Lemon Curd Tartlets

 Have I told you how much I love lemons? I’m pretty sure I have. Lemon desserts are my favorite. Maybe it’s because I was born in the summer. I have no idea, but I love them. That being said, I had never made my own lemon curd, which seemed a bit ridiculous at this point in my life. So, this challenge was all about the curd. The tartlets were just the purest form of shoveling the lemon curd into my face other than just eating it off of a spoon (which I also did- don’t judge. You’ll do it too, then you’ll be like, shit, Jenna, I’m sorry for judging).

You’ll want to make the curd first because it needs time to chill and set up. I used this recipe for the curd from the Queen, Ina: https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/lemon-curd-recipe-1941910

Lemon Curd:

3 lemons *bullshit, Ina.

1 ½ c sugar

¼ pound unsalted butter, room temp (that’s 1 stick)

4 extra-large eggs

½ c lemon juice (3 – 4 lemons) *It took me like 6 lemons. Maybe it’s because my lemons weren’t harvested by virgins, but mine were not that juicy. Buy extra lemons. 

1/8 tsp salt

1. Using a vegetable peeler, remove the zest of 3 lemons, being careful to avoid the white pith. Put the zest in a food processor. Add the sugar and pulse until zest is very finely minced into the sugar.

2. Cream the butter and beat in the sugar and lemon mixture.

3. Add one egg at a time, and then add the lemon juice and salt. Mix until combined.

4. Pour mixture into a 2-quart saucepan and cook over low heat until thickened, about 10 minutes, stirring constantly. The lemon curd will thicken at about 170F, or just below a simmer. Remove from heat and cool or refrigerate. *Check with the back of a wooden spoon. If you can draw a line in the curd and it doesn't fall back together, it's good. I put it in a bowl with plastic wrap touching the top to avoid a film building on the top. Then I put it in the fridge.

I used this recipe for the tart shell: https://asideofsweet.com/lemon-tartlets-with-lemon-curd/

Tart Shell:

1 1/3 c all-purpose flour

1 stick cold, unsalted butter, cubed

¼ c granulated sugar

Pinch of salt

1 egg yolk *second bullshit of the day, folks. I ended up doing 2 egg yolks and a bit of heavy cream to make the dough stick together in a way that felt right to me. You want it to stick together like a pie crust dough.

1. Cut the butter into the flour until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs.

2. Stir in sugar, then add the egg yolk(s) until just combined. Use your hands to work the mixture into a dough.

3. Roll dough onto a floured surface.

4. Cut the pastry into rounds with a cookie cutter (or a cup because that’s what I had) and press into mini cupcake tins. Freeze for 30 minutes.

5. Bake at 350F for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Set aside to cool.

Assembly

1. I don’t feel like I need a whole section of this, but that’s fine.

2. Spoon or pipe the lemon curd into the cooled tart shells.

3. Top with a berry on top. I used blueberries.

Rating (Scale 1 - 5):

Difficulty: 2
Amount of Time: 1
Awesomeness: 5