Four Lemon Tart

Four Lemon Tart

A year ago, I bought a tart pan as a gift for someone and tucked it away and forgot about it.  It always happens that when you are looking for something else, you find something you forgot you had.  I have no idea who the tart pan was intended for, but I made this lemon tart for Easter dessert with it, so I guess it's mine now!

Much like always, I reviewed and researched several tart recipes that included lemons or some other variation of fruit and assorted toppings and decided that this version seemed like the strongest candidate for a light dessert after a big dinner.  It came out perfect and after rushing around preparing for this dinner, I thought, forget the glazed spiral sliced ham, where's the dessert!? In my opinion, you could serve this any time of year and it would be amazing.  Who doesn't love lemon desserts?

Four Lemon Tart

Ingredients

1/2 C. (1 stick) butter, melted

2 T. finely grated lemon zest, divided

cooking spray

1 3/4 C. flour

1 1/4 C. sugar, divided

dash salt

6 large eggs

1 C. fresh squeezed lemon juice from four lemons

1/2 C. heavy whipping cream

1/2 C. confectioner's sugar for dusting

Preparation

This recipe will require an 11 inch tart pan.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Melt your butter and pour into a mixing bowl.  Mix in 1 tablespoon of the lemon zest.  Let this mixture stand for about five minutes and using the cooking spray, prepare your tart pan.

Add flour, 1/3 cup of the sugar and salt to a medium bowl and stir together.  Slowly add the butter mixture and stir until combined and dough resembles course pea size pieces and you can squeeze it between your thumb and index finger and it sticks together.  Turn dough out onto prepared tart pan and using the bottom of a tumbler or by hand, flatten dough onto bottom and shape up the sides of the pan.  Make sure to smooth and flatten the edge at the edge of the pan so it looks neat when it comes out of the oven.  Bake for 18 minutes.  Remove from oven and cool on rack.

Add the remaining sugar and lemon zest to your food processor and blend until the zest is finely ground.  In another mixing bowl, add eggs and sugar/zest mixture, lemon juice and salt and whisk until smooth.

Add whipping cream to a mixing bowl and using electic mixer whip cream until soft peaks form.  Fold the whipping cream into the egg mixture until just blended.

Place your cooled tart pan in the center of a cookie sheet and pour the batter into your tart pan.  Place tart in the oven and bake for 30 minutes and the filling is set in the center.  The edges may become a light golden brown.  Remove the tart carefully from the oven and rest until tart is cooled completely.  It is important to know not to touch the top of the tart despite how tempted you are to do so.  The top of the tart is sticky and it will adhere to your finger leaving an unsightly divit on the top that will be noticable despite how much confectioners sugar you use trying to cover it.

After the tart has cooled and just prior to serving, you can place the tart on a cake stand and sift confectioners sugar over the top, or slice tart in wedges individually and sift the sugar over the top after it's plated.

Leave me a comment and tell me how much you love it!