thebakingpan.com

Lemon Tart with Almond Crust

by

Yum
Save Print
Lemon Tart with Almond Crust
A buttery almond pastry crust balances the flavor of the sweet, yet tart lemon filling. A beautiful dessert for Valentines Day, Easter, or any special occasion. Serve this delicious tart plain or with whipped cream, and garnished with lemon peel spirals.
Recipe type: Dessert | Custard Tart
Serves: 6 to 8
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Recipe Notes
Pan: One 9" Tart with Removeable Bottom Pastry: Almond Pastry Prep: Baked Starting Oven Temp: 400° Storage: Cover and Refrigerate

TheBakingPan Recommends: The BEST instant read thermometer I’ve used for cooking and baking; the ThermoWorks Splash-Proof Super-Fast Thermapen Thermometer is incredibly fast, ThermoWorks Splash-Proof Super-Fast Thermapenaccurate, and well worth the investment. I use my Thermapen Thermometer for checking room temperature ingredients, tempering chocolate, baking bread, making pastry creams, sugar syrup, caramel, and candy, cooking meats and fish, and deep frying. Thermapen Thermometer available here.
Ingredients
Almond Pastry:
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup blanched almonds, toasted, and finely ground
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled, cut into small pieces
  • ½ teaspoon pure almond extract
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons ice water
Filling:
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 3 large egg yolks
  • 2 tablespoons grated lemon zest (about 2 lemons)
  • ¾ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Prepare one 9 inch tart pan with a removable bottom; lightly grease the bottom and sides of the pan with butter.
Almond Pastry:
  1. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, ground almonds, sugar, and salt. With a pastry blender, cut butter into the flour mixture until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Or, process in a food processor. Add almond extract and 2 tablespoons ice water. Stir until mixture holds together when pinched with your fingers. If pastry is too dry, add additional 1 tablespoon ice water.
  2. Press pastry evenly into tart pan, patting pastry evenly over bottom and up the sides, flush with the rim of the pan.
  3. Bake: Place the pastry lined tart pan on a baking sheet, and bake 15 to 20 minutes or until very light golden brown. Remove from oven and cool on a wire cooling rack. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees F.
Filling:
  1. In a medium heavy saucepan over low heat, combine sugar, eggs, egg yolks, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt, and butter. Cook and stir with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon until butter is melted and mixture is thickened, about 7 to 8 minutes or registers 170 degrees using a candy or instant read thermometer to gauge the temperature. Remove from heat.
  2. Immediately pour hot mixture through a fine-mesh sieve to strain out the lemon zest and any pieces of cooked egg; pour into baked tart crust.
  3. Bake: Bake 20 minutes. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Tip: filling will still be loose and jiggly after baking but will firm as it cools.
  4. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Refrigerate leftovers.