You may ask yourself, how did I get here?...

As I have remarked previously I do not take pleasure in baking, but when I do it is consistently a tart. I ADORE fruit tarts! They are my cherished dessert. I had not baked a tart recently, but when I spotted meyer lemons in the store I knew it was time for a marvelous treat. I allege that tarts are greatly under appreciated as they are often surpassed by cakes, cupcakes, and pies. I discover tarts to display simple yet classy sophistication, a desirable addition to any occasion. The recipe beneath is for an uninvolved custard filling, along with the canonical pastry crust that I endorse exclusively for my tarts.  I accompanied the lemon tart with a elementary strawberry puree (strawberries and sugar cooked over medium heat). Meyer lemons are de facto a cross between a bona fide lemon and a mandarin orange. They are native to China, and are scarcely sweeter than a regular lemon. They have a thin edible rind. Meyer lemons yield more juice than an authentic lemon, and are fragile which makes commercial distribution limited.  

You can't really be strong until you see the funny side of things.

-Ken Kesey

Meyer Lemon Tart

5 eggs

2/3 cup Meyer lemon juice (may use regular lemon juice)

1/2 cup sugar

3 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon cream

1 pate brisee (pastry) recipe below

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Crack the 5 eggs into a large bowl and beat well. Add the lemon juice, sugar and the cream and mix until smooth. Pour the mixture into a pre-baked 10" tart shell.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until the custard is slightly firm with a bit of a jiggle in the center. Pay close attention at this point because even 30 seconds can make the difference between a perfect tart and one that is cracked. It will continue to firm up when it is out of the oven. If you over cook at this point the tart will crack when it cools. But don't worry, you can always decorate the top with berries!

Let cool on a wire rack. Decorate the top by thinly slicing a lemon (with a mandolin if you have one) and cutting the slices in half. Line the edge of the tart with the halves, wide side against the crust, and place a whole slice in the center or berries. Cover with plastic wrap and chill before serving.

Pate Brisee

1 1/4 C flour

1 t salt

1 stick unsalted butter (cubed and cold)

1/8 C ice water (more if needed)

Place flour, salt, and butter in a food processor. Pulse until it looks like small crumbs. With the machine running, slowly add water until dough just starts to come together. Use the water sparingly, you do want the dough to become sticky.

Place dough into a 10" tart pan and press along bottom moving outward up the sides (you may roll dough before placing it in tart pan, I prefer to do this by hand). Do not force or stretch the dough because a thin spot may cause the filling to leak. The dough edges should be a little bit higher than the side of the tart pan to help prevent shrinkage. Prick the bottom of the shell with your fork. Press a piece of foil (12"x13") into the edges of the shell completely touching and covering the entire shell. Chill for at least a half an hour.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Completely fill the foil covered shell with pie weights or dried beans. Put the shell into the preheated oven and bake for 20 minutes. Take out of the oven and remove beans and foil.    Return to the oven for about 10 minutes and bake until golden brown. Let cool on wire rack.

The shell is ready to fill!

This makes dough for one pastry crust, but may easily be doubled and frozen for another use.

Until tomorrow...Peace.