Meyer Lemon Tart-Chez Panisse #5

   
                                                    Julia Child brought French cooking into  mainstream America

                                                    in the 1960's, with her PBS show "The  French Chef". Her influence

                                                    was much more than this however. Julia, with her humility

                                                    about mistakes, encouraged Americans to embrace home cooking,

                                                    and experiment with new ingredients, flavors and techniques.

                                                    In 1971, Alice Waters opened Chez Panisse in Berkeley.
                                Alice was influenced by her time spent in France, and 
                                wanted to use the finest of ingredients, as she believed
                                the best-grown food will also be the most delicious.
                                Chez Panisse is committed to using seasonal, organic 
                                products from local sources. 

                                       Meyer Lemon Tart  (page 280) *from Chez Panisse 
                                                             serves 8

In the bowl of a mixer, cream together 8 ounces softened butter (2 sticks), and 1/2 cup sugar. 

Add one egg yolk, and 1/2 Tbsp. milk, and beat to combine.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour with 1/4 tsp. salt.

Slowly add the flout to the butter mixture, stirring until completely blended.

Gather dough into 2 balls. Freeze one for future use.

Refrigerate the other ball of dough for at least one hour.

Heavily butter a 10-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. *I used a pan with removable sides.*

On a lightly floured surface, roll out ball of dough to a circle 1/8 inch thick. Transfer to the tart pan, press into the pan, and trim edges. Prick the bottom with a fork, and place the shell in the freezer for 30 minutes.

                               While shell is in freezer, prepare the lemon curd: grate zest of lemons (5-6 Meyer lemons). Squeeze lemons to extract 1 cup of juice. In a medium, nonreactive saucepan, combine juice and zest. Add 1 cup of sugar, 5 1/2 ounces butter, and 1/8 tsp. salt. Place over medium heat, stirring once or twice, until sugar is dissolved and butter is melted.

In mixing bowl, combine eggs and remaining 7 egg yolks until blended. Slowly add hot lemon mixture to eggs until blended. Return mixture to saucepan, and place over low heat. Whisk constantly until mixture thickens to a pudding-like consistency; do not allow it to boil.Remove from heat, and continue to stir to stop the cooking. Strain lemon curd into a bowl. Adjust sugar to taste; the curd should be tart, but may need additional sugar if the lemons were unripe. 

Cover with plastic wrap, pressing it right against the surface of the curd. Allow to cool.

 Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Remove tart shell from freezer. Line with foil and pastry weights and bake 10 minutes. remove foil and weights and bake until lightly golden, 10 to 15 minutes longer. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.

 Spoon lemon curd into tart shell, and smooth the top. Bake until filling has puffed around the edges, about 30 minutes. Cover edges with foil if necessary, to prevent over-browning. Cool to room temperature before serving.

                                Bon Appetit!