Lemons!

     I’m talking a serious volume of juicy orbs from three laden lemon trees in our backyard.  This lemon tart is one way I’ve been using them, made with a delicious 2012 harvest olive oil purchased from Good Faith Farm at the Grand Lake Farmers Market.  The oil is made with organic Sevillano and Picholine olives grown at sustainable Northern California family farms.  This particular oil tastes fruity and is perfect for this familiar dessert with an easy, press-and-bake crust.

     I have been making this tart since I first spied it on Epicurious.com over four years ago whilst in search of ways to use all those lemons.  I often find lemon desserts cloyingly sweet, overpowering the lemon tang that I appreciate.  This one is not too sweet, with plenty of lemon flavor.  For very little effort, this little tart has big flavor and presence.  It can be presented simply as shown, or decorated with lemon slices and sliced, toasted almonds.

     The big bonus is it’s fairly quick to assemble, even for the “I don’t bake!” types who prefer not to fuss over food preparation.  All that is required is a few basic measuring efforts, ability to stir and bring a liquid mixture to a boil, and a food processor.

A few advance tips:

1. Toast the almonds to coax out the most of their flavor.  I do this in a small pan on the stove top.  It only takes about 5 minutes over medium-high heat.  Be sure to watch and stir them to ensure both sides toast evenly.
2. It’s important to prick the bottom of the crust before baking it.  This helps prevent the bottom from puffing up during baking and ensures a flat surface on which to pour the filling.
3. Don’t worry if the sides of the crust shrink down during baking.  The amount of filling in the recipe will fill it just fine.
4. While making the lemon curd, it is important to whisk constantly as the recipe instructs.  C’mon it’s only for a couple of minutes.  You can do it!
5. Evidence of less than thorough whisking is the development of bits of cooked egg whites that are not incorporated into the curd.  If this happens, no big deal, just pick them out with the tip of a knife.  You can do this extraction before pouring the curd into the cooled crust, and do a second pass after you’ve assembled the tart and any unsightly white bits still show.  Purists may be compelled to strain the entire curd mixture after cooking and before pouring into the crust, however, I don’t find this step necessary.

     The photo of the lemon tart here was not “styled” to improve its appearance.  The sides of the crust did shrink about 1/ 4-inch, the lemon curd was not strained, and I did pick a few bits of egg white off the top of the filling.  I think it looks pretty darn good!  And I can confirm it was as tasty as it looks.

Lemon Curd Tart with Olive Oil

Adapted from Gourmet, May 2008 , who adapted it from Rosa Jackson of Les Petits Farcis, Nice, France

Makes one 9” tart

Ingredients

For the crust:

2 tablespoons almonds, with skins, toasted and cooled

3/ 4 cup all-purpose flour

1/ 4 cup confectioner’s (powdered) sugar

Pinch of fine sea salt

4 tablespoons (1/ 2 stick) unsalted butter, cold; cut into 1/ 2-inch cubes

1 large egg yolk

3-1/ 2 tablespoons fruity olive oil

For the lemon curd:

3 large lemons (about)

3/ 4 cup granulated sugar

2 teaspoons cornstarch

2 whole large eggs plus 3 large yolks

4 tablespoons (1/ 2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 1/ 2-inch cubes

2 tablespoons fruity olive oil

Make the crust:  Preheat oven to 425*F with rack in the oven’s middle position.

In a food processor, pulse almonds with flour, confectioner’s sugar and sea salt into a fine powder.  Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal with some small, pea-sized butter lumps.  Add egg yolk and oil; pulse until just incorporated and a very soft dough has formed.  Using your fingers or off-set spatula, spread the dough evenly over the bottom and up the sides of a 9” round tart pan with removable sides.  Chill until firm, about 30 minutes.  Using a fork, prick dozens of holes evenly over the bottom of the crust.  Bake until golden brown all over, about 13 minutes.  Transfer to a rack to cool completely.

Make the lemon curd:  Finely grate zest from lemons to measure 1 tablespoon, then squeeze 3/ 4 cup juice from lemons.  In a medium saucepan, whisk together lemon zest and juice, sugar, cornstarch, whole eggs and yolks.  Bring mixture to a boil over medium heat; boil for two minutes, whisking continuously throughout.  Remove from heat and whisk in butter and oil until smooth.

Assemble the tart:  Pour lemon curd into cooled crust and chill until set, at least 2 hours.

Note:  This tart requires a “fruity” olive oil.  Save your “peppery”, “herbaceous” and “spicy” tasting olive oils for another use.