"Good things come in threes." From Columbus sailing three ships; to the stories of the three little pigs, three blind mice, and three bears; to a three-ring circus; to the three wishes granted by genies; to the Christian trinity; to the three wise men, the number three has been associated with either good fortune or good luck for centuries. Going as far back as the time of Confucius (500 BC). In the Chinese culture the number three is considered a lucky number. The origin of the concept is alleged to come from the Latin principle "omne trium perfectum". When translated into English it means "the rule of three". But whether or not the number three has magical properties may lie with the believer. For the record, I would be one of the believers in the superstitious, legendary, grounded in folklore power of three. Perhaps this swoonworthy Lemon Curd Tart could be one of many examples to explain why.
For one thing this tart is made up of three separate components (a shortbread crust, a lemon curd, and an Italian meringue). Which, when combined, create an incredibly decadent, beautiful, impressive dessert. Destined to wow the visual and taste senses of your family and friends, this Lemon Curd Tart will have everyone wondering whether it's homemade or from a French patisserie. However, I am inclined and maybe just slightly biased to think it is better than anything you could buy from an expensive, fancy bakery.
After having a meringue making meltdown a few weeks back, I did experience a bit of trepidation when making the tart's finishing touch: the Italian meringue. Whether the number three had anything to do with it or not, it could not have turned out more heavenly. I share this because you might think making a tart having three different components is either a bit on the daunting side or one depending heavily on luck. It's actually easier to make than you think. Especially if you take the 'divide and conquer' approach making the lemon curd and tart dough one day and the Italian Meringue the next. None of the individual components take more than 15 minutes to make (although the baking time on the shortbread crust is 40 minutes) so it's not nearly as labor intense as you might think.
The recipe used for the lemon curd is one of two I have previously posted to the blog. The one used here is my favorite as it's pretty close to foolproof and far better than anything you can buy off the grocery store shelves. The recipe makes a little more than you need for the tart. Which means you will have some leftover curd to spread onto your scones, mix into your yogurt, dollop over your Dutch Babies, or eat off the spoon. The curd can be made the day before or several days before you plan on assembling and serving the Lemon Curd Tart. Depending on whether or not you have any Lemon Curd eating bandits living in your house, you might have to put either a 'please don't touch label' or a skull and crossbones sticker on it.
The shortbread crust for the tart is an adaptation of one previously posted to the blog. The most significant change made to the earlier posted recipe was reducing the amount of unsalted butter. This one uses only eight versus eighteen Tablespoons. Surprisingly, the reduction of butter doesn't significantly affect the buttery taste of the shortbread. Rather it made for easier to roll out dough. Making the shortbread dough, rolling it out, fitting it into your tart pan, and refrigerating overnight is highly recommended. Giving the dough a long chill time helps to reduce any shrinkage during the baking process. As as side note, the consistency of the shortbread dough made it possible to roll out immediately without any pre-rolling refrigeration.
Not only do I love the look of a tart made in a rectangular pan, I love how you get more shortbread in each slice.
An Italian meringue differ significantly from a French and Swiss meringue. It's made by drizzling a 240 degree (F) simple syrup into egg whites whipped to soft, but stable peaks. Whipping the syrup into the egg whites for up to seven minutes (or until the bowl is slightly cooled) creates a voluminous, glossy, and firm meringue. Resulting in a very stable, somewhat dramatic meringue. One perfect for piping or spreading onto the tart before being lightly browned with a kitchen torch.
Once the tart is topped with the Italian meringue it is ready to serve. If not serving immediately, place the tart in the refrigerator for up to two hours.
If you love the tart, refreshing flavor of lemon, you will be smitten with this Lemon Curd Tart. Serve this tart at your next dinner party and your friends/family will be smitten with you!
The simplest of ingredients are transformed into the most luscious, velvety, scrumptious dessert. There are so many reasons why you should make this Lemon Curd Tart, but let me give you just three of them. First and foremost it is satisfyingly delicious. The flavors and textures from the shortbread crust, lemon curd, and Italian meringue are a party on your palate. Second, this tart has an impressive wow presentation factor. How could anyone resist an eye candy dessert? And third, the recipes for the lemon curd gives you enough to enjoy it the next day or in the week ahead. In other words, it's one having multiple benefits. Hope this enough to convince you to make it!
Lemon Curd Tart
Serves 8-10
Ingredients
Lemon Curd
4 large eggs, room temperature
1 1/2 cups (300g) granulated sugar
2/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (from approximately 4 lemons)
Zest from four lemons
12 tablespoons or 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter (170g), room temperature
pinch of sea salt
Shortbread Crust
8 Tablespoons (113 g) unsalted butter cut into eight pieces (butter should be room temperature)
1/3 cup (40 g) confectionary sugar
1 1/2 cups (188) all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt1 large egg yolk
Italian Meringue
1 1/4 cups (250 g) granulated sugar
1/3 cup water
1/2 cup (120 g) egg whites (from 3 large eggs), room temperature
Directions
Lemon Curd
1. In a heavy bottom medium sized saucepan, beat eggs and sugar together.
2. Add lemon juice, lemon zest, butter, and sea salt. Stir until all ingredients are combined.
3. On medium-high heat, bring mixture to a boil (whisking constantly) so that it thickens. Note: The mixture's temperature should reach 180 degrees (F).
4. Remove from heat, transfer to a heat proof bowl or jars. Place a piece of plastic wrap on top to prevent a crust from forming. Allow to cool before chilling in the refrigerator. (Note: Mixture will need to be well chilled before proceeding. Can make lemon curd early in the morning or the day before.)
Shortbread Crust
1. In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment beat butter until smooth (approximately 1 minute).
2. Add in confectionary sugar and salt. Beat until sugar is incorporated and mixture is smooth (approximately 1 minute).
3. Add egg yolk and beat until well combined (approximately 1 minute).
4. Add the flour in two additions, beating until mixture begins to come together in a ball and no longer sticks to the sides.
5. On a lightly floured surface roll out dough to 1/4" thickness to match the shape of your removable bottom tart pan. See notes.
6. Slide bottom of the tart pan under the dough and transfer to the pan. Gently press the dough into the pan and up the sides. Trim any excess. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 4 hours or preferably overnight.
7. Preheat oven to 325 degrees (F). Line the tart pan with parchment paper and fill with dried beans and/or pie weights.
8. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove the parchment paper and weights. Return to oven and bake for an additional 10 minutes or until the crust is lightly golden brown.
9. Transfer pan to a cooling rack. Let cool to room temperature. Note: Can bake shortbread crust up to 4 hours before serving. Lightly cover cooled crust with plastic wrap, especially in humid weather.
Italian Meringue
1. In the bowl of standing mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the egg whites until soft, stable peaks form. Set aside.
2. In a small saucepan, heat the sugar and water over high heat until the mixture reaches a temperature of 240 degree (F).
3. With mixer running, slowly pour in the hot sugar syrup. Increase speed to high and beat until the mixture is voluminous, glossy, and bowl has cooled to the touch (approximately 6 to 7 minutes).
4. Use immediately.
Assembly
1. Remove the shortbread tart crust from the tart pan and transfer to a platter.
2. Spread enough lemon curd into the cooled tart crust to fill about a 1/4" from the top of the tart shell. Note: The lemon curd will have a depth of approximately 1/2".
3. Transfer meringue to a pastry bag (if using) and pipe the design of your choice. Alternately spread the meringue over the top, swirling into the design of your choice.
4. Using a kitchen torch, carefully brown the meringue.
5. Serve immediately. Or place in the refrigerator for no longer than 2 hours before serving.
Notes: (1) I used this non-stick rectangular removable bottom tart pan. The pan's dimensions are 13 3/4" x 4 1/4". Suggest not using a round tart pan larger than 9" in diameter. (2) Wait until your meringue is ready before adding the lemon curd to the tart shell. Do not fill shortbread tart with the lemon curd until ready to finish with the Italian meringue. (3) We stored some of the leftover Lemon Curd Tart in the refrigerator. While the texture of meringue changes slightly it was still delicious. (4) The recipe for the Italian Meringue came from the May/June 2019 issue of Bake from Scratch.
