You’ve got a piece of my tart

Guess I’m on a pie/pastry roll! Last week’s bake was good practice with some pastry and filling, but I obviously couldn’t wait for my tart pans to come in and luckily found the galette recipe to satisfy my pie craving. But this week, my tart pans arrived!

Remember how I told you about that little shopping addiction I’ve got? Well pair that with this habit I’ve got of jumping right into hobbies, and it makes for very little self-control. When I decided last week that I wanted to make all kinds of pies, pastries, and tarts, that translated to an Amazon order of all kinds of tart pans. You never know when you need to make one large tart or 6 mini-sized tarts, right? I like options, okay?

Anyway, I was so so so excited to test out my new tart pans and am still on a kick about mini bakes, so mini tarts it was! And I found this beautiful and actually very easy recipe from amazing lawyer-turned-baker, Vallery Lomas, for a lavender-honey lemon tart.

This recipe gave me some great practice with shortcrust pastry and my first ever curd! I have to admit: I was a little intimidated by the thought of making a lemon curd, but this recipe is super easy to follow. Just make sure to constantly whisk! I think that’s the part that intimidated me the most — curd is not something you can easily multi-task with. However, it does make for a great arm workout. That’s calories you burn making this, which basically justifies eating them right?!

While I would’ve loved to try out the lavender honey bit because that sounds so deliciously fancy, unfortunately lavender is not something on hand in my kitchen (or imaginary garden), so I essentially just skipped that part. However, don’t skip out on the candied lemon step! Even if candied lemons aren’t your thing taste-wise, they make for beautiful decorations. I also used my extra lemon zest to make a sugary, zesty sprinkling to top over the homemade whipped cream.

If you ever asked me 10 years ago if I could make homemade whipped cream, I probably would’ve just stared blankly at you and not have even known where to start. But it’s one of the easiest things to do! Throw it into a piping bag with a pretty tip, and you’re on the easy road to baking beauty!

MINI LEMON TART RECIPE

Shortcrust Pastry Ingredients: (makes 4 mini tarts or one full-sized tart)

• 1C (128g) all-purpose flour

• 1/4C (32g) powdered sugar

• 1/4 tsp salt

• 1/2C (8 tbs) unsalted butter, melted

Lemon Curd Ingredients:

• 1/4C (85g) honey

• 1 tsp unflavored gelatin

• 4 large eggs

• 3/4C (150g) granulated sugar

• 4 lemons (2 tsp zest, 3/4C juice)

• 2 tbs unsalted butter, cubed

Candied Lemon Ingredients:

• 1/4C honey

• 1/4C water

• 1 Thinly sliced lemon (discard the ends)

Lemon Zest Sugar Sprinkle Ingredients:

• 2 tbs lemon zest

• 1/2 tbs granulated sugar

Whipped Cream Ingredients:

• 1C heavy cream

• 2 tbs confectioner’s sugar

• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, powdered sugar, and salt. Stir in the melted butter until the dough comes together. If you’re making mini tarts, divide the dough into 4 equal parts. Press each piece into the bottom and up the sides of each of your tart pans. Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes.

2. While the dough is chilling, preheat the oven to 350F. When the dough is ready, remove them from the refrigerate and prick the bottom of the crust all over with a fork or toothpick. Line the crust with parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the parchment paper and pie weights, and bake another 10-15 minutes or until golden. Let them cool on a wire rack.

3. While the crust cools, make the lemon curd. In a small bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over 4 teaspoons of cold water. Set aside.

4. In a medium saucepan, whisk together the eggs, granulated sugar, and lemon zest until combined. Whisk in the lemon juice. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly or until thick and creamy. About 10 minutes.
   You’ll know the curd is ready if it can thickly coat the back of a spoon and a stream remains visible when you run your finger across the spoon.

5. Remove from heat and stir in te cubed butter until it melts into the curd. Stir in the gelatin mixture until combined.

6. Pour the curd into the cooled crust(s). Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or until set. While the tarts are cooling, prepare your toppings.

7. To make the candied lemons, first preheat the oven to 275F. Then heat the honey and water in a large straight-sided skillet. Stir often to dissolve the honey. Add the lemon slices to the skillet. Remove from heat and let stand 10 minutes.

8. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Remove the lemon slices from the syrup and arrange them in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Bake 30-40 minutes or until lightly browned. Turn them once halfway through, but check every 10 minutes and remove each slice as they brown. Set aside until you’re ready to decorate your tarts.

9. To make the lemon zest topping, simply combine the lemon zest and granulated sugar. Set aside.

10. If you’re making the homemade whipped cream, I recommend waiting until you’re ready to serve the tarts. Whipped cream is best cold and fresh, and it will hold its shape best the sooner you serve. Using a hand or stand mixer with the whisk attachment, combine the heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract in the bowl by whipping on medium-high speed until medium to stiff peaks form. This takes about 3-4 minutes, but don’t walk away from it! It only takes a fraction of time before it becomes over-mixed and will curdle. Dollop onto the tarts or use a piping bag for a more structured design.

11. Top with candied lemons and lemon zest sugar sprinkling. Serve and enjoy!