Lemon Curd Fruit Tart - A blend of tartness and sweetness!

Have been resting quite a bit since the last Father’s Day project. Doing a lot of readings on recipes and methods to prepare for my next big project ~ my baby’s first birthday!

Yesterday, Hubby said wanted to go visit his uncles & auntie, so that finally got my engine working! I thought of doing something simple and low failure rate for them. A fruit tart immediately came into my mind.

My usual fruit tart has a layer of crème d'amande which uses almond powder and top with custard and whip cream. As my cousin has an allergic reaction to nuts, I have to forgo the crème d’amande layer. I am thinking of having something more refreshing for after dinner dessert, as I know dinner is always heavy with these relatives. I looked through my fridge and saw those lovely lemons and decided to do a lemon curd fruit tart.

:: A Colorful Lemon Curd Fruity Tart ::

This tart is baked in 6 inch removable base tart tin in my Morris tabletop oven.

Tart Shell Ingredients:
Recipe adapted from My Mind Patch

45g salted butter, softened & cut into small pieces

20g icing sugar

1 egg yolk (I used small yolk, approx 18g)

90g all-purpose flour

How to do:

1. Cream the soften butter till it is smooth and pale yellow. I used hand whisk.

2. Add icing sugar and continue to cream till light and fluffy.

3. Add in the egg yolk and continue to mix till well combined.

4. Sift in the flour in 2 steps and using a spatula, mix well for each addition till the mixture becomes a soft dough.

5. Shape the dough into a ball and placed on a piece of cling wrap that is big enough to cover a round out dough of 6 inch round.

6. Put another cling wrap on top of the dough, flatten it and started to roll out evenly into a round, big enough to cover your tart tin base with some allowance for the tin height

7. Place the dough sheet in the fridge to chill for about 10 min.

8. Take out the dough sheet (should feel a bit stiff) and place it over the tart tin.

9. Press the dough sheet against the tin. If the dough sheet breaks, just fill up the holes by pressing the dough together.

10. Use a roller to roll on the top of the tart tin and the dough will be flatted to the tin height. Continue with step 9 and 10 till you are satisfied with the evenness of the tart shell.

11. Use a fork to make holes at the base of the tart.

:: makes holes on the base of tart shell before baking ::

12. Bake in pre-heated oven at 170 degree (shown on my oven thermometer) for 10 min.

13. Bring out from the oven and egg wash* the tart shell and return to oven for another 8 – 10min or till the tart shell turns light brown and the sides shrink slightly away from the tin.

14. Remove from oven, unmold once the moulds are slightly cooled down enough for hands to handle. Continue to let it cool on a metal rack.

*I use a bit of egg yolk (from the lemon curd ingredients) + 1 teaspoon of water and 1 drop of oil.

**Can use both non-stick or aluminum tart tin but DO NOT grease the tart tin.

Lemon Curd Ingredients:

Recipe adapted from Nasi Lemak Lover

75ml lemon juices (approx 3 small lemons)

75g caster sugar or to taste

15g unsalted butter

Lemon zest from 2 small lemons

2 small egg yolks (I remove a bit for egg washing the tart, approx 1/4 tsp)

1 & 1/2 tbsp cornstarch

3 tbsp water

How to do:

1. Melt the sugar and butter in the lemon juice together with the zest over heat. Remove the saucepan once it starts to bubble.

2. Mix the cornstarch and water till they are well-combined, and add in the egg yolks and mix well.

3. Add the egg yolk mixture to the lemon juice mixture in the saucepan.

4. Return the saucepan to stove and use a hand whisk and continue to stir over low heat.

5. After a few minutes, you will start to feel the mixture starts to thicken.

6. Remove the pan from heat and continue to stir. Due to the residual heat, it will continue to thicken.

7. If the curd doesn’t thicken to the right consistency, return to low heat for a a few second and continue to stir. Do not allow the curd to boil.

8. The curd’s consistency should be something like japanese mayonnaise, soft but should be able to hold its shape.

9. Pour the curd through a fine mesh sieve to attain a smoother consistency.

Assembling the Tart:

1. Scoop the lemon curd into the tart shell. The curd should not feel hot at this point.

2. Place the tart in a covered container in the fridge for about 15 min.

3. Meanwhile prepare your favorite fruits for topping the tart. Wash & pat dry.

4. Bring out the tart after 15 min, the curd should feel a bit stiffer.

5. Arrange your favorite fruits onto according to your preference.

6. Glaze the fruits to achieve the shiny look.

7. Return to fridge till ready to serve.

*To glaze the fruits, can use apricot jam or piping jelly etc. I used 2 & 1/2 tbsp of can peach syrup + 1 tsp of gelatin powder. Simply dissolve the gelatin powder in the peach syrup over water bath.

:: Love the Symmetrical Arrangement! ::

What I love about fruit tarts is that it is such a refreshing dessert after a full dinner. The lemon curd has the tartness that helps to refresh your palate. On top of that, who doesn’t love a beautiful and colorful fruit tart?

:: The Mini Version ~ Great as Dessert Canapes ::