I tend to get excited when it comes to desserts and nothing makes me more excited than a lemon tart! The tart, sweet combo is perfect.
In summer, this lemon tart tends to be a go-to dessert for me and is adapted from one my grandmother used to make. It requires very little oven time so when the temperature heats up, you are going to want to have this in your repertoire. In fact, I cook the lemon curd on the stove top and bake the almond graham cracker crust in the toaster oven, so I don't use the oven at all! I have a Breville toaster oven and a 9-inch tart pan fits smashingly well inside. It's amazing how much I use this mini-oven during warmer summer months. Do you use your toaster oven to cook when it gets warm?
To take this tart to the next level, I love to top it with fresh fruit, flowers and mint. I'm so lucky to live close to a number of local berry farms in the Fraser Valley. Fresh strawberries, raspberries and blackberries are amazing when you eat them the same day they are picked from the vine. In fact, my first job ever (aside from babysitting) was picking raspberries at a farm in Abbotsford. Let me tell you, it was long hours and tough work for very little pay. My arms were covered in scratches for weeks. Picking berries certainly gave me an appreciation for farmers and farm labourers. Even more reason to buy local, if you can.
This lemon tart is the second last recipe on my Mediterranean themed Father's Day dinner menu. Aside from the lemon tree in Palm Springs, where I often visit, some of the best lemons I have ever tasted was while travelling along the Mediterranean. There is something so amazing about the simplicity and the freshness of ingredients in the food you eat along the Mediterranean Sea. This tart was inspired by one I had in Italy. The lemon curd is both sweet and tartly balanced. The crust is a combo of graham crackers and almond meal for texture and nuttiness. The fresh fruit, mint and edible flowers add flavour, colour and a wow-factor on any table.
I hope you enjoy!
Krista
Lemon Tart with Almond Graham Cracker Crust
makes one 9-inch tart and 2 mini 4-inch tartlets
Ingredients
For the Crust
1.5 cups graham cracker crumbs ( you can do this in a food processor or buy the pre-crumbed crackers)
6 tbsp melted, unsalted butter
1/4 cup almond meal
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
For the Lemon Curd
1 1/2 cups sugar
zest of 4 fresh lemons
juice of 4 fresh lemons, about 1/2 cup
1 stick of butter, unsalted
4 eggs
1/4 tsp salt
Garnish: blackberries, blueberries, lemon wheels, edible flowers and mint
Method
For the Crust
Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Combine and mix all crust ingredients in a medium sized bowl, until clumpy. Pour crumb mixture into a 9-inch removable-bottom tart dish. Use fingers to flatten and move crumbs along the bottom and up the sides of the tart dish, until crumbs are flush with the edge and firmly packed down. Place tart dish into oven for 8 minutes, or until you can smell the crust toasting. It should be a light golden brown colour. Remove from oven and let chill to room temperature, about an hour.
*I had enough crust mixture to make one 9-inch tart dish and 2, 4-inch mini tartlet dishes.
For the Lemon Curd
Zest lemons, then juice them, keeping them in separate bowls reserving the juice for later. Combine the lemon zest with the sugar in a medium sized bowl. Let rest for a few minutes while the oil from the zest infuses into the sugar.
In a mixer, cream the butter. When it is fluffy looking, about 2 minutes, add the sugar zest mixture. Once the butter and sugar is creamed, add eggs one at a time, allowing each one to completely mix-in before adding the next. Add the salt, then slowly drizzle the lemon juice into the mixture. At this point, it might look a bit curdled due to the eggs and the acid in the lemon juice. Don't worry, you will be cooking the mixture, this is okay.
Pour the ingredients into a medium sized saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat whisking continuously until the mixture begins to thicken, about 10-13 minutes. The lemon curd needs to reach 175 degrees on a thermometer, for thickening to occur. 175 degrees should be just below a rolling simmer. Pour thickened curd into the room temperature crust and allow to set at room temperature.
Once curd has set, after about two hours, top with fresh fruit, flowers, lemon wheels and mint.
Before serving, dust with a sprinkling of powdered sugar for a softened effect.
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