We have lemons coming out of our ears. A few years back my husband planted a Meyer lemon tree- we patiently waited for the bounty. Well, it has arrived- loads and loads of lemons; bright and beautiful. Now what the heck should we do with all of these lemons? I thought I had the perfect answer- display them in a big red bowl and set them on my dining room table. I pranced by admiring my brilliant creativity & domesticity. I was feeling pretty good-even a friend commented on how nice our table looked. But, there it was, the guilt. It was creeping in….Good people across the world nurture and care for their gardens, and not to just display their good fortune in a bowl! Okay, I give in. I would create something with this gift and share my bounty.
I recalled that my Mom had given me a cookbook back in 2005 for Christmas- Luscious Lemon Desserts,by Lori Longbotham. The inscription said- “looked so good, I bought one, too. Love, Mom.” Well, my copy has been sitting in the cupboard stuffed behind Bobby Flay and the like. I dug it out, and flipped through the pages. I conferred with the tea drinker- “This could be fun. We can bake all day, drink fabulous Drink the Leaf loose leaf teas, and eat dessert in the middle of the afternoon!” He was not convinced. (read: Dan thinking- not a healthy way to spend the day). So I forged on without him. Lemon bars, lemon meringue pie, lemon tart, and shortbread. The choices were limitless. I chose “The Perfect Lemon Tart”. And, you know what, it was pretty darn close.
I presented the Tea Drinker with the masterpiece. He even raised an eyebrow while eating, and asked me to cut two slices for our neighbors. The next day, the phone rang. The Perfect Lemon Tart had made an impression on the neighbors. Were the lemons actually from your tree??? Yep, I was proud. So much in fact, the following weekend I hopped to it again, and made a lemon tart and lemon bars, to boot. The Lemon tart was shared with my co-workers- to express my gratitude for all their help with recent festivities.
Give it a go, and let me know what you think. The whole process took me less than an hour.
Recipe:
Adapted from: Luscious Lemon Desserts
Shopping List:
10-11” tart pan with removable bottom
1 stick unsalted butter
2 TBSP. Lemon Zest
1 ¾ cups Flour
1 ¼ cups sugar
2 pinches of salt
6 eggs
1 cup of fresh lemon juice( about 7 lemons)
½ cup heavy whipping cream
Confectioner’s sugar( optional) for dusting
Action:
Pre-heat oven to 350
Melt butter in saucepan over med heat, add 1 TBSP of zest. Stand for 5 minutes
Whisk flour, ½ cup of sugar, pinch of salt in small bowl.
Pour butter mixture slowly into flour-mix with fork until dough sticks together between two fingers
Transfer mixture to pan and press to bottom and up sides of pan. Bake for 25 minutes or light golden brown. Remove and rest on wire rack.
Process remaining 1 cup of sugar with 1 TBSP of zest. If you do not have a process just mix well, and chop zest finer.
Whisk together eggs, sugar with zest, lemon juice, and pinch of salt in mixing bowl.
Beat cream with mixer until small peaks form. Fold into egg mixture until just blended.
Place pie crust in pan on baking sheet, and pour filling into the warm crust. Bake for 20-25 minutes until just set. Let tar cool.
Sift confectioner’s sugar, cut, and enjoy!
Oh, and Mom- if you are out there reading this- Dust off that cookbook, and give me a call. I would be happy to send you some lemons.
I recalled that my Mom had given me a cookbook back in 2005 for Christmas- Luscious Lemon Desserts,by Lori Longbotham. The inscription said- “looked so good, I bought one, too. Love, Mom.” Well, my copy has been sitting in the cupboard stuffed behind Bobby Flay and the like. I dug it out, and flipped through the pages. I conferred with the tea drinker- “This could be fun. We can bake all day, drink fabulous Drink the Leaf loose leaf teas, and eat dessert in the middle of the afternoon!” He was not convinced. (read: Dan thinking- not a healthy way to spend the day). So I forged on without him. Lemon bars, lemon meringue pie, lemon tart, and shortbread. The choices were limitless. I chose “The Perfect Lemon Tart”. And, you know what, it was pretty darn close.
I presented the Tea Drinker with the masterpiece. He even raised an eyebrow while eating, and asked me to cut two slices for our neighbors. The next day, the phone rang. The Perfect Lemon Tart had made an impression on the neighbors. Were the lemons actually from your tree??? Yep, I was proud. So much in fact, the following weekend I hopped to it again, and made a lemon tart and lemon bars, to boot. The Lemon tart was shared with my co-workers- to express my gratitude for all their help with recent festivities.
Give it a go, and let me know what you think. The whole process took me less than an hour.
Recipe:
Adapted from: Luscious Lemon Desserts
Shopping List:
10-11” tart pan with removable bottom
1 stick unsalted butter
2 TBSP. Lemon Zest
1 ¾ cups Flour
1 ¼ cups sugar
2 pinches of salt
6 eggs
1 cup of fresh lemon juice( about 7 lemons)
½ cup heavy whipping cream
Confectioner’s sugar( optional) for dusting
Action:
Pre-heat oven to 350
Melt butter in saucepan over med heat, add 1 TBSP of zest. Stand for 5 minutes
Whisk flour, ½ cup of sugar, pinch of salt in small bowl.
Pour butter mixture slowly into flour-mix with fork until dough sticks together between two fingers
Transfer mixture to pan and press to bottom and up sides of pan. Bake for 25 minutes or light golden brown. Remove and rest on wire rack.
Process remaining 1 cup of sugar with 1 TBSP of zest. If you do not have a process just mix well, and chop zest finer.
Whisk together eggs, sugar with zest, lemon juice, and pinch of salt in mixing bowl.
Beat cream with mixer until small peaks form. Fold into egg mixture until just blended.
Place pie crust in pan on baking sheet, and pour filling into the warm crust. Bake for 20-25 minutes until just set. Let tar cool.
Sift confectioner’s sugar, cut, and enjoy!
Oh, and Mom- if you are out there reading this- Dust off that cookbook, and give me a call. I would be happy to send you some lemons.
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2 comments:
Do you think you might Fed Ex me some lemons so that I can try this near perfect Lemon Tart? Rob is very excited about it! ;-)
I have a wait list :)
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