Not quite over my Meyer Lemon kick yet, so I thought that I would make these tartlets. The addition of the pistachios is unique, but I had run out of other nuts (initial thought had been cashews) but these turned out ok in the end. If I were to make them again, maybe I’d up the butter quotient in the tartlets though, because they were very crumbly taking them out of the tart pans. The quick curd was lovely though.
Ingredients
for the pastry crust
1 1/4 cups flour
1/4 cup shelled roasted pistachios, finely ground
1/3 cup sugar
pinch of salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
for the filling
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/3 cup sugar
3tablespoons Meyer lemon zest (zest of 4-5 lemons)
2/3 cup fresh Meyer lemon juice
3 tablespoons all purpose flour
pinch of salt
for the candied pistachios
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons hot water
6 tablespoons shelled roasted pistachios
1 1/2 tablespoons Turbinado sugar
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350F and spray six 3 1/2-inch tartlet pans with nonstick spray; place on a rimmed baking sheet.
Whisk together flour, ground pistachios, sugar, and salt in a medium bowl. Cook butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly until it foams, turns clear, and then turns a deep brown, about 6 minutes. Add brown butter to flour mixture and stir until incorporated. Press 1/4 cup mixture in the bottom and up the sides of prepared tartlet pans. Bake for 10 minutes, until slightly puffed and set.
Meanwhile, prepare filling. Lightly whisk eggs in a medium bowl. Whisk in sugar, Meyer lemon zest, lemon juice, flour, and salt until smooth. Reduce oven temperature to 325F and slowly pour filling over hot tartlet shells; return to oven and bake until filling is firm, 12 to 13 minutes. Cool tartlets completely on wire rack before releasing from pans, then cover and place in the refrigerator until chilled.
For the candied pistachios, increase oven temperature to 350F and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Whisk together sugar and hot water in a small bowl until sugar is dissolved. Add pistachios and turbinado sugar; toss to coat. Spread the pistachios in a single layer and bake until crisp, about 8 minutes. Let cool, then break into pieces.
When ready to serve, dust tartlets with powdered sugar and top with candied pistachios. Store leftover tartlets overnight in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
