Every once in a white, in the middle of gray winters, you need something bright. Something tangy. Something vibrant. Enter this tart. As you all know, I have this “thing” for Meyer lemons and it is the season right now, so I made this tart. I’m made things before with the rosemary and Meyer lemon combination and I really love it.
Ingredients
for the candied lemons
10 mini lemons*, thinly sliced
3 cups water to blanch lemon slices
2 cup water
3 cups granulated sugar
for the crust
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar, plus more for sprinkling
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon very finely chopped fresh rosemary
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
10 tablespoons unsalted butter
for the filling
4 to 6 Meyer lemons (3/4 cup juice, 1 tablespoon zest)
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs plus 3 yolks
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
Pinch of fine sea salt
4 tablespoons cold butter, cut into cubes
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Directions
First make the lemon slices. You will need a minimum of 24 hours for them to harden/set, so plan ahead (they can be made up to a week in advance). Thinly slice lemons. Blanch in 3 cups boiling water for 7 minutes; remove to an ice water bath. In the same saucepan, stir together 2 cups water and 3 cups sugar; stir to dissolve sugar. Add blanched lemon slices and heat until the mixture starts to boil slightly. Reduce to simmer; simmer uncovered for 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally and flipping the lemon slices over a few times. Remove from heat.
Spray a cooling rack with non-stick spray and place individual lemon slices in a single layer to dry for up to 24 hours (depends on how humid it is when you are making these). If making ahead of time, store in an airtight container separated with wax paper.
To make the pastry crust, pulse together the flour, granulated sugar, confectioners’ sugar, lemon zest, rosemary and salt in a food processor. Add butter and pulse to cut the butter into the flour until a crumbly dough forms. Roll into a ball and refrigerate for an hour, until the dough is hard enough to roll. Generously spray a 10-inch tart pan, preferably with a removable bottom, with baking spray. When cooled, roll to a 12-inch circle and fit to your tart shell, folding under the edge and docking. Return to the refrigerator for another hour; or to the freezer for 30 minutes.
Pre-heat oven to 325F.
Remove crust from the refrigerator, line with foil and pie weights. Bake for 30-35 minutes, then remove the foil and weights and bake for an additional 15 minutes, until golden brown.
While the crust is baking, prepare the lemon curd: Grate a tablespoon zest from the lemons and set aside. Squeeze the lemons to yield 3/4 cup juice. In a small saucepan, whisk together lemon juice, sugar, eggs and yolks, cornstarch and fine sea salt over medium heat until boiling and thickened, 2 to 5 minutes. Make sure mixture comes to a boil or the cornstarch won’t activate. Remove from heat and strain into a bowl. Whisk in butter, olive oil and lemon zest.
When the pastry is ready, take it out of the oven and carefully pour the lemon curd onto the base; return the pan to the oven. Bake until topping is just set, 10 to 15 minutes more. Allow to cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until cold. About an hour before you are ready to serve, take the tart from the refrigerator and garnish with the candied mini-lemons. They don’t do well in the fridge (get all soft and unappealing). They make a great garnish, but are also edible, rind and all.
*Mini lemons are sometimes also called Limequots. They aren’t that easy to find. Meyer lemons of the usual size will also work; you will need 3 or so.
