Mini Lemon Tarts W/ How to Make Lemon Curd & Almond Flour

Mini fruit tarts, a lovely way for us pie lovers to use those cupcake pans everyone else uses! Do you feel like preparing a great and refreshing dessert for family picnics to fight this heat? A perfect year-round dessert, these tarts are fantastic, silky smooth filling and wonderfully tart flavor. If you desire a more delicate lemon flavor, use Meyer Lemons. Meyer Lemons are moderately acidic, they don't have the same tang as regular lemons and are much sweeter. The rinds also have a more complex scent than regular lemons — a spicy bergamot fragrance that tastes and smells more like an herb or a spice.

Step 1: ​Crust Ingredients:

1 2/3 cup flour

¼ cup almond flour (See note)

2/3 cup confectioners’ sugar

6 ozs. butter, cut into 1 tbsp. slices (1 stick butter plus 4 tbsps.)

Pinch salt

¼ tsp. vanilla

Step 2: Tart Pans:

For this recipe, I used "Gobel" brand, it's nonstick, 4" mini round tart pan, the choice of professional pastry chefs, the nonstick pans promote even baking and perfect browning, and they release the delicate pastry intact.

Step 3: ​Note, for Homemade Almond Flour:

To make almond flour, start by purchasing a 5.2 oz. pkg. sliced almonds. In a blender, add the sliced almonds, place cover to blender, process on highest speeds for about 7-10 seconds. Don’t over process, you’ll end up with almond butter!!

Step 4:

Place the flour,confectioner's sugar, almond flour and butter in the bowl of a food processor and pulse 8 to 12 times, until the mixture resembles sand.

Add the vanilla extract and the salt. Then gently blend the eggs into the dough and pulse the machine until the dough begins to JUST start forming a ball. being careful to not over-mix.

Step 5:

Turn the dough out onto a piece plastic wrap. Wrap the dough lightly and flatten slightly. Wrap dough tightly with another layer of plastic wrap and rest the dough in the fridge until ready to use, at least 30 minutes and up to overnight.

NOTE: Chilling the dough helps relax the gluten (protein) in the dough, so that it's less elastic when it's rolled out. It also firms up the fat, which means you won't need as much flour when rolling—excess flour can make pie dough tough so you want to use as little as possible.

Step 6:

On a floured surface, working with one piece of dough at a time, roll out to 1/4-inch
thickness. Using a 5-inch round cookie cutter, sharp paring knife, or a pastry cutter cut out into rounds.

Step 7:

Transfer a round to each well of a 12-well mini-tart pan. Using your fingers, press the pastry to fit into the well. Place tarts in freezer 20 minutes.

Step 8: Oven:

Position a rack in the center of an oven and preheat to 400 ºF.

Step 9:

Place of parchment paper that's cut into small squares on top of the dough. Fill the parchment paper-lined molds with dried beans, rice or pie weights

Step 10:

Place tarts on a baking sheet, partially bake tart shells 15 minutes, then remove from oven, remove the beans and parchment paper. Return tart shells to oven and bake tart shells 5-7 minutes, or until evenly golden and crisp.

Step 11:

Transfer the pan to a wire rack and cool for 5 minutes, then you can remove the tart shells from the pans and cool on a wire rack to room temperature. Personnally, I remove the tart shells from pan after I've add the fillings.

Step 12: Lemon Curd Ingredients:

4 large eggs

1 ½ cups super fine sugar

2/3 cup FRESH lemon juice (5-6 lemons, zest the lemons before you juice them)

2-3 tbsps. FRESH lemon zest

6 ozs. butter ((1 stick butter plus 4 tbsps.)

NOTE:Thoroughly rinse lemons to rid the wax, pesticides, bacteria and plain old dirt and completely dry with fresh paper towels.

Step 13: Lemon Curd Directions:

Whisk together the eggs and sugar in heavy-bottomed sauce pan. Add the lemon juice, zest and butter.

Step 14:

Place on burner and heat over medium heat, stirring constantly.

Step 15:

Remove from the heat, fill the baked tart shells with lemon curd just below the top of the shell. Transfer

the remaining lemon curd to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to a few weeks.

Step 16: Toppings:

Arrange fresh raspberries around the outer edge of shell. Make smaller circles of raspberries as you work towards the center of the tart. Sprinkle berries with confectioners’ sugar or brush the tops of the raspberries with melted raspberry jam. Top with Flavored whipping cream and sprinkle a little lemon zest.

I HOPE TO HEAR HOW YOOU LIKE THIS RECIPE....

Step 17: TO REMOVE TART PAN FROM TARTS:

Remove the tart shells from the pans, hold the tart in one hand, with other hand underneath the tart, gently push up the bottom,. the tart should come up through the frame. Then gently remove bottom with your fingers.