Luscious Lemon Tart

I don't like lemon tarts, I can tolerate them but it's not something that I enjoy - so why did I bake this? For my husband who is a big fan. A month or so ago we were at a pastry shop which showcased (and sold) some very decadent looking cakes and tarts and we came home with a dark chocolate-raspberry ganache cake and a lemon tart.. tiny 2.5 inch diameter portions for a hefty price of $6 each. While my daughter and I devoured the chocolate cake, we wanted nothing more to do with the lemon tart after a customary taste - but my husband was so in love with it and kept raving about lemon tarts and how much he always loved them and so on. He hasn't really mentioned it before... so i casually looked up what making a lemon tart entails and was surprised to see that it was rather simple.

So, I set about making this over the weekend and I must say that it came together rather easily and I tasted a bit just out of curiosity and though it was lemony, fresh & nice, it really isn't my cup of tea but I loved the crust and so did my daughter. Had I known, how yummy the shortbread crust would've been, i'd have baked some of the dough separately. Anyways, I was happy that my husband loved it and in a way I'm glad that there's this dessert in the fridge but I'm not battling any temptation to eat it all up... :) So, this recipe is for all you lemon tart lovers out there...

LEMON TART

Ingredients for Shortbread Crust:
All purpose flour - 1 cup
Confectioners sugar (Powedered) - 1/3 cup
Cold, unsalted Butter - 1/2 cup (1 stick) cut into abt 10 slices
Salt - 1/8 tsp

Method For Crust:
1) Prepare a 8 or 9 inch tart pan with a removable bottom ( I used a pie pan lined with aluminium foil with some over-hang, so I could remove it easily later) by spraying with cooking oil/butter.

2) In a food processor (I used our indian mixie fitted with a medium jar), place flour, sugar and salt and process to combine. Then add the cold butter slices and pulse until the pastry starts to come together and looks clumpy - see picture.


3) Transfer this to the pie pan and evenly press the pastry onto bottom and sides of pan. My sides were thinner than the bottom so that is something you'll want to keep in mind and try to do this more evenly. Pierce the bottom of the crust with a tines of a fork (so it won't puff up while baking).

4) Cover this with cling wrap and freeze for about 15 minutes (which helps prevent the crust from shrinking while it bakes). Meanwhile Pre-heat oven to 425F with rack in center of oven.

5) When pastry is chilled, place tarn pan on a larger baking pan and bake till the crust is golden brown (about 13-15 mins). Remove from oven and allow to cool while preparing the filling. Also, reduce the ove temperature to 350F.

Ingredients for Filling:
Cream cheese (I used lower fat) - 5 oz, softened at room temperature
Sugar - 2/3 cup (1/2 cup was the original recipe but i increased it a bit)
Fresh lemon juice - 1/2 cup (I juiced 4 lemons to get this much, depends on the size)
Eggs - 2, large
Grated lemon zest - 1 tbsp (Zest the lemons before juicing them)

Method:
1) In a food processor (I used the same medium jar of the mixie not wanting more things to clean), put cream cheese and process till smooth. Next add the sugar and process so it is combined.

2) Now add the eggs one by one and process till well combined. Add the lemon juice, zest and process till smooth. Pour this in the tart shell and bake for 25-30 minutes (in the 350F) oven till filling is set. Transfer to a wire rack to cool, then cover and refrigerate until well chilled.

Serve with lightly sweetened whipped cream or you could pipe the whipped cream over the entire tart.