Lemon Tart

One of my sisters in law came up to our house with the cousins last weekend to see our oldest son off.  He's going to be gone for a couple of years, and everyone is trying to say their goodbyes.  Now, when the family gets together, good food ensues.  It's just the way that it works.  We made homemade pizzas, which is a fun activity for little cousins as well as being tasty and much healthier than the fast food version.  And of course, no gathering is complete without dessert.

My sister in law is not a big fan of chocolate, so I made a lemon tart.  This is the perfect lemon tart.  The crust has lemon zest in the dough.  The filling is luscious and tangy.  The crust to filling ratio is perfect.  It's like a lemon bar dressed up to look like a fancy pie.  It's perfect for company.

The recipe comes from Lori Longbotham's book Luscious Lemon Desserts, and it truly is the perfect lemon tart.  All of her books are fabulous, but if you are looking for something light and spring-like to chase away the last of the winter doldrums, lemon is the perfect flavor. You will need a 10-11 inch tart pan, and I recommend a tart pan with a removable bottom .  Tart pans have those cute but fluted edges which make it impossible to just slide a spatula around to lift the tart slices out, so the removable bottom that you can just push upwards to remove the tart out of the outer ring really makes serving easier. If you don't have a tart pan, you can also make this in a pie plate--just make the crust go only about 2/3 up the sides of the pie plate if it's the deep dish variety.

I've rewritten the wording of the recipe slightly for you.  I found the directions a bit awkward, so I divided the ingredients into Crust/Filling and adjusted the wording in the directions section accordingly.  

The Perfect Lemon Tart --Yield: One 10-11" tart, 12-14 servings
Crust
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 Tbsp grated lemon zest (about 1 lemon)
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 pinch of salt

Filling
1 cup sugar
1 Tbsp grated lemon zest (about 1 lemon)
6 large eggs
1  cup fresh lemon juice (I just juice the 2 lemons and top it off with a bit from the bottle.  If you want it all to be fresh lemon juice, you will need about 4 lemons total.)
1 pinch of salt
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
Confectioner's Sugar for dusting

Preheat the oven to 350F, and get out your tart pan.

To make the crust:  Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, add the zest, and let stand for 5 minutes. Whisk together the flour, sugar, and a pinch of salt in a medium bowl. 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. Transfer the mixture to the tart pan and press it with your fingertips evenly up the side and into the bottom. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the crust is light golden brown. Let cool on a wire rack while making the filling.

For the filling:  Process the sugar and zest in a food processor until the zest is finely ground.  (I use a small electric nut chopper for this.)  Whisk together the eggs, the sugar and zest mixture, the lemon juice, and another pinch of salt in a medium bowl until smooth.  Beat the cream with an electric mixer on medium-high speed in a medium bowl just until it forms soft peaks. Fold the cream into the egg mixture just until blended.

Place a baking sheet in the oven, place the crust on the baking sheet, and pour the filling into the still warm crust. (This is super important.  It is impossible to transfer the tart pan full of liquid into the oven without spilling it.  I know.  Been there.  Spilled that filling.)  You may have a bit extra filling if you are using a 10" rather than an 11" tart pan.  Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the filling is just set in the center. Let the pie cool on a wire rack.  Just before serving, generously sift confectioners' sugar over the tart. Cut into wedges and serve.