Lemon Curd Tart with Almond Crust

By Lick My Spoon • March 8, 2011 • 2 Comments

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Author Notes: When the pressure’s on to make something special for a party, this Lemon Curd Tart is my secret weapon. The sweet, tart, lemon curd filling is refreshing and light, the ground almond in the crust gives it a wonderful nutty fragrance, and the presentation has wow-factor. Serve up a slice with some berries and whipped cream, or honey ice cream and prepare for praises!

Tips: When crumbling the dough on top, I like to leave some space around the bits of dough so that you can see the lemon curd in spots. Therefore, I find that I usually have enough dough in this recipe to make a little mini tart on the side – a treat for the cook!

Also, if you have the time, make a second batch of lemon curd to jar and store in your fridge. That will cut down prep time in case you ever want to make a lemon tart spur of the moment!

Note: This recipe is adapted from The Berry Bible’s Lemon Curd Cake recipe, by Janie Hibler - Lick My Spoon

Serves 8

Lemon Curd Filling

juice of 2 large lemons (approximately 1/4 cup)
zest of 2 large lemons
1 cup sugar
4 tablespoons unsalted butter (cut into 1-inch pieces)
2 large eggs, beaten (room temperature)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Place lemon zest, juice, sugar, butter, eggs, and vanilla in the top of a double boiler (alternately, place in a bowl that fits over a pot of simmering water; the bottom of the bowl should not touch the water).
Stir the mixture constantly until the curd is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon (8-10 minutes).
Remove the bowl and set aside to cool.

Almond Crust

12 tablespoons unsalted butter (chilled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes)
2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup almond meal
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 large eggs (room temperature)

Preheat the oven to 350 F.
Butter an 11-inch tart pan (with removable bottom) and line the bottom with parchment paper.
Place the butter, flour, sugar, and almond meal in a food processor, and process until mixture resembles coarse meal.
Add the almond extract and eggs, and process until mixture forms a soft dough.
Press two thirds of the dough into the bottom and up the sides of the pan, forming a crust about ¼-inch in thickness.
Spread the lemon curd on top.
Crumble pieces of the remaining dough over the curd layer. As I mentioned in the headnotes, I like to leave some space around the bits of dough so that you can see the lemon curd in spots. I usually end up with some leftover dough.
Bake in 350 F oven until golden brown, about 40-50 minutes. Allow to cool before removing from pan.