1 second pulses.  With the processor running, add the egg mixture and process until the dough just comes together, about 12 seconds.  Turn the dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap and press into a 6 inch disk.  Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 2 days.

Remove the dough from the fridge.  Unwrap and roll out between 2 lightly floured sheets of parchment or plastic wrap to a 13 inch round.  Trasfer dough to a 9 inch tart pan using a rolling pin to unroll it over the pan.  Ease the dough into the pan corners and press the dough against the fluted edges.  Roll the rolling pin over the top of the tart pan to remove the excess dough.  Set the dough lined trt pan on a large plate and freeze 30 min. 

Meanwhile, heat oven to 375.  Set the dough lined tart pan on a baking sheet and press foil into the tart shell and over the edge and fill with pie weights.  Bake 30 min.  Remove foil and weights and bake 5-8 min longer.   





24 comments:

Heart2Heart said...

Elle,

I am always a sucker for lemon anything. Reminds me of my mom's lemon meringue pie! I love the sound of this lemon tart however cause it sounds so refreshing and light.

Thanks again for posting the recipe and how it all turned out.

Love and Hugs ~ Kat

Buckeroomama said...

This sounds yummy! I wonder if I can use those pre-prepared pie crusts... I'm too lazy. :)

Alice said...

oooh I love you for sharing this! I bought a lemon tart last week and thought "I bet I could make this"... Yours looks absolutely delicious!

Been utterly absent from blogland recently, it's lovely to read you! xxx

Debbie said...

OK, that looks just delicious, and I haven't had breakfast yet so I am REALLY hungry.

ann low said...

Oh...looks fabulous! Wish I can have a slice :)

Flat Creek Farm said...

What a beautiful, luscious tart. I love lemons. Thank you for sharing! I think it looks just perfect! -Tammy

Unknown said...

mmmm, sounds so good!

teamkyte said...

OH YUM!

~from my front porch in the mountains~ said...

Oh, geez...now I am hungry. And I don't have lemon anything!

Glad you enjoyed it...but, it's just not fair!

xo, misha

Unknown said...

Oh wow! That looks so good! It reminds me that I haven't had lemon anything lately. Maybe that's a hint that I need to take down the recipe.

Unknown said...

Elle, That looks seriously yummy and a little like Pac Man in the first photo! : )

~Andrea~

curegirl0421 said...

That looks just lovely... I bet it was delicious!

Lois Christensen said...

I love lemon!! And this looks delicious!

Dandy said...

Oh you know how much I LOVE lemon and I can't wait to make this!

Jackie said...

Oh, how I love lemony, yummy desserts. This looks divine! I really want to make this RIGHT NOW...too bad I'm at work.

Jackie

twinkietotmom said...

I'm not a huge lemon fan but this looks amazing! Does it taste anything like keylime pie? I love keylime pie!

golonghorns said...

Oh, dear Lord me my mouth is watering... it looks so heavenly!

Christina said...

While I normally LOVE chocolate, I do like a good lemon dessert. This looks very yummy!

Simply Colette said...

That looks so scrumptious!! :)

Lemonade Makin' Mama said...

I'm actually drooling a little bit. and my eyes are watering. But that might just be allergies.

Muthering Heights said...

Oooo, yum!!! :)

Velvet Over Steel said...

I showed my son, the one in school to be a chef, this recipe and he said we have to make this, this weekend!! So I better get to the grocery store! Thanks for posting!
~ Coreen
PS. I LOVE the pictures of your family!!! :-)

Anonymous said...

Hi! Love this recipe and I am sooo going to try it soon.

I've nominated you for a Beautiful Bloggers award. Check out my blog to see all the details.

We must catch up soon!!

Ingrid_3Bs said...

I'm going to have to give this recipe a try! We huge fans of lemony desserts and yours looks wonderful. My jaws tingling with anticipation! LOL
~ingrid