Lemon curd tarts with berries
These tarts just sing of summer flavours: buttery pastry, tangy lemon and sweet berries. You can make them in individual tart moulds or in a larger one and cut in wedges, either way they are a lovely, light and summary dessert. I have already posted the recipe for the lemon curd so I will not repeat it here but will provide instructions for making and baking the pastry and assembling the tarts.
When I make a batch of pastry dough I don’t necessarily use it all in one recipe. Sometimes I just need 4 tarts only, so I use a portion of the dough and refrigerate or freeze the rest of dough for later use. I make the dough with butter but you can substitute vegetable shortening. It will not taste like butter but will work just as well.
I makes these tarts in shallow 4″ fluted tart moulds. I have a few sizes of tart moulds around so I can pick and choose what I need for a specific recipe. You can use a muffin pan if you don’t have them. Just cut the pastry into rounds that would fit your muffin pan and press it into place.
Top the tarts with raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, sliced kiwi etc., alone or in combination. If you serve without berries just dust the top with icing sugar before serving.
By the time you read this we will be on the Isa Lei sailing to Penticton for a Joy road Catering dinner at God’s Mountain, sleeping on the boat for the night. Here is a report of the last time we did that. stay tuned.
Lemon curd tarts with berries
The recipe can make at least 8 tarts but you can make 4 only and keep the leftover dough and lemon curd for later.
Ingredients:
Lemon curd:
1 recipe lemon curd here (it makes more than you need for 4 tarts, keep the rest refrigerated for another use).
Pastry dough:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
A pinch of salt
1 1/2 stick butter, cold, cut in pieces
1/3 cup ice water
Directions:
Place flour, sugar and salt in the food processor and pulse a few times to blend.
Add the butter all at once and pulse two or three times.
Begin adding the water in a slow stream until the dough begins to gather. Don’t wait for it to form a ball and you may not need all of the water.
Remove the dough from the food processor and place on a lightly floured surface. Gather it quickly with your hands into a disk, wrap with plastic and refrigerate until cold.
When the dough is ready remove from the fridge and cut in half. Work with one half at a time.
Line your tart moulds on the counter close together.
Begin rolling the dough into a rectangle or a circle about 1/8 inch thick.
Lift the dough with the rolling pin and gently lay it over the tart moulds. Loosen it into the moulds and then run the rolling pin over the top. This will cut the dough to fit the moulds. With your fingers press it into the moulds, then place the moulds with the pastry in them in the refrigerator to chill.
Heat the oven to 400.
Place the tarts on a baking sheet and pierce the bottom of the tarts with a fork a few times (this will allow steam to escape).
Place a piece of parchment in each mould and weigh it down with dried beans or pastry weights.
Bake at 400F until the pastry is beginning to look golden, about 10 minutes.
Remove the parchment and weights and finish baking it, another few minutes until it is nice and golden.
Remove from the oven and let cool before un-moulding.
To assemble:
Fill the cooled tarts with the lemon curd, top with berries and garnish with a mint leave.
Refrigerate until serving.
Lemon curd
Lemon curd tarts with berries
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