Lemon Brulee Tarts

Spring is a riot of color. Fresh greens and lemon yellow are resplendent in hedges, daffodils and budding trees. So a lemon yellow tart for Easter should be rather appropriate. A tart with a burnt crust might just intrigue the palate. 

Small tarts shells are lined with pate sucre and baked blind. A rich, buttery lemon curd is whisked, cooled and spooned into baked tart shells. The cooled filling is then covered with demerara sugar and broiled till golden. But if you have a hand held torch you would have better results. The broiler is a little tricky, but suffices if that is your only option. 

The resulting bite is a crunchy, sweet, lemony bite. Delicious!


LEMON BRULEE TARTS
Makes 15 mini tarts


Pate Sucre/ Shortcrust Pastry
1 1/4 cup all purpose Flour
1 tablespoon Sugar
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1/4 cup Butter
1/4 cup Crisco or Vegetable Shortening
3-5 tablespoons Cold Water


Lemon Filling
1/2 cup Sugar
2 Eggs, at room temperature
2 Lemons, zested
1/3 cup Lemon Juice
5 tablespoons Butter
Pinch of Salt

12-15 teaspoons Demerara Sugar





Make the pastry by placing flour, sugar, salt in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse a few times.

Cut butter and Crisco into small pieces. Add to flour and pulse till mix looks like small peas.

Spoon water over flour and pulse again till mix comes together.

Gather dough together on a plate. Make a flat disc. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 20 minutes.

Prepare mini fluted tart tins.

Cut aluminum foil into 15 3x3 inch squares. 

Heat oven to 350F.

Pinch off a walnut sized ball of pastry. Place it in the center of the tart tin. Use your thumb to flatten the pastry so that it lines the tin. Keep on a baking tray.

Place one square of foil over tart tin. Press down to cover pastry. Add a couple of tablespoons of dried beans or pie weights in the center. 

Repeat with the rest of the tins.

Bake tarts for 20 minutes. 

Take them out of the oven and cool. 

Remove foil and beans. The beans could be saved as baking beans. 

Make the filling while the tarts bake.

Beat sugar, eggs, lemon zest and juice in a non reactive bowl. (Stainless steel works best)

Cook over low heat till thick and bubbly.

Cut butter into small pieces. Whisk into hot lemon curd. 

When lemon curd cools, spoon it into baked tarts. 

Refrigerate until ready to broil.

Start broiler on high.

Spoon a heaped teaspoon of demerara sugar over the lemon curd.

Broil till sugar is bubbling.

Remove from oven. 

Cool for a few minutes and serve. 

Easter is about celebrating with family. That our table is laden is a blessing. A tart ending to a sweet gathering.

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