Meyer Lemon Curd Tart With Shortbread Crust Recipes

MEYER LEMON CURD TART WITH SHORTBREAD CRUST

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9" tart pan (the kind where the bottom comes out). Set aside.
• Combine flour, confectioners' sugar, and salt. Melt butter and vanilla extract in a small bowl in the microwave in 30 second increments until melted. Stir butter into flour mixture with a spoon until all incorporated. Press mixture into the sides of the pan with your fingers then work your way to the middle, using a measuring cup to make sure the crust stays flat. Bake for 20 minutes or until crust is just barely golden. Let cool.
• Meanwhile, make the curd. Combine 1 cup of lemon juice with the zest from all of the lemons into a medium nonreactive saucepan. Add sugar, butter, and salt, and cook on medium heat until sugar is dissolved and butter is melted.
• In a bowl of a mixer with paddle attachment, combine eggs and egg yolks until well blended. Very slowly add in lemon mixture to eggs until all blended. Return mixture to saucepan and place over low heat. Whisk constantly until the mixture turns into a pudding consistency (this takes me a good 10 minutes of constant whisking). Strain lemon curd into a bowl and cover top with plastic wrap. Let cool for about 30 minutes.
• Turn up oven to 375 degree F. Spoon lemon curd into cooled shortbread crust. Bake until filling has puffed around the edges, about 25-30 minutes. You can cover edges with foil if shortbread crust starts to burn. Cool to room temperature before serving with whipped cream.

MEYER LEMON CURD TART WITH CANDIED LEMON PEELS

Steps:

• For the candied lemon peels: Set a wire rack into a rimmed baking sheet. Use a vegetable peeler to peel 1/2-inch strips from 3 of the lemons; reserve. Juice all 5 lemons (you should have about 1/2 cup); cover and refrigerate the juice. Put the reserved strips of peel into a medium saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring the water to a boil, and cook for 10 minutes. Drain the peels and repeat the process 2 more times. Pat the peels completely dry.
• Add 1/2 cup granulated sugar and 1/4 cup water to a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Add the peels and cook until they start to turn translucent, 6 to 7 minutes. Use tongs to remove them from the saucepan and lie them flat on the prepared rack. Let dry at room temperature, 6 hours and up to overnight. Toss the peels with 1 tablespoon granulated sugar in a small bowl.
• For the shortbread crust: Position an oven rack in the bottom third of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9-inch tart pan with cooking spray.
• Add the flour, butter and confectioners' sugar to a food processor. Pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal with some pea-sized pieces. Add the egg and pulse until the dough comes together. Press the dough into the bottom and up the sides of the prepared tart pan. Prick the dough all over with a fork. Bake until the crust is golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool slightly on a rack, about 30 minutes.
• For the lemon curd: Meanwhile, whisk the reserved lemon juice, eggs, yolks, milk and remaining 1/2 cup granulated sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat until well combined. Add the butter and stir continuously until the mixture is thick and coats the back of a spoon, 10 to 12 minutes. Strain the curd if any lumps form, then pour into the crust and smooth with a spatula.
• Bake until the curd is set, 15 to 17 minutes. Let cool slightly on a rack, about 30 minutes, then transfer to the fridge to cool completely, about 1 hour more. Decorate with the candied peels and serve cold.