Spring has sprung
On a cool and rainy Monday afternoon, it’d be easy to grumble a bit and wish the vestiges of winter would just leave for good already, but memories of our perfect weekend weather keep my emotions in check. The sun and warmth had such a curative effect on my doldrums that I BAKED, people — and if that isn’t a testament to spring’s power, then I don’t know what is.
So welcome, Spring, and please don’t rush off so quickly. Perhaps I could tempt you to hang around with a nice lemon tart or two…
Pucker up!
recipe after the jump
Lemon Curd Tart with Olive Oil from Epicurious
I made four mini tarts (4-inch diameter pans) instead one large and topped them with blackberries, but stuck to the recipe otherwise. The lemon curd is so delicious, I may just forgo the shell next time.
For tart shell:
2 tablespoons almonds with skins, toasted and cooled
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup confectioners sugar
Pinch of fine sea salt
1/2 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 large egg yolk
3 1/2 tablespoons fruity olive oil (preferably French)
For lemon curd:
3 large lemons
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 whole large eggs plus 2 large yolks
1/2 stick unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 tablespoons fruity olive oil (preferably French)
Make tart shell:
Preheat oven to 425°F with rack in middle.
Pulse almonds with flour, sugar, and sea salt to a fine powder in a food processor. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal with some small (roughly pea-size) butter lumps.
Add yolk and oil and pulse until just incorporated and a very soft dough has formed.
Spread dough evenly over bottom and up side of pan with offset spatula. Chill until firm, about 30 minutes.
Bake shell until golden brown all over, about 13 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely, about 30 minutes.
Make curd:
Grate enough zest from lemons to measure 1 tablespoon, then squeeze 3/4 cup juice from lemons.
Whisk together lemon zest and juice, sugar, cornstarch, whole eggs, and yolks in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking constantly. Boil, whisking, 2 minutes.
Remove from heat and whisk in butter and oil until smooth.
Assemble tart:
Pour lemon curd into cooled shell and chill until set, at least 2 hours.
YUM–so delicious! I love lemon tarts, and these look particularly fantastic…beautiful photographs!
Comment by sara — April 20, 2009 @ 6:38 pm
Ohh delicious and I love lemon tarts which I happened to have baked a week ago. Fantastic shots and beautifully presented.
Comment by jo — April 20, 2009 @ 11:17 pm
could those photos be any more gorgeous?
no…
of course, i don’t do pastry
i refuse
but if you made them for me i would eat them happily
i’d even pay for the shipping AND handling
Comment by claudia (cook eat FRET) — April 21, 2009 @ 12:06 am
gorgeous, amy!! i think i need you to design my site
Comment by megan — April 21, 2009 @ 5:07 pm
Thanks, everybody! I’m just happy to finally post a picture that isn’t predominantly brown!
Comment by Amy — April 22, 2009 @ 6:47 pm
Those are just gorgeous!
I’ve had mixed results when making lemon curd, I’ll have to give this one a try.
Comment by brilynn — April 22, 2009 @ 10:06 pm
These phots are amazing!! I am having a fit over that recipe – thank you for sharing this!!
Comment by Sabina — April 23, 2009 @ 12:25 pm
There are many reasons why I love lemons and their zesty yellow, and you have captured them perfectly here. Now, what can you do with limes?!??
Comment by Cecily — April 23, 2009 @ 4:51 pm
I absolutely love the idea of a tart shell with olive oil – and lemon is my #1 favorite flavor.
These look delicious and the photos are breathtaking!
Comment by Patricia Scarpin — April 24, 2009 @ 11:21 am
What gorgeous pictures! Nothing says spring to me like yellow. I bet these would be phenomenal with meyer lemons.
Comment by Kasey — April 30, 2009 @ 4:52 pm
Olive oil is very tasty and has some nutty taste too.`-”
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Comment by Conroy — September 14, 2011 @ 11:21 am