Jim is always chiding me for not liking any dessert that doesn’t contain chocolate, and my only retort (no pun intended) is that I love lemon desserts. This lemon tart is beautifully bright in flavor and color! And while lemon is traditionally a summer flavor, I am just fine with it year round, especially when it comes in the form of a luscious, sweet and acidic pastry. I brought this tart to work this morning and it was gone within the hour!
Ingredients
For the tart shell
10 tbsp softened salted butter
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup white sugar
Water, as needed
For the lemon filling
Zest of 1 large lemon
Juice of 1 large lemon (without seeds)
1 1/2 cups sugar
5 egg yolks
Pinch of salt
Instructions
For the tart shell
In a medium bowl, combine butter, flour, and sugar by hand or with a hand mixer. It will be crumbly, but if you press it together with your fingers, it should start to stick together. Add a few drops of water if you need it to stick more.
Press the dough into 9″ tart pan, poke a few holes in the bottom of it with a fork for ventilation, and bake at 350 F for 10 minutes.
For the lemon filling
Vigorously whisk (by hand or with a hand mixer) zest, juice, sugar, and yolks. Add the zest directly to the yolks. Add a pinch of salt and mix once more. Then pour the filling into the baked tart shell. (It doesn’t have to be cooled.)
Bake at 350 F for 25 minutes. Cool completely before cutting or topping with powdered sugar, if desired.