Lemon Tarts

There is probably nothing I would rather do than put on a Counting Crows CD and go into my kitchen to bake tarts, both sweet & savory.  And different seasons demand different tarts.  Mid-May when my rhubarb is finally ready to cut, I search for local organic strawberries and combine the two into a custard tart.  In June I begin baking apricots layered upon a coating of apple butter in an almond pastry shell that is served with homemade vanilla ice cream.  This leads to August when my 15-plus heirloom tomato plants begin producing and I bake my favorite savory tart from a French recipe that includes my Purple Cherokee tomatoes, gruyere cheese and nicoise olives.  Individual free-form apple tarts appear in September.  When January arrives I crave citrus and that means my lemon tart.  This is what my daughter Whitney requests for her birthday instead of a cake. 

I have a large selection of tinware to choose from when I make my tarts. 

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                                My Favorite Lemon Meringue Tart

Tart pastry
2 T. sliced almonds
1 cup unbleached flour
1/4 tsp. salt
5 1/3 T. very cold butter, 1/2" dice
3 T. ice water

Filling
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup water
3 T. cornstarch
2 egg yolks
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 T. butter
2 tsp. grated lemon rind

Meringue
4 egg whites
3/4 cup sugar

Make pastry dough and chill for 2 hours.  Line a 9-inch tart pan and bake blind at 400 degrees until golden brown. 

Dissolve sugar with salt in 3/4 cup of the water in a saucepan and bring to a boil.  Mix the cornstarch with the remaining 1/4 cup water and stir into the sugar-water mixture.  Stir constantly until thick and clear.  Remove from heat.  Beat egg yolks with lemon juice until slightly thickened and stir into cornstarch mixture.  Return to heat and bring back just to a boil.  Take from heat and stir in the butter and grated lemon rind.  Cool slightly and fill the baked tart shell.

To make meringue:  In a double boiler, beat egg whites and sugar constantly until mixture feels hot to the touch.  Beat with the whisk attachment of an electric mixer until glossy.  Either spread onto the tart or pipe with a pastry bag using a 1/2-inch tip.  Brown in a hot oven or use a butane torch.