Lemon Meringue Tart

One of the nice things since our move is that we live SO much closer to our families. My parents popped in this afternoon and I invited them to stay for dinner. Thank goodness, because I would have otherwise frittered the rest of the day away on the couch reading Catching Fire and checking Facebook. While they napped watched a little golf and DiY Network, I whipped up a lemon meringue tart for after dinner. I chose this recipe as an alternative to a traditional lemon tart because it uses fewer eggs and I was down to my last handful (time for another trip to Costco!) I know that I'm beginning to feel more at home in this kitchen as putting this tart together went quickly and smoothly, with all ingredients and tools easily found.
After mixing up my pastry dough and putting it in the freezer to firm up, I got to work on the filling- light meringue folded into a lemon custard.

The lightly baked tart shell ready for filling-

The last slice of tart-the recipe says it serves eight but really, it made just enough for four adults and one Munch-

for the pastry crust:
1 c. flour
3 tbsp. sugar
pinch of salt
6 tbsp. chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
approx. 2 tbsp. ice water

filling:
2 eggs, separated
1/4 c. plus 2 tbsp. sugar
1/2 c. fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp. unsalted butter

powdered sugar, to sift over finished tart

For the pastry crust, whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt in a medium bowl. Cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle 1 tbsp. water over the mixture. Using a fork, mix gently until it begins to form a rough, shaggy mass. Drizzle a second tbsp. of water over the crumbs and stir again. Continue adding water, just a few drops at a time, until the dough begins to come together. Knead the dough gently a few turns to incorporate all the bits of dough and pat into a disk. Wrap dough in wax paper or plastic wrap and refrigerate approximately 30 min.
For the filling, use a mixer to beat the egg yolks with 2 tbsp. sugar on high speed until thick and pale yellow, about 8-10 minutes. Reserve 1/2 tsp. lemon juice for the meringue and stir the remainder into the egg yolk mixture. Transfer mixture to a saucepan and add the butter. Cook over low heat, stirring continuously, until the mixture begins to thicken and coats the back of a spoon. Strain the filling into a bowl and chill until ready to use.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. On a lightly floured board, roll out the chilled pastry dough into an 11-inch circle. transfer the dough to a 9-inch tart pan with removable bottom. Press the dough into the tart pan evenly along the bottom and sides of pan and trim away any excess. Prick the pastry all over with a fork then press a sheet of aluminum foil firmly over the surface to keep the dough from shrinking as it bakes. Bake until pastry crust is light golden brown- remove the foil and start checking the dough at 15 minutes. Set pastry crust aside to cool.
Using a mixer, beat the egg whites at medium speed until foamy. Increase the mixer speed to medium high and gradually add the 1/4 c. sugar and 1/2 tsp. lemon juice. Beat until the egg whites form stiff peaks. Fold the chilled lemon-egg yolk mixture into the egg whites and pour into the prepared tart shell.
Bake at 375 degrees for approximately 18 min. until the filling is light golden brown. Cool on a wire rack. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.

When Life Gives You Lemons

I've been on a lemon kick lately. It started with the buttermilk lemon scones at the coffee place around the corner from school. Then came the batches of lemon bars that would appear when various teachers had kitchen duty (yes, we rotate cleaning the kitchen...and our holiday party is potluck- keep that in mind this season when people are bemoaning company cutbacks to the party budget!) Anywho, back to lemons, I thought it was time to share my favorite lemon bar recipe. The biggest difference is in the crust- this one uses powdered sugar instead of regular to create a very tender shortbread base. It also calls for a lot more lemon than other recipes I've tried (I prefer my lemon bars more tart than sweet). Unfortunately, I killed my lemon trees (extreme neglect) so I'm not enjoying fresh lemons from my own trees this winter.
The recipe is from The Bake Sale Cookbook.



Crust:
1 c. flour
1/2 c. powdered sugar
pinch salt
1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Filling:
2 eggs
1 c. sugar
2 tbsp. flour
1/4 tsp. salt
zest from 1 lemon
1/4 c. fresh lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan.

Place the flour, powdered sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Pulse to combine. Turn the food processor on and add the butter a little at a time until it is all mixed in and the dough is starting to clump together. Press the dough into the prepared pan and bake until light golden, about 18 to 20 minutes. Set aside while the filling is prepared:
Combine the eggs, sugar, and flour and mix well. Add the salt, lemon zest, and lemon juice and mix to combine. Pour filling over the crust and bake about 15 to 18 minutes until the filling is just set and a light golden brown. Watch it closely and do not overcook. Cool on a rack to room temperature and then refrigerate at least an hour (I just store them in the refrigerator and pull them out a little before serving so the filling is firmer). Cut into bars and sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving.