Last night, I walked into a friend’s house and she looked down at this tart and said to me, “I love you. I really love you.” I ask you, is there any better reason to make Pierre Herme’s Most Extraordinary French Lemon Cream Tart? It starts with a sweet tart dough, which is pressed into a 9 inch tart pan (no rolling necessary!), frozen for a little while, and then fully baked. Both recipes come to us via Dorie Greenspan, and are also found in her book, Baking From My Home to Yours.
The filling is basically a lemon curd lightened with a ton of butter. (In the same way that folding whipped cream into something lightens it. Definitely not the Cooking Light kind of light.)
You begin by rubbing the lemon zest into the sugar with your fingers, which is kind of fun. Then you add lemon juice and eggs, and heat it, while whisking constantly, in a double boiler (or bowl set in a pan of simmering water) until the lemon mixture reaches 180 degrees. At that point, you put the lemon mixture into a blender and add the butter, bit at a time. I dare you to not take a taste or more. The texture, from all that blending, is soft and light. The cream tastes tart and intensely lemony. The contrast between the creamy filling and the crispy shortbread crust is just delightful. So while summer heats up, cool down with this lemon tart, and share the love. There’s enough for everyone!
p.s. I’m off to Aspen for a few days, so my usual Monday bread post will be delayed. However, this week’s recipe was for a crazy corn and bacon filled cornbread that was off-the-charts yummy. I’ll be posting about it as soon as I return.
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I love lemons in dessert and this tart looks amazing! Thanks for sharing this recipe!
You are so welcome, Karine!