Lemon Cream Tart

I made all sorts of plans for Saturday morning, but slept through my alarm and end up waking up at 11:30am. So much for going on a hike or to the pumpkin patch! Not going to lie, it felt really great to sleep in and was so worth it. 

We went to my mom and dad's house tonight for dinner and I told her I would bring dessert. She also invited a bunch of our family friends, so it was great to see everyone. Since all my plans fell through because of my slumber, I decided to use the rest of my day to make these delicious lemon tarts. 

These do take awhile to make since you have to let the dough cool, but it's so worth it. They are the best lemon tarts you will ever eat. Everyone who had them couldn't stop raving about them. Even my mom who has the best self control ever, couldn't stop eating them. That's when I know what I made is really good.

INGREDIENTS

Adapted from Tartin's Lemon Cream Tart recipe

TART DOUGH

• 1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs at room temperature
• 3 1/2 cups all purpose flour

LEMON CREAM

• 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoon lemon juice
• 3 whole large eggs
• 1 large egg yolk
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter, cool

DIRECTIONS

1.  In your stand mixer bowl, combine the butter, sugar, and salt and mix on medium speed until smooth
2. Mix in 1 egg at a time until smooth
3. scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula and add all the flour at once and mix on low until just incorporated
4. on a lightly floured surface, divide the dough into 4 equal balls and shape each one into a disk about 1/2 inch thick. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least 3 hours or overnight
5. Once it's chilled, place the dough on a lightly floured surface and roll out until 1/8 thick.
6. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F 
7. Cut out circles according to the size of your pans and line the pan with the dough. If the dough becomes warm and hard to work with, stick it in the freezer for 15 minutes. 
8. Make small holes in the bottom of the tart shell with a fork about 2 inches apart. 
9. Bake for 13-15 minutes or until golden brown. Let the shells cool before removing them from the pan. While they are cooling, start on your lemon cream.
10. Pour water about 3 inches in depth into a saucepan and place over medium heat and bring to a simmer.
11. In a glass or stainless steel bowl, combine the lemon juice, whole eggs, egg yolk, sugar, and salt.  This bowl should be able to rest securely on the rim of your saucepan without touching the water
12. Place your bowl on the rim of your saucepan and whisk the ingredients together for 10 minutes. It is very important to not stop whisking! After 19 minutes, your cream will become very thick
13. Remove the bowl from over the saucepan and let cool for about 10 minutes, stirring from time to time to release heat
14. Cut the butter into 1 tablespoon pieces and with your immersion blender, blend in the butter 1 tablespoon at a time, blending after each addition until incorporated.
15. Pour the cream directly into the cooled tart shell. Refrigerate the tart until the filling is firm. This usually takes about 2 hours.
16. The tart will last about 2 days in the fridge!