Lemon cream, lemon curd, lemon tarts – berry pretty
By Doni Greenberg

I would love my friend, Joanne, even if she suddenly withdrew my standing invitation to enter her Redding yard any old time my fruit-pickin’ heart desired to pluck lemons and grapefruits from her trees. All I want. No limit.

Likewise, I would still think the world of Joanne even if she hadn’t kneeled in her rich, loamy flower beds where she dug up her grandmother’s precious, ancient violets so I could transplant them in my crappy, rocky, clay-ladened Igo soil that favors lizards and rattlers over flowers and delicate shrubbery.

Despite my unconditional love for Joanne, her gift of lemons are the reason I love her this week. She recently let me pick literally a laundry basket full of sweet, thin-skinned Meyer lemons from one tree.

I zested those lemons. I juiced them. Then I put my tart, lemony bounty in the freezer for another day.

It’s another day. Time to do something wonderful with that great lemon juice and lemon zest. Don’t thank me. Thank my friend, Joanne Lockwood.

(And while we maintain that attitude of gratitude, thanks go to friends and extraordinary cooks Jan Gandy, Lee Riggs and Diane Hawthorne whose lemon-related recipes I adapted to make the following.)

Printer-friendly recipe

Raspberry Lemon Tart

Fill tart or pie crust with lemon cream. Place on a baking sheet. Bake in the lower-third of a preheated 400-degree oven for about 10 minutes. Reduce temperature to 375 and continue baking for another 20 to 40 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and pulls away from the sides of the pan. (Baking time depends upon the pan sizes. Large ones bake longer; small ones take less time.)

Let cool. Top with fresh raspberries. Dust with powdered sugar and serve with sweetened whipped cream.

Lemon Cream

(For unbaked tart crust)

On stove top in a heavy pan, boil the sugar, salt, lemon juice and just 1 cube of the butter, stirring constantly to dissolve the sugar. Remove from heat. Quickly whip the eggs in a medium bowl. As slowly as humanly possible whisk the hot lemon/sugar/butter mixture into the beaten eggs. (Go slow or the eggs might curdle from too much heat.)

Pour the combined liquid into the saucepan and stir constantly over low heat for about 2 or 3 minutes, or until the mixture thickens slightly. Do not boil. (See “curdle” caution, above.) Immediately add the reserved 1/2 cube butter pieces and stir for another 30 seconds to 1 minute. (The second batch of cold butter helps prevent the lemon cream from curdling.)

Strain through a seive into a glass or plastic bowl. (This part is optional, but I do it because it removes the spent zest and any eggy strings.) Cover with plastic wrap and chill at least overnight.

Pour or spoon filling into unbaked crust(s) and bake on a baking sheet in a preheated 400-degree oven (in the oven’s lower third) for about 20 minutes.

Reduce temperature to 350 degrees for another 20 to 35 minutes (depends upon the size of your tart), or until the shell is nicely browned and has pulled away from the sides of the pan. (If filling puffs up during baking, deflate the bubbles with a knife tip.)

Makes enough to fill 2 11-inch tarts or 12 to 16 tartlets.

Dough for Pies or Tarts

In a small bowl beat well the ice water, egg yolk and lemon juice. Set aside. In a larger bowl (or food processor) thoroughly mix the flour, sugar and salt.
“Cut” the butter into the dry mixture until tiny lumps appear that range from crumb-sized to about 1/2-inch pieces. (For this part, either use food processor pulses, or the tips of your fingers, or a pastry blender or two knives.)

Do not overwork this stage. It should take just a few seconds. Butter lumps are the flaky pastry’s friends.

Drizzle in the ice water, a little at a time, just until everything is mixed, but not perfectly. You want the dough to just hold together, but not be too sticky or wet. Messy is OK. If dough won’t come together because it’s too dry, drizzle in some more ice water. Not too much.
Wrap dough in plastic and chill up to 2 days.

Roll out to a disc on a lightly floured surface and shape as desired. Place in pan.

Makes enough for 2 11-inch tarts or pies, or 12 to 16 tartlets.
(Note: If you wish to bake a crust without the filling, for the lemon curd, for example, put crust in pan. Pierce dough with a fork to form air holes. Then cover the dough with either foil or parchment paper and fill with dried beans or uncooked rice or pastry weights).

Bake in the lower third of a 400-degree oven for 10 minutes. Remove crust from oven, lift out the beans in the foil/paper (reserve for another day).

Return the now-bare crust to the oven to bake for another 10 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown. (Pierce any air bubbles with a sharp knife during baking.) Fill with lemon curd, or other cold filling.

Lemon Curd

(For baked crust)

Without turning on the stove (yet), in a heavy saucepan, whisk together the eggs, yolks sugar, lemon juice and zest. Add half the butter.

Now turn the burner to medium/low. Stir constantly, cooking the mixture for about 1 1/2 minutes. Do not allow the lemon curd to boil (see curdle caution, again, above).

Add remaining butter pieces, stirring constantly for another minute or so, until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon. (Drag your finger across the back of the spoon. The lemon curd is ready when you see a clean path.)

Remove the saucepan from heat. Pour the lemon curd through a strainer or seive to remove any zest and/or eggy pieces. (This step is optional, but I like a smooth, clear curd.) Cover the curd with plastic wrap, pressing it directly onto the curd to prevent a skin from forming.

Chill for an afternoon – up to 11 days. Use curd to fill baked crusts, to top fresh fruit or serve with scones.

Makes enough for 2 11-inch tarts or 12 to 16 tartlets.