imafoodblog.com

To end this week of all things lemon, is the lemoniest thing I have made in a long time. It is a lemon tart made using whole lemons - zest, pulp, and juice, complete with a lemon infused tart dough. No waste in this kitchen, people! (Here are the other lemon related posts in my week of all things lemon: Lemon Poppyseed Muffins, Almond Lemon Yogurt Cake (TWD), My Favorite Ultra Lemony Yogurt Cake, Blueberry Lemon Souffle Pancakes).

I decided on a whim that I wanted to make some sort of fruit tart, and was intrigued and inspired when I saw this recipe in Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan. I have just been drawn to all things lemon lately, hence the reason why I created lemon week here at Imafoodblog.

The recipe for the filling is Dorie’s Tartest Lemon Tart on page 336 of Baking. However, Dorie calls for her Sweet Tart Dough as the crust for this, which is basically a shortbread dough. Since Nick and I have both not loved the shortbread crusts that I have made in prior tarts, the dough I used here is a Pasta Frolla dough. This was my first ever attempt at Pasta Frolla, and it came out great. We both preferred it over the traditional shortbread crusts I have previously made. It seems to stay more tender even after the long baking times and we enjoyed the texture over a shortbread.

This tart was uber tart and lemony but it still had a good balance of sweetness to it. The whole lemon to cup of sugar ratio is 1:1, which is similar to that of a Shaker lemon tart/pie, so the bitterness of the pith is kept in check pretty well.

This is a great make ahead dessert, as I think it did get better after a day or so of rest in the fridge. And even better is the fact that both this dough (which requires no rolling and no food processor) and the filling are quick and easy to make.

Read more »