When I think of dessert the first thing that usually pops into my head is something with chocolate. There’s a hazelnut and chocolate mousse that’s been lurking on my list of “must try recipes”, but when planning my menu for a recent dinner party all I could think about were lemons.

tart

I have a dwarf lemon out back and seemingly overnight it was chock full of lemons. I picked a bunch and squeezed them, but what I really wanted were Meyer lemons. I found gorgeous, large Meyers at the farmers’ market and used them instead. Their flavor is like a cross between a lemon and an orange and the curd for the filling was exactly what I had hoped for. Topped with whipped cream this tart was the perfect combination of a slightly nutty shell and the luscious, citrusy filling.

Lemon Curd Tart (from The Epicurious Cookbook)

For tart shell:
2 tablespoons almonds with skins, toasted and cooled
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup confectioners sugar
Pinch of fine sea salt
1/2 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 large egg yolk
3 1/2 tablespoons fruity olive oil

For lemon curd:
3 large lemons
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 whole large eggs plus 2 large yolks
1/2 stick unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 tablespoons fruity olive oil

Equipment:
a 9-inch round tart pan with removable side; a small offset spatula

Make tart shell:
Preheat oven to 425°F with rack in middle.

Pulse almonds with flour, sugar, and sea salt to a fine powder in a food processor. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal with some small (roughly pea-size) butter lumps.
Add yolk and oil and pulse until just incorporated and a very soft dough has formed.
Spread dough evenly over bottom and up side of pan with offset spatula. Chill until firm, about 30 minutes.
Bake shell until golden brown all over, about 15 minutes. I lined tart shell with foil and pie weights and baked for 10 minutes, then removed and continued to bake for another 5 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely, about 30 minutes.

Make curd:
Grate enough zest from lemons to measure 1 tablespoon, then squeeze 3/4 cup juice from lemons.
Whisk together lemon zest and juice, sugar, cornstarch, whole eggs, and yolks in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking constantly. Boil, whisking, 2 minutes.Remove from heat and whisk in butter and oil until smooth.

Assemble tart:
Pour lemon curd into cooled shell and chill until set, at least 2 hours. Top with whipped cream and serve.

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