EQUIPMENT: food processor, one 10½-inch (27 cm) removable-bottom tart pan, double boiler or a nonreactive metal bowl over a pan of water
PREPARATION TIME: 20 minutes
BAKING TIME: 12 to 15 minutes
DIFFICULTY LEVEL: simple to medium (the only trick is rolling out the pastry)
For the pastry:
1½ cups (200 g) all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
7 tablespoons (105 g) unsalted butter, chilled, cut into 7 pieces
⅓ to ½ cup (80 to 125 ml) chilled water
For the lemon cream:
7 tablespoons (105 g) unsalted butter
1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
4 large eggs
¾ cup (185 ml) fresh lemon juice (from about 3 large lemons)
Zest of 1 lemon, minced (about 2 teaspoons zest), preferably from an organic lemon
Make the pastry: Place the flour and salt in a food processor and process to mix. Add the butter and process until the mixture looks like coarse cornmeal. With the food processor running, drizzle in the water and process just until the mixture comes together; stop before it forms a ball. The pastry should be quite damp. Turn it out onto a work surface, form it into a flat disk, cover, and let sit for 1 hour. Roll it out and fit it into a 10½-inch (27 cm) tart pan, then refrigerate for 1 hour, or freeze for 20 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C).
Prick the bottom of the pastry all over with the tines of a fork, then line it with aluminum foil and weight it with pastry weights. Bake in the center of the oven until the pastry is golden around the edges and on the bottom, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from the oven, remove the aluminum foil and the weights from the pastry, and return the pastry to the oven to bake until golden all over, about 10 additional minutes. Remove the pastry from the oven and let cool.
Make the lemon cream: Place the butter and sugar in a double boiler set over medium heat so the water is gently boiling, and stir until the butter is melted. Add the eggs, one at a time, whisking well after each addition so they are thoroughly blended into the butter and sugar. Add the lemon juice, whisk, and cook, stirring gently, until the mixture is thickened, 6 to 7 minutes. Remove the double boiler from the heat, then remove the top pan holding the lemon cream and let it cool to room temperature. Stir in the lemon zest. If you have made this the day before serving, transfer it to an airtight container and refrigerate. Remove from the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before you assemble the tart, so the lemon cream is spreadable.
If you have made this the day that you’re planning to serve it, spread the pastry with the lemon mixture and refrigerate for at least 2 and up to 3 hours before you plan to serve it.
PREPARATION TIME: 20 minutes
BAKING TIME: 12 to 15 minutes
DIFFICULTY LEVEL: simple to medium (the only trick is rolling out the pastry)
For the pastry:
1½ cups (200 g) all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
7 tablespoons (105 g) unsalted butter, chilled, cut into 7 pieces
⅓ to ½ cup (80 to 125 ml) chilled water
For the lemon cream:
7 tablespoons (105 g) unsalted butter
1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
4 large eggs
¾ cup (185 ml) fresh lemon juice (from about 3 large lemons)
Zest of 1 lemon, minced (about 2 teaspoons zest), preferably from an organic lemon
Make the pastry: Place the flour and salt in a food processor and process to mix. Add the butter and process until the mixture looks like coarse cornmeal. With the food processor running, drizzle in the water and process just until the mixture comes together; stop before it forms a ball. The pastry should be quite damp. Turn it out onto a work surface, form it into a flat disk, cover, and let sit for 1 hour. Roll it out and fit it into a 10½-inch (27 cm) tart pan, then refrigerate for 1 hour, or freeze for 20 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C).
Prick the bottom of the pastry all over with the tines of a fork, then line it with aluminum foil and weight it with pastry weights. Bake in the center of the oven until the pastry is golden around the edges and on the bottom, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from the oven, remove the aluminum foil and the weights from the pastry, and return the pastry to the oven to bake until golden all over, about 10 additional minutes. Remove the pastry from the oven and let cool.
Make the lemon cream: Place the butter and sugar in a double boiler set over medium heat so the water is gently boiling, and stir until the butter is melted. Add the eggs, one at a time, whisking well after each addition so they are thoroughly blended into the butter and sugar. Add the lemon juice, whisk, and cook, stirring gently, until the mixture is thickened, 6 to 7 minutes. Remove the double boiler from the heat, then remove the top pan holding the lemon cream and let it cool to room temperature. Stir in the lemon zest. If you have made this the day before serving, transfer it to an airtight container and refrigerate. Remove from the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before you assemble the tart, so the lemon cream is spreadable.
If you have made this the day that you’re planning to serve it, spread the pastry with the lemon mixture and refrigerate for at least 2 and up to 3 hours before you plan to serve it.
