Passion for Baking: #1 favourite

If I would have to pick my favourite pastry, this is it… my number 1 favourite pastry – Lemon Tart. I think I have baked half a dozen of this tart, and still counting. This recipe is actually very simple.

Did I mention I love yellow? Yeah! My favourite tart happened to be yellow? or, I like it because it is yellow? Whatever!

You sure will love it, too!

Lemon Tart

adapt from Not So Humble Pie

You'll need:

1/2 C unsalted butter
2 tbsp finely grated lemon zest
1&3/4 C all-purpose flour
1&1/4 C granulated sugar
2 pinches of salt
6 large eggs
1 C fresh lemon juice
1/2 C heavy cream
Confectioners' sugar for dusting

Steps:

Preheat your oven to 350°F and position a rack in the lower third of the oven.

Melt the butter in a small sauce pan over medium low heat. Stir in one tablespoon of the lemon zest and allow to stand for 5 minutes. Combine the flour, 1/4 cup of the sugar and a pinch of salt in a bowl or your food processor. Pour the butter into the bowl in a fine stream, mixing with a fork until well blended and it holds together when pinched. If using a food processor, blend the ingredients and then pour the butter into the feed tube and blend for roughly a minute.

Empty the mixture into an 11" tart pan with a removable bottom and press it with your fingertips to evenly line the sides and bottom.

Bake the crust for 20 minutes, or until it is a light golden brown. Allow the crust to cool on a wire rack while making the filling.

Process the remaining one cup of sugar with the remaining one tablespoon of lemon zest in your food processor for about 2-3 minutes, until the zest is finely ground.

Pour the sugar into a bowl and add the eggs, lemon juice and a pinch of salt and whisk until smooth.

Beat the 1/2 cup of heavy cream to soft peaks and then whisk the cream into the sugar/egg mixture until just blended. Pour this mixture into your still warm crust and bake for 20-30 minutes, until the filling is just set in the center.