the Perfect Lemon Tart

Submitted by skat5762

"From 'Luscious Lemon Desserts'. Easy and impressive looking. After prebaking crust, look for any cracks that the filling could seeep through. Make a paste with about 1 teaspoon of flour and 1/2 teaspoon of water, and smear it over the cracks with your fingers to seal it. This recipe uses aproximately 4 lemons."

 

• Ready In: 1hr 30mins
• Ingredients: 9
• Serves: 8

ingredients

• 118.29 ml unsalted butter
• 29.58 ml finely grated lemons, zest of
• 414.03 ml all-purpose flour
• 295.73 ml granulated sugar
• 0.5 ml salt
• 6 large eggs
• 236.59 ml fresh lemon juice
• 118.29 ml heavy cream (whipping)
• confectioners' sugar, for dusting

directions

1. Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 350-degrees.
2. Have ready an 11-inch tart pan with a removable bottom.
3. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, add 1 Tablespoon of the zest, and let stand for 5 minutes.
4. Whisk together the flour, 1/4 cup of the granulated sugar, and a pinch of salt in a medium bowl.
5. Pour in the butter mixture in a fine stream, stirring with a fork, and continue stirring until the dough begins to come together when a small bit is pressed between your fingers.
6. Transfer the mixture to the tart pan and press it with your fingertips evenly up the side and into the bottom.
7. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the crust is light golden brown.
8. Let cool on a wire rack while making the filling.
9. Process the remaining 1 cup of granulated sugar and the remaining 1 Tablespoon of zest in a food processor until the zest is finely ground.
10. Whisk together the eggs, the sugar and zest mixture, the lemon juice, and another pinchy of salt in a medium bowl until smooth.
11. Beat the cream with an electric mixer on medium-high speed in a medium bowl just until it forms soft peaks.
12. Whisk the cream into the egg mixture until just blended.
13. Place a baking sheet in the oven, place the crust on the baking sheet, and pour the filling into the still-warm crust.
14. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the filling is just set in the center.
15. Let the pie cool on a wire rack.
16. Just before service, generously sift confectioners' sugar over the tart.
17. Cut into wedges and serve.
18. Note: You may wish to use slightly less zest than called for, and taste the batter.
19. My lemons were extremely powerful, and I only needed 1 1/2 Tablespoons total of zest.

Reviews

[Emmelyn Stieb]

PLEASE NOTE: Amounts are DIVIDED for the sugar and lemon zest. DO NOT dump in all the sugar for the crust!!!!

 

[Elisse37]

This tart is so easy to make and it tastes FANTASTIC! I used homegrown lemons and eggs from our chickens, and I would recommend that if you are using big free range eggs to only use 5, because I had too much filling and I think that is why. I just cooked the leftover in a separate pan and had it with vanilla ice cream. Everyone loved this tart, A1 Recipe, thanks!

 

[pheasant farmer]

I made this for a very sophisticated European friend, and he paid me the ultimate compliment and said it tasted as good as his mother's. This is an excellent recipe - and it goes together easily. Thanks so much

 

[Patricia H.]

This tart is very lemony and smooth. The crust is crunchy but melts in the mouth. Very easy to make. It worked well in my tart shell which doesn't have a removable base. I would recommend a microplane grater for the rind - my tart was a little bitter using a normal grater and getting too much white pith.

 

[Tina Hayes]

I have this same cookbook and have made this tart many times. It always tastes great, and even though it has a lot of steps it is pretty easy to make. I use a microplane to finely grate the zest, so I skip step #9 here. I also skip whipping the cream; I just whisk it into the batter as is. If you really like a \