Creamy Lemon Tart

Happy Easter last week!

So last week Dillon had Friday off, and since I always have Friday off we decided to be productive and get a million things done before the holiday weekend. One of those things was to get another candle since our current one is running low and our apartment smells like weird old diaper carpet (why???).

Last time we bought it at Bed Bath and Beyond so we headed there with our store credit and a coupon. Sadly, after searching the store a sales lady told us that they "got rid of" those candles (I envisioned them chucking them all into a dumpster or something by the way she phrased it).

So we wandered the store to see if there was anything we needed, you know, since we drove all that way (not very far...). But let's be honest, they have a whole huge kitchen section so of course there was stuff I was going to need. In true Dillon fashion we found something on clearance--a set of twelve super cute little dessert dishes with mini spoons! So we snagged that and some cute little tart tins I've had my eye on.

Naturally I wanted to use both my new things as soon as possible, so for Easter dessert I made pots de creme in the dessert dishes and lemon tarts with the tins! I've been super into citrus desserts lately, who knows why.  I think they both turned out great--the chocolate is sweet enough that you don't need much so the small dishes were perfect, and the tart lemon contrasted with the sweetness of the chocolate.

Creamy Lemon Tart

for the curd:
2 eggs plus 2 egg yolks (or 3 whole eggs)
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2-3 lemons for both zest and juice)
2 Tablespoons heavy cream
1/2 cup butter, cubed

for the shell:
1¼ c flour
1/2 c powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 c cold butter, cut into small cubes
1 large egg

To make the shell/s:

Preheat the oven to 375*

Mix flour, sugar, and salt together in a bowl then cut the butter in with a pastry cutter. Add egg and stir until it starts to clump together.

Turn dough to a lightly floured surface and form into a ball. Roll the dough out into an 11-inch circle, then place gently into a 9-inch tart pan (preferably with a removable bottom), trim the edges of the pastry to fit the tart pan. Cover pan with plastic wrap and place in the freezer until firm, about 30 minutes. Frozen dough is less prone to shrinking while baking. If using mini tart tins, cut to size and then press in.

Press parchment paper or aluminum foil tightly against the crust, covering the edges to prevent them from burning. Fill with pie weights/dried beans/uncooked rice, making sure they’re fully distributed over the entire surface. I don't do that with the little ones, but you can if you want.

Bake crust for 20 minutes if using the large tart pan, until foil no longer sticks to the dough. Transfer crust to a wire rack and remove weights and foil, then cook for 10 more mins.  If using the small, you'll need to experiment based off of size, but mine took 15 mins.

To make the lemon curd:

In a medium heatproof bowl, place eggs, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and heavy cream and whisk to combine. Place the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and cook on moderate heat, whisking constantly, until mixture becomes thick. It can take a while, mine took a good 15 mins to thicken. It will thicken more once cooled.

Remove from heat and add butter, a few cubes at a time, whisking until completely melted and incorporated.

Allow to cool to room temperature before filling the tart/s. Fill the tart shell/s with lemon curd, then refrigerate for at least 4 hours until chilled.