Tarte au Citron (Lemon Curd Tarts)

Incredibly tender sable shortbread crust filled with a buttery, tangy lemon curd and garnished with a pop of berry color - an elegant dessert for any gathering!

Most of us love lemon, particularlyin drinks, inc akes and pies - lemon meringue servved with lemonade and lemon chicken. What would we do without its pizazz! But there are lemon tarts and there are tarte au citron. What’s in a name, youmay wonder, but mor eto the point, what’s in a recipe?

That’s what I set to find out after eating one with my sis te rin a cafe??? in Vienna. Many attempts and combinatiosn of recipes later this reicp eis the result. The French sable crust, a sandy textured sweet short pastry, fresh lemon an absolute - don’t head ot the fridge for a botel of lemon juice. Not too swwet which smothers the zing of th elemon.

Whne in France, Paul’s and in fact almsot every bakery you find whether square or rectnagular sample one. And with this recipe in your own collection, you can create a worthy version yourself.

Lemon Tarts with Sable Crust (Tarte au Citron)

FOR SABLE TART SHELLS

1 cup butter at room temperature

½ cup granulated sugar

¼ cup light brown sugar, packed

1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

⅓ cup rice flour or additional all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon salt

-Preheat the oven to 325°F and lightly grease 6 regular-sized muffin tins.

-Using a food processor or mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, sugar, vanilla, and brown sugar on high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beating the butter and sugar together well will create a shortbread crust that is crisp and light and holds together well.

-In a separate bowl, mix the flour and salt then add it to the butter mixture and mix gently with your hands or by pulsing the food processor a few times, just until blended and the dough forms clumps.

-Divide the mixture into 6 equal balls, place each in a muffin tin and press it firmly and evenly around the base and up the sides of the cup. If you have a pastry tamper, use it to push dough firmly into the edges of each cup, trying to create an equal depth of dough, about 1/4 inch, all over.

-Trim the edges of the dough at the top of each cup by holding a knife flat against the cupcake pan and gently slicing away any extra dough. With a fork, press around the edges of each cup to trim the pastry and then pierce the dough all over in each cup.

-Cover with plastic wrap and allow the dough to rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Blind bake the tart shells by placing squares of parchment paper in each cup and filling with baking beans or large dried beans. Partially bake the crust for about 30 minutes, until the edges are golden. Check one tart shell by removing paper and beans and gently lift from cup. The bottom should be slightly browned and golden. If not, continue baking another 5 minutes or until one of the tart shells is golden on the bottom.

-Remove from oven. Remove the parchment paper in each cup with the beans and set aside. Pour the warm lemon curd directly into the tart shells, dividing it evenly among the cups and scraping the pot with a rubber spatula. Smooth the lemon filling in the prebaked tart shells and place back into the oven and continue to bake until the curd is just set, another 5 - 6 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool then chill until time to serve.

-Garnish Lemon Curd Tarts with small slices of strawberries, fanned, a star of piped sweetened whipped cream and a sprinkle of gold sugar, if desired. (Raspberries and blueberries also make a lovely garnish.)

-Makes 6 tarts.

FOR LEMON CURD FILLING:

1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

finely grated zest of one lemon

1 cup sugar

12 tablespoons (170g) butter, cut into cubes

4 large eggs

4 large egg yolks

-Preheat the oven to 350ºF

-In a medium-sized non-aluminum saucepan, heat the lemon juice, zest, sugar, butter, eggs and egg yolks and mix well with a wire whisk.

-Stir until the butter is melted, then whisk the mixture continuously until the mixture thickens and holds its shape when you lift some of it up with the whisk and it visibly mounds up when dropped back down over the rest of the mixture in the saucepan. It should take about 5 minutes over medium-high heat. Do not allow to come to a boil. Watch for the first bubble then remove it quickly from the heat.

Cook and stir the lemon curd just until it thickens and see you the first bubble of a boil.

Press sable crust dough into the muffin tins and trim and crimp edges.

Blind bake the tart shells just until golden then fill with lemon curd and bake a bit longer.