Tarte au Citron (Lemon Tart)

I still can't kick my infatuation of all things French since our recent Paris trip so when looking for a light and elegant dessert to take to a dinner party, I tested my patisserie skills on an authentic tarte au citron.  I researched a number of recipes before landing on a hybrid of a french sabayon lemon filling courtesy of Thomas Keller and a simple pastry crust from Ina Garten.  Ina's lemon meringue tart also looked divine however I was looking for the proper french method and I wasn't up for fussing with meringue. 

I can say with confidence that I will not be deviating from this lemon tart filling. Ever.  It was perfection as far as I'm concerned.  The lemon was bright and fresh without being overwhelmingly tangy and the texture was light, I'm talking cloud-like, yet creamy at the same time. 

So anyway.. here it is.  I did one and one half times recipe to fill a 10 inch tart shell, I had a little more than I needed but trust me it didn't go to waste.  I poured the extra into a ramekin and enjoyed it straight up- almost like a mousse- the next day. It would be lovely served this way too, maybe with a handful of fresh raspberries in the bottom.

Lemon Sabayon:

3 large eggs, cold
2 large egg yolks, cold
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup lemon juice (I used 2 meyer lemons* and 1 regular lemon)
zest of one meyer lemon
9 tablespoons of unsalted butter, cut into 9 pieces

*Meyer lemons are a splurge but worth it if you can find them.  They have a delicate lemon flavor with almost a hint of orange.  They have an orange hue to them as well as you'll see compared to a regular lemon.

I'm giving you the instructions verbatim because it worked beautifully for me and I don't want anything to get lost in translation...

"Bring about 1 1/2 inches of water to a boil in a pot that is slightly smaller than the diameter of the bowl you will be using for the sabayon. Meanwhile, in a large metal bowl, whisk the eggs, yolks, and sugar for about 1 minute, or until the mixture is smooth.

Set the bowl over the pot and, using a large whisk, whip the mixture while you turn the bowl (for even heating). After about 2 minutes, when the eggs are foamy and have thickened, add one-third of the lemon juice. Continue to whisk vigorously and, when the mixture thickens again, add another one-third of the lemon juice. Whisk until the mixture thickens again, then add the remaining lemon juice. Continue whisking vigorously, still turning the bowl, until the mixture is thickened and light in color and the whisk leaves a trail in the bottom of the bowl. The total cooking time should be 8 to 10 minutes.

Turn off the heat and leave the bowl over the water. Whisk in the butter a piece at a time. The sabayon may loosen slightly, but it will thicken and set as it cools. Pour the warm sabayon into the tart crust and place the pan on a baking sheet.

Preheat the broiler. While the sabayon is still warm, place the tart under the broiler. Leaving the door open, brown the top of the sabayon, rotating the tart if necessary for even color; this will take only a few seconds, so do not leave the oven. Remove the tart from the broiler and let it sit for at least 1 hour before serving. Serve at room temperature or cold."  (I refrigerated mine for 24 hours.  Let the tart sit out 20 minutes before serving.)

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Lemon-Tart-231349#ixzz1bFW3laSX
 
The tart shell can be made a few hours in advance.  I have to say this was yummy but not remarkable.  Mostly likely because the lemon filling stole the show.
 
Tart Shell:
 
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 stick of cold unsalted butter, diced
4-5 tablespoons of ice water

Preheat oven to 375.

Combine the flour, sugar and salt in a bowl. Freeze for at least 30 minutes.  Transfer to a food processor fitted with the metal blade and pulse one or two times.  Next add the butter chunks (which I also freeze for 10 minutes or so) and pulse until the mixture has only small clumps.  Lastly, add the ice water (starting with 4 tablespoons and adding if needed) and process until the mixture just forms a ball of dough.  Flatten into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for a minimum of one hour before rolling it out as you would a pie crust.

Lay the dough gently into a 9 or 10 inch tart pan with a removable bottom. (Next time I would do 1.5 times the recipe if I were using a 10 inch tart pan.)   If you try to stretch the dough, it will shrink back up while baking.  Roll a rolling pin over the top to cut off any extra dough.  Line the crust with a piece of tin foil coated with nonstick spray and then fill with dried beans, rice or pie weights.  Bake for 15 minutes.

Carefully lift the pie weights/beans out using the tin foil and prick the pastry all over with a fork.  Return to the oven and bake 10-15 minutes more until lightly golden brown.

Cool before filling.

I served the tart with a few fresh raspberries on the side.  I neglected to get any pictures as I served it so you'll have to trust me that it was beautiful AND delicious.