Lemon Tart using pre-made lemon curd

I made lemon curd last night and am making the tart crust today. Normally, the curd is made and baked the same day but my curd has been refrigerated. Should I bring the curd up to room temp and then follow the recipe as usual: bake the tart shell for 10-15 min, cool, fill the tart shell w/ curd and bake for 10-15 min. This is for a dinner party tonight (of course) so I look forward to help soon. Many thanks!

loves2eat
  • 17398 views
  • 9 Comments
Question image

9 Comments

loves2eat
loves2eat December 24, 2018
Thanks, again, for the assist. I didn’t bake the curd and the tart was a big hit! But I do have a question about the tart crust. The recipe calls for 2 cups almond meal mixed with 6 tablespoons coconut oil. I really don’t like the flavor of coconut oil so I subbed in butter - 8 tablespoons - which was too much so I added more almond meal. Does anyone know the right amount of butter to almond meal ratio for an 11” tart pan?
 
Smaug
Smaug December 24, 2018
I certainly don't, but I'd be interested in seeing the recipe. On purely theoretical grounds, butter is usually about 17% water and I think coconut oil is 100%fat, so my guess would have been it would take more butter, but evidently not. The almond meal will also contain a good deal of fat and will otherwise behave quite differently from flour.
 
loves2eat
loves2eat December 23, 2018
Smaug, it really is a lemon curd, not a key lime pie filing. And it didn't call for using a double boiler so I guess I went Gonzo. It does have raw eggs, so I guess that's the issue. I agree that most curds aren't rebaked so I'm going with your original suggestion.
 
Smaug
Smaug December 23, 2018
Ordinarily the eggs are cooked in the double boiler (or for the fearless a saucepan) along with everything else; still not sure what you're making, but I hope it works out for you.
 
creamtea
creamtea December 23, 2018
Usually lemon curd (eggs or egg yolks, sugar, lemon juice, zest, butter) is cooked on the stovetop either in a double boiler or heavy saucepan until thickened (a cooked egg custard without cornstarch). If that's what you did then it shouldn't need to be re-cooked (i.e., baked). If on the other hand you're making a lemon meringue pie, then it is usually baked or broiled (under a meringue topping).
 
Smaug
Smaug December 24, 2018
I still bake my meringue, but I don't think the time and temperature is enough to have any impact on the filling, which is already hot- I do think it makes for a somewhat crisper meringue. Most professionals seem to use a torch nowadays; that and the broiler method are just to brown the top, I doubt that any heat at all penetrates to the filling.
 
Smaug
Smaug December 23, 2018
That's a new one on me- never heard of baking lemon curd after it's made, don't see why you would- it's usually put in a pre baked shell and refrigerated.
 
loves2eat
loves2eat December 23, 2018
Thanks so much!
 
Smaug
Smaug December 23, 2018
I have to wonder if we're talking about the same thing- to most of us, lemon curd is a mixture of lemon, eggs, sugar and butter cooked (by all but the most gonzo) in a double boiler, but I've heard the term applied to the standard lemon meringue pie filling, which is quite different. I wonder if you might bee making something along the lines of a Key Lime Pie filling, which consists of Key lime juice, sweetened condensed milk and egg yolks; it is traditionally used uncooked, counting on the acidity of the lime to set it, but most modern recipe writers give it a brief time in the oven. I suppose the idea is either to make sure it sets or to avoid raw egg, though the recipes I've seen have had such brief baking times that I have my doubts they could accomplish either.
 
Recommended by Food52

Popular on Food52