Guest Post: Lemon Tart

Apologies for taking yesterday unannouncedly off. It's end of semester around these Pennsylvanian parts and things are, uh, kind of crazy. Lucky for all of us, Sabra has contributed another of her totally unbelievably so beautiful wish I could eat this right now did I mention how lovely dessert recipes. No, seriously. This is so beautiful.



Lemon Tart

In the summer of 2009, I visited Toronto for the first time. On this trip, I had the good fortune of being taken to the famous Wanda’s Pie in the Sky bakery by my lovely friend Chris. While we were sitting outside, enjoying a delicious slice of Ambrosia pie (which I remember was filled with many kinds of fruits and berries), we had a celebrity sighting! Kate Hudson was sitting outside at a table around the corner from us and was picked up in a car and trailed by photographers while we sat and watched. Admittedly, the pie itself was a bit more exciting than the celeb, but somehow our sighting validated our choice of dining establishments. “Even the famous people come here!” To honor the occasion (and the pie), on our way out I saw a cookbook of the same name as the restaurant (written by one Ms. Wanda Beaver), and bought a copy without a second thought.

I have since made many desserts out of this delicious cookbook. Most notably was a chocolate layer cake that made enough frosting for three subsequent desserts! Alas, this is the one downfall of this cookbook (over-ambitious amounts of filling), although I wonder if it isn’t more to do with the conversions from Canadian cooking measurements to their American equivalent. Anyway, this lemon tart is my most recent project from the book. True to form, the filling made enough not only for the tart, but for six additional ramekins! Needless to say, I have made some adjustments to the recipe below, although if you desire more filling, just double the ingredients. Finally, a big thank you to SK for being my photographer extraordinaire on this post.

For the Crust:

1 cup cold butter, cut into ½-inch pieces
2 cups flour
1/3 cup cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup cold water

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Using a food processor or pastry blender, combine the butter, flour, cornstarch, salt and sugar and cut in until crumbly and beginning to clump together. Add the water and combine until the mixture just comes together and the ingredients are evenly distributed. Do not overprocess. Press into a 10-inch tart pan with a removable bottom, or a pie pan. Chill for 30 minutes. Line the crust with foil and pie weights or beans. (Note: despite being a frequent baker, I have not invested in pie weights quite yet; but, beans or rice can do the trick). Bake for 20 minutes, until pale golden. Remove the foil and weights and cool to room temperature. Reduce the oven to 350 degrees.

For the Filling:

4 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp almond extract
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 TBS lemon zest
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup sliced almonds

Using an electric mixer, beat the eggs and sugar until combined. Stir in the vanilla, almond extract, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Melt the butter in a small saucepan on the stove until bubbling. With the mixer on low, pour the melted butter slowly into the egg mixture. Mix until the butter is fully incorporated. Stir in the almonds. Pour the mixture into the crust (it will be very thin!). Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the crust is golden and the filling is just set and no longer liquid in the center. (Note: I had to bake my tart for quite a bit longer, but begin checking it for doneness at 25-30 minutes). Do not overbake. Cool to room temperature and remove from the pan. Serve at room temperature topped with fresh raspberries.