A Marvelous, Meyer Lemon Tart
We’re starting this new year off with a punchy lemon tart! I find this blend of Meyer lemons and regular lemons to be the perfect balance that leaves you with the right amount of sweetness and pucker. As a lemon tart recipe, it stands alone as classic tart. However, with a few extra garnishes, it takes it to the next level. This marvelous, Meyer lemon tart is topped with fresh raspberries, mangoes, and grapefruit, and then layered with herb and floral aromatics for a beautiful and fragrant finish.
Meyer Lemon Tart
ingredients + TOOLS
Crust
8 oz unsalted butter, room temp, additional butter to grease the pan
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg yolk
1/2 Tbsp milk
2 1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
Lemon Curd
Zest of 4 Meyer lemons
4 Meyer lemons and 2 standard lemons, juiced to make a combined 1 cup of lemon juice
1 cup sugar
6 oz unsalted butter, softened
7 large egg yolks
5 large eggs
1/8 tsp salt
Garnish
Meyer lemon wedges
Raspberries
Grapefruit segments
Cubed mangoes
Chamomile flowers
Rosemary sprigs
Mint sprigs
Lavender statice sprigs
STEPS
Let’s start with the crust. In the bowl of a stand mixer or using a bowl and hand mixer, combine the butter and sugar. Add the egg yolk and milk and beat together. Add the flour in slowly to the butter mixture, and stir until fully combined. Gather the dough into a ball and wrap with plastic wrap. Using your hands or a rolling pin, press into a disc shape and refrigerate for at least an hour.
Butter the tart pan on all sides and on the bottom. On a well floured surface, roll out the dough until 1/4” thick. Gently lift the dough and place it over the tart pan. The dough may still be a bit crumbly and break. You can press any dough cracks together once in the pan. Trim the excess dough from the pan. Any extra dough can be kneaded back into a ball and frozen for future use. Using a fork, prick the bottom of the dough and place the tart shell in the freezer for 30 minutes.
Now it’s time to make the lemon curd. Take the lemon juice and lemon zest and heat over medium in a saucepan. Add sugar, butter, and salt to the saucepan and heat until sugar is dissolved and butter is fully melted. Remove from heat.
In a stand mixer, combine the eggs and egg yolks until blended. Slowly add the hot lemon mixture to the eggs and continue to mix. Return the mixture to the saucepan and place on low heat. Whisk constantly as the mixture will thicken to the consistency of pudding. Make sure you do not allow the mixture to boil. Once it has thickened, remove from heat and through a fine mesh sieve, strain the lemon curd. Using plastic wrap, cover the curd pressing along the surface. Allow the curd to cool.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake the tart shell for 15-20 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool. Pour the lemon curd into the tart shell and smooth the top with a spreading knife or the back of a spoon. Tap the tart pan gently to remove any air bubbles. Bake the tart until the filling has puffed around the edges, about 25-30 minutes. If the tart is starting to brown too quickly, cover the edges with foil to avoid burning. Remove from the oven and cool to room temp.
Once the lemon tart is cooled, you can add the finishing garnishes. I start with the larger grapefruit segments and Meyer lemon slices. I like to place them on a paper towel before arranging to soak up any additional liquid that may bleed onto the tart. Next, I layer the raspberries and mango cubes. Finish with the fresh herbs, chamomile flowers, and lavender lattice.
