Lemon Saffron Tart on Almond Crust

Author Notes

This tart is an Iranian twist to a French classic. The saffron adds a delicate scent while intensifying the citrus flavor as well as giving the tart a brighter yellow color than plain lemon. This crust is an adaptation of David Liebovitz's recipe in method. Any tart crust can be used, I prefer to make it with almond. The below recipe is the result of testing and failing of at least a dozen different lemon tart/tarte au citron recipes.

Note: I prefer lip-smacking 'tart' and use only 1/4 cup sugar. If you would like a sweeter lemon tart, where the recipe calls for, add 1/2 cup sugar. Also, keep the eggs, lemon juice, and butter at room temperature; do not use them straight out of the refrigerator.

Serve with a neat whiskey. - tartist —deleted

Test Kitchen Notes

Don’t let the serene color of this tart fool you. It packs a large lemony wallop. I heeded the tartist's warnings regarding puckering lips and added ½ cup sugar instead of her preferred ¼ cup – but I still puckered plenty. That is by no means a bad thing in this case as the unorthodox crust (you actually MELT the butter for this one, folks, a method David Lebovitz espouses), adds an almost crispy buttery counter to cut the lemons’ tartness. To all but one very astute taster, the Meyer lemon juice in my test tart overpowered the subtle flavor of the Egyptian saffron I used, but the vibrant color was certainly appreciated by all. - cheese1227 —cheese1227