Whole Lemon Tart

I had been in the mood of making a lemon tart for some time now using a recipe from Dorie Greenspan's book. I guess the final straw came when I saw a tart recipe posted up in Smitten Kitchen's blog. Lemons do so well in any dessert recipes and furthermore it's a readily available fruit all year round. I've made lemon slice before but have never attempted a lemon tart. I would image it's pretty close to a slice as it does have a biscuit-like base and sitting on top of it would be a lemon filing. However the filing of this particular tart is what makes it stand out amongst other lemon filing. It calls for the use of an entire lemon ... yes, you heard me right, one full lemon, skin, white rind and pulp is used. When I read the recipe, I wasn't sure about it. I've heard that the white rind should not be used as it gives a certain bitterness to the recipe. However if it had worked for the talented Smitten Kitchen, who am I to argue about it!


I've made her "unshrinkable" pie shell recipe before into a fresh mango tart and I have not been disappointed one ounce. So with her pie shell recipe at hand plus the lemon tart recipe, I dived right into this project. I made the pie shell the night before, unbaked of course, wrapped it nicely and placed it into the fridge. The next afternoon, I made the lemon filing and baked off the tart. Based on the recipe, I turned this into an 8" lemon tart with 2 smaller tart ramikins. I was going to give the 8" lemon tart to a fellow baker friend and the other smaller tarts for tea-time for myself and my hubby. We enjoyed it thorough. The pastry was flaky, buttery and soft and the lemon filing was certainly tart. Excellent dessert with our afternoon cup of coffee. This is definitely a recipe I'll bookmark to make when friends come around.


Whole Lemon Tart
Adapted from Rollet-Pradier via Dorie Greenspan’s Paris Sweets

1 partially baked 9-inch (24-cm) Great Unshrinkable Tart Shell recipe or your favorite sweet tart shell
1 average-sized lemon (about 4 1/2 ounces; 130 grams), rinsed and dried (a regular lemon works fine but a Meyer lemon works even better; the former will taste sharper, the latter more mild)
1 1/2 cups (300 grams) sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 1/2 tablespoons (12 grams) cornstarch
1 stick (4 ounces; 115 grams) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Method:

1) Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven 325°F (165°C). Line a trimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and put the tart shell on the sheet.

2) Slice the lemon into thin wedges, remove the seeds, and toss the lemon and sugar into the container of a blender or food processor. Blend or process, scraping down the sides of the container as needed, until the lemon is thoroughly pureed and blended with the sugar, 1 to 2 minutes.

3) Turn the mixture into a bowl and, using a whisk, gently stir in the whole egg and the yolk, followed by the cornstarch and melted butter. Pour the filling into the crust.

4) Slide the baking sheet into the oven and bake the tart for 20 minutes. Increase the oven temperature to 350°F (180°C) and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes, or until the filling is bubbling and lightly browned.

5) Transfer the tart, still on the baking sheet, to a cooling rack and allow it to cool for at least 20 minutes before removing it from the pan. The tart is ready to be served when it reaches room temperature.

6) Best served on the day it is made, slightly warm. However it can be kept in the refrigerator overnight; bring to cool room temperature before serving.