Lemon Custard Tart

Name: Lemon Custard Tart
Total time: PT0D0H0M
Yield: serves 6-8
Ingredients: 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting; 8 tbsp. almond flour; 1 ⁄ 4 tsp. kosher salt; 1 cup plus 2 tbsp. confectioners' sugar; 12 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened; 1 egg; 1 lemon, thinly sliced, seeds discarded; 2 2 ⁄ 3 cups sugar; 1 ⁄ 4 cup grated lemon zest plus 1 1/2 cups juice; 8 egg yolks, plus 6 whole eggs; 8 tbsp. unsalted butter, cubed and chilled; 1 cup heavy cream; 1 oz. white chocolate, melted and cooled

Serves
serves 6-8

JOSEPH DE LEO

Use leftover dough from the butter crust of this creamy lemon custard pastry to make decorative cookies to adorn the outside.

Brooklyn-based pastry chef Ayako Kurokawa collects leftover dough from the butter crust of this creamy lemon custard pastry to make decorative cookies to adorn the outside.

Ingredients

For the Tart Shell and Cookies

2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
8 tbsp. almond flour
¹⁄₄ tsp. kosher salt
1 cup plus 2 tbsp. confectioners' sugar
12 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
1 egg

For the Filling and Garnish

1 lemon, thinly sliced, seeds discarded
2 ²⁄₃ cups sugar
¹⁄₄ cup grated lemon zest plus 1 1/2 cups juice
8 egg yolks, plus 6 whole eggs
8 tbsp. unsalted butter, cubed and chilled
1 cup heavy cream
1 oz. white chocolate, melted and cooled

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Instructions

Step 1

Make the tart shell and cookie dough: Whisk flours and salt in a bowl; set aside. Using an electric hand mixer, beat sugar and butter in another bowl until fluffy, 2–3 minutes. Add egg; mix to combine. With the motor running, slowly add dry ingredients until a soft dough forms. Flatten dough into a disk; cover with plastic wrap and chill 1 hour.

Step 2

Heat oven to 325°. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough until 1⁄6" thick. Trim dough into a 15" circle. Press dough into bottom and 1 3⁄4" up the sides of a 9" cake pan with a removable bottom; trim and gather edges of dough, and set scraps aside. Using a fork, prick the dough in the pan all over. Line dough with parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans; bake until golden and cooked through, about 1 hour, and let cool. Meanwhile, on a lightly floured surface, roll dough scraps 1⁄6" thick. Using cookie cutters, cut out 20–25 cookies and place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet; bake until golden, 10–12 minutes.

Step 3

Make the filling and garnish: Place lemon in a 2-qt. saucepan filled with water; boil. Strain lemon; set aside. Add 1 1⁄3 cups sugar and 1⁄2 cup water to pan and bring to a simmer over medium; cook until sugar is dissolved and stir in lemon. Cook until lemon rind is softened and translucent, about 10 minutes; let candied lemon cool in syrup.

Step 4

Whisk remaining sugar, the lemon zest, egg yolks, and eggs in a 4-qt. saucepan until smooth. Whisk in lemon juice; cook, stirring constantly, over medium until thickened, 10–12 minutes. Remove from heat; whisk in cold butter 1 piece at a time until incorporated. Strain curd through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl; press plastic wrap onto surface of curd and chill.

Step 5

Transfer 1 1⁄2 cups curd to another bowl; set aside. Whip cream in a separate bowl into stiff peaks; fold cream into larger amount of curd and spread evenly into tart shell; chill until set, about 1 hour. Spread reserved lemon curd over lemon cream and top with candied lemon slices; chill 1 hour. Remove tart from pan and transfer to a cake stand or platter. Use melted white chocolate to glue cookies to outer crust of tart.