Citrus Tartlets Recipes

LEMON TARTS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• For the shells, combine the flour and salt. Cut in the shortening with a pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Sprinkle cold water evenly over the surface. Stir with a fork until all the dry ingredients are moistened. Shape the dough into a ball and chill.
• When chilled, roll the dough to 1/8 inch thickness on a lightly floured surface. Cut into 3 1/4 inch rounds. Fit each pastry round into 3 inch tart pans. Prick with a fork.
• Bake in a preheated oven for 10-12 minutes. Let cool.
• Place the butter in the top of a double boiler. Bring the water in the double boiler to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, and cook until the butter melts. Combine the sugar and cornstarch, stirring well. Add to the butter and stir until smooth. Stir in the eggs and cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
• Add the lemon juice. Cook 3-4 minutes longer or until the mixture thickens, stirring constantly. Cool. Spoon a rounded tablespoon of lemon filling into each cooled tart shell.
• Before serving, top each tart with a dollop of whipped cream, if desired. Makes 22 tarts.

LEMON CURD TART

Steps:

• Mix the butter and sugar together in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment until they are just combined. Add the vanilla. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour and salt, then add them to the butter-and-sugar mixture. Mix on low speed until the dough starts to come together. Dump onto a surface dusted with flour and shape into a flat disk. Press the dough into a 10-inch-round or 9-inch-square false-bottom tart pan, making sure that the finished edge is flat. Chill until firm.
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Butter 1 side of a square of aluminum foil to fit inside the chilled tart and place it, buttered side down, on the pastry. Fill with beans or rice. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and beans, prick the tart all over with the tines of a fork, and bake again for 20 to 25 minutes more, or until lightly browned. Allow to cool to room temperature.
• Remove the zest of the lemons with a vegetable peeler or zester, being careful to avoid the white pith. Squeeze the lemons to make 1/2 cup of juice and set the juice aside. Put the zest in a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Add the sugar and process for 2 to 3 minutes, until the zest is very finely minced. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter with the sugar and lemon zest. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, and then add the lemon juice and salt. Mix until combined.
• Pour the mixture into a 2-quart saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until thickened, about 10 minutes. The lemon curd will thicken at about 175 degrees F, or just below a simmer. Remove from the heat.
• Fill the tart shell with warm lemon curd and allow to set at room temperature.

CITRUS TARTLETS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Gradually add milk, beating until smooth. Stir in orange juice concentrate, lemon juice and food coloring if desired. Fold in whipped cream. , Spoon into tart shells; chill for several hours or overnight. Garnish with a dollop of whipped cream; sprinkle with orange zest and lemon zest.

THE BEST LEMON TART EVER

Steps:

• Combine butter, 1/2 cup sugar, vanilla extract, and salt in the mixing bowl of a stand mixer; mix ingredients thoroughly with a paddle attachment. Mix flour into butter mixture to make a smooth dough. Press dough into a 9-inch tart pan; refrigerate crust for 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Bake crust until light golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Whisk sugar, eggs, lemon zest, lemon juice, and 1/2 cup flour in a bowl until smooth. Pour lemon filling into crust. Cover edges of crust with strips of aluminum foil to prevent burning.
• Bake tart until filling is set, about 20 minutes. Cool completely and dust with confectioners' sugar.

CLASSIC FRENCH LEMON TART

Steps:

• Make the « pâte sucrée » crust.
• In large mixing bowl, combine the butter and powdered sugar until creamy and smooth. Add the vanilla extract, almond flour and egg, and mix until homogeneous. Add the all-purpose flour and salt, and mix until just incorporated and the dough comes together into a ball. Wrap in a plastic film and place in the fridge for 2 hours, minimum.
• Pre-heat your oven to 350F (180C).
• Take the pâte sucrée out of the fridge, place it between two large sheets of parchment paper and roll it out to a 12-inch circle. Unpeel the top sheet of parchment paper, transfer the crust to a 9-inch tart pan (trim the sides if needed) and poke the bottom of the crust all over with a fork. Chill it again for 30 minutes. Line the top of the crust with foil or parchment paper and place pie weights or dried beans to keep the pie crust from puffing when baking.
• Bake the pâte sucrée for 20 minutes. Carefully remove the parchment paper filled with weights and bake for 10 more minutes, until the edges of the crust are golden.
• Set the tart shell aside to cool (still in the dish). Leave your oven on at 350F/180C.
• In the meantime, make the lemon filling.
• Grab a fine-mesh strainer before you start and have it ready within arm's reach.
• In a medium saucepan (no heat yet), whisk together the lemon juice, lemon zest, sugar, salt, egg yolks and eggs. Add the cubed butter and turn the heat to medium. Whisk slowly until the butter is all melted. Continue whisking steadily for several minutes until the mixture thickens to a thin custard consistency.
• Immediately pass the lemon filling through the fine mesh strainer, directly into the tart shell. Using an offset spatula (or back of a large spoon), smooth out the top of the filling. Bake the tart for 5 minutes, until the filling has slightly set and turned slightly deeper in color.
• Set aside to cool for at least 30 minutes. Enjoy slightly warm or chilled.

FRENCH LEMON TART - TARTE AU CITRON

Steps:

• Make tart crust per linked recipe, including blind baking the empty tart crust. Allow to fully cool before filling (to ensure it won't go soggy).
• Preheat oven: Preheat oven to 180℃/350℉ (160℃ fan)
• Whisk ingredients together: Put all ingredients in a medium saucepan and whisk to combine.
• Thicken on stove: Place the saucepan on the stove over low / medium low heat. Whisk constantly, especially as the butter is melting, to ensure it doesn't split. Keeping stirring until the mixture thickens enough to visibly mound (ie. holds its shape briefly) on the surface when dolloped - about 5 minutes, though it might take longer depending on stove strength, saucepan heat retention etc. See video and photos for thickness guide. Don't take it off the stove until it's thick enough otherwise the Filling won't set.
• Strain into a bowl using a fine mesh strainer.
• Fill tart: Pour into tart shell and smooth the filling surface using an offset spatula or similar.
• Bake: Bake for 5 minutes. It will still be a soft custard when you touch it but not liquidity. It will set more when cooled so it's sliceable.
• Cool: Cool tart fully to allow it to set before slicing to serve. Pictured with a dollop of creme fraiche (a thick, rich cream that has a slight tartness, and goes very well with the lemon tart) or whipped cream and even vanilla ice cream.
• Decorate if desired with lemon slices, edible flowers, raspberries. Else pipe on dollops of whipped cream or dust with icing sugar!

LEMON CURD TARTLETS

Steps:

• Place the Flour, Icing Sugar and Salt in the bowl of your Food Processor and pulse to mix (see note 1 if making by hands). Add the cold Butter cut into small cubes, then mix to get very small crumbs.
• Whisk the egg in a separate bowl and add it to the food processor. Slowly pusle until a dough starts to come together (see note 2).
• Bring the dough together into a ball and roll between two sheets of baking paper to be about 3mm or 1/8inch thick. Place on a flat tray and leave in the fridge to chill and rest for at least 1 hour, or up to 24 hours.
• Remove the baking paper and cut out small rounds of pastry using a round or fluted cookie cutter (see note 3). Gently slide each piece of dough into a muffin pan, pressing on the bottom and the edges to remove any air bubbles that could be trapped under the pastry. Prick the bottom with a fork and place back in the fridge to rest and chill for at least 1 hour, or up to 24 hours.
• Preheat your oven on 160'C/325'F and place the muffin pan in the freezer while the oven is preheating.
• Line each tartlet shells with a small piece of baking paper and fill with baking beads, rice or beans. Bake for 15 minutes, then remove the weights and baking paper and bake for another 15 minutes, or until golden and dry to the touch. Set aside to cool down completely.
• Place the Egg Yolks, Sugar and Lemon Juice in a small pot. Whisk to combine then turn on very low to low heat. Whisk for a few minutes or until the liquid looks like it is starting to thicken - about 3 to 5 minutes.
• Cut the butter into small cubes and slowly add them to the pot. Whisk until melted and combined each time before adding more. Add the Lemon Zest
• Cook on low heat for 5 to 15 minutes or until the curd has thickened. Continuously whisk to avoid lumps (see note 4).
• To check if the curd is cooked, dip the back of a spoon into the curd then draw a line in the curd with your fingers (be careful, it will be hot). Tip the spoon down and check if any of the curd is dripping down over the clear line. If the line stays clear, the curd is ready. If the curd pours over the line, it needs to cook for longer.
• While still warm, pour the curd into the tartlet shells. Gently tap each tartlet against a hard surface to remove any air bubbles, then place in the fridge to set for at least 2 to 3 hours (see note 5).