Tuesday, May 12, 2009

TWD - Tartest Lemon Tart


Who doesn't like a lovely lemon tart? It's light and sunny and attractive with a smooth mouth feel and just enough tartness to make your lips pucker slightly. And so were the qualities of this week's Tuesday with Dorie's Tartest Lemon Tart, chosen by Babette of Babette Feasts.

After so much chocolate last month, I was delighted with this choice. The tart uses one and a half whole lemons; however, I was not afraid of this, as I had already made the whole lemon tart posted on Smitten Kitten back in January. I just used whatever common garden variety lemons were available in Woolworths - Meyer lemons are mostly unheard of here. The only parts of the lemon skin that I discarded were the top and the tail, as those pieces are rather knubbly and thick.

Dorie instructed us to use a blender to make the filling instead of a food processor - but next time, I think I'll stick to the food processor, which gives a smoother end result:


Tha tart shell was a nutty version of Dorie's pate sable, which is much beloved by me, as you press it into the pan rather than rolling it out:


I had a few anxious moments when I realised that the tray on which I had put my filled tart to bake was too big for my oven, and the transfer of the loose-bottomed pie pan to another tray was not smooth. There was some spillage, and I feared that I would lose the lot.


However, as you can see, it all turned out well. If I have to be picky, the sides of my tart shell ended up a little over-browned, but still very edible.
I loved this tart - I had two slices of it. It also proved to be popular at work, as it was all gone by lunchtime.

If you would like to see how the other TWD bakers went with this tart, you can visit the
TWD blogroll.

43 comments:

steph- whisk/spoon said...

turned out great! looks good!

Anonymous said...

Your tart looks wonderful. I know it was delicious.

Tammy said...

your tart looks great! I loved the lemonyness of this tart!

Unknown said...

Great job! Your tart looks wonderful. This one was too tart for me but I'm glad you liked it!

Heather said...

mmmm. i love a good lemon tart. looks delicious!

Mermaid Sews said...

Ohh I can't wait to make this, and I think I will use your tip and use the foodprocessor instead of the blender. Your's looks great.

Amanda said...

t looks wonderful! I'm getting ready to write mine up now :)

Kara said...

I loved this tart, too. I made mine in the food processor and it smoothed out nicely - I don't think a blender is really necessary if you have a decent food processor!

Pamela said...

Looks wonderful. Mine was a bit on the browner side, too...but I still can't wait to eat it!

Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella said...

I agree, there's little better than a lemon tart! I love the buttery crust and lovely curd centre and yours looks fantastic!

Anonymous said...

Glad it worked out well - it looks delicious!

Cakelaw said...

Thanks Steph!

Hi Wendy, this one is a keeper.

Hi Tammy, I agree - loved the lemon!

Thanks Tracey.

Hi Heather, this recipe is a goodie.

Hi Lorelei, you'll love it (if you like lemon!).


Hi Amanda, hope all went well.


Hi Kara, I agree - I use my food processor all the time, but this is only the second time I've used the blender - and I have had it longer.

Thanks Pamela - hope you enjoyed it!

Thanks Lorraine :)

Thanks Rainbow - this was a great recipe.

Finla said...

If i make this hubby would love it as he loves lemon tarts.
Beautiful and delicious.

Babette said...

Nice work!

April said...

Your tart look great!

Hindy said...

Glad you got your two pieces before it was gone! I'm definitely making this one again.

Cynthia said...

On the same page as you with the crust. Nice work.

Teanna said...

Your tart looks SO GOOD with the powdered sugar on top - And I think the edges look great- but I like mine a bit crispy!!! Gorgeous!

Cathy said...

So glad you enjoyed this! It looks delicious! There just isn't anything more cheerful than a good lemon tart - you are right, "sunny" is the perfect word!

Maria said...

Nice job on the tart!

Soy*Baby said...

Your tart looks great. I was glad for the lemony dessert too. It has been chocolate overload.

Cakelaw said...

Hi Happy Cook, I am sure he would - Babette will have the recipe.

Thanks for choosing this Babette.

Thanks April :)

Hi Clivia, I think I will too, as 2 pieces is not enough!

Thanks Cynthia.

Thanks Teanna - was hard to stop the edges from getting crispy because of the par-baked shell and then long cooking time.

Hi Cathy, thanks - I think a bit of sunshine in our lives is good for all of us.

Thanks Maria.

Hi Kim, lemon feels more virtuous somehow than chocolate.

Kayte said...

I love the powdered sugar on yours...the guys here wanted whipped cream, of course, so it is fun to see what the powdered sugar version looks like. It looks very beautiful! That slice photo just makes me want to have it all over again...two weeks in a row! Great job.

MacDuff said...

Oh nice! I wanted to make Smitten Kitchen's tart too. How do they compare?

Kayte said...

I tried to leave a comment and it disappeared, so I will try again, or you might have two so I better come up with something original here! The tart shell looks amazing to me...perfection! I love the powdered sugar as my guys wanted whipped cream, so went that route...fun to see the powdered sugar version. The slice of tart looks fabulous! Great job.

Jules Someone said...

This looks gorgeous! It's funny to me that you shop at Woolworths. They're mostly gone around here. Ah well.

natalia said...

Ciao ! Reading your posts I always wish I was one of your colleagues ! Beautiful tart !

Cakelaw said...

Hi Kayte, I could eat this every week!

Hi MacDuff, this tart was a little more custard like and has a slightly deeper filling than the SK one (which doesn't contain cream, whereas Dorie's does). However, both are good. The advantage of the SK one is less ingredients if your pantry is running on the low side.

Hi Kayte, I like both comments!

Thanks Natalia :)

Anonymous said...

Glad it all worked out for you. It looks great!

♥Rosie♥ said...

I adore lemon tart and yours looks wonderful cakelaw!

Apologies for not calling by earlier due to circumstances.

Rosie x

Ivy said...

I've never made a lemon tart and this one looks so good.

The Blonde Duck said...

This looks perfect for summer!

Cakelaw said...

Thanks Maryann - this one is good.

Hi Rosie, good to see you again - thanks.

Hi Ivy, you must make lemon tart - you'll love it!

Hi Duckie, agreed - I wish we were going into summer - I may fly North!

AmyRuth said...

Yours looks so delicious! I'm having a piece after dinner tonight. :-) So glad you liked it too. I made one with Meyer and one with "the garden variety" so I can compare. Great job
AmyRuth

A_and_N said...

I agree with you. Who can resist a lemon tart? :D

I have a new tart pan and this post gives me ideas! Yay!

Cakelaw said...

Hi AmyRuth, can't wait to hear the results of the comparison.

Hi A&N, sounds like a good plan! Babette has the recipe for this one.

Lynne Daley said...

I loved this tart, too. It's a keeper in my repertoire of desserts. Yours looks great!

Cakelaw said...

Thanks Lynnylu - I agree that this is a keeper, and I could make it way more often than I have days in a week.

Maggie said...

Beautiful lemon tart - my very all time favourite.

Cakelaw said...

Hi Margaret, I love how the whole lemon really brings out the tartness.

Anonymous said...

All these lemon tarts on the blogosphere are just making my mouth water! Great job, and I don't think the sides look too brown :)

Cakelaw said...

I know - makes me want it all over again. Thanks :)

TeaLady said...

Beautiful tart. It was good, wasn't it.