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French Lemon Tart

Source of Recipe


LHJ, Recipes 2000






List of Ingredients



• -- Pastry --
  
• 1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  
• 1/3 cup confectioners' sugar
  
• 1 tsp grated lemon peel
  
• 1/2 cup cold butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (no substitutes)
  
• 1 large egg yolk, beaten
  
• *
  
• -- Filling --
  
• 1 cup granulated sugar
  
• 4 large eggs
  
• 2 large egg yolks
  
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
  
• 1/2 cup butter, cut into 8 pieces (no substitutes)
  
• 1 Tbsp grated lemon peel
  
• *
  
• Fresh mint sprigs and lemon peel, for garnish (optional)
  






Instructions



1. Adjust oven rack to lower third of oven. Heat oven to 375 degrees (F).
   
   
2. Make Pastry: Process flour, confectioners' sugar and lemon peel in a food processor until blended. Add cold butter and process, pulsing, until mixture has the texture of fine meal. Drizzle beaten yolk over flour mixture, and pulse just until pastry begins to hold together. (If mixture is crumbly, that's okay.) Press pastry evenly along bottom and side of a 9-1/2-inch tart pan with removable bottom. Place pastry in freezer for 10 minutes.
   
   
3. Bake pastry shell 18 to 20 minutes, until golden. Cool in pan on a wire rack.
   
   
4. Make Filling: Whisk together sugar, eggs and egg yolks in a 2- or 3-quart saucepan until blended; whisk in lemon juice and butter. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until mixture thickens (it should be the consistency of warm pudding) and temperature registers 160 degrees (F) on an instant-read thermometer, about 15 minutes.
   
   
5. Strain filling through a fine sieve into a bowl, pressing with a spatula. Stir in grated lemon peel. Pour hot filling into cooled crust. Bake tart 10 to 12 minutes more, until filling is just set. (Do not overbake. If center of filling jiggles slightly, that's okay; it will set as it cools.) Cool completely on a wire rack, 1-1/2 hours.
   
   Garnish with mint and lemon peel, if desired.
   
   Makes 12 servings.