Recipe: Tarte au citron (a.k.a. Lemon Tart) - my comfort food

One of my favorite desserts back in my days in Europe was the tarte au citron. Its ever-cheerful color and brightening citrus taste could always be my cure for the distressful days. Also ranking among my top 3 comfort food list are the crepe au sucre (thin pancake with crunchy sugar sprinkled and folded 2 times to make a 4-layer triangle..yum..) and marrons chauds (hot charcoal roasted chestnuts - best street treat during window shopping in winter!...coz it could make sure you really do 'window-shop'). I am sure some of my besties know what exactly I am talking about, when i say these are 'comfort foods', you have no idea how these foods have turned some of my Swiss days so great! :D

So, here's my Tarte au citron recipe (Sorry I like to go by this name coz. it was 'tarte au citron' but not 'lemon tart' that I have emotionally bonded with :P)

Tarte au citron (Recipe by Foodnetwork.com, modification by Tracy Wong)

Ingredients

For the tart shell:

• 1 sticks (about 100g) unsalted butter, plus more for greasing, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• Pinch salt

For the lemon curd:

• 4 lemons, at room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 3/4 stick (about 75g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 4 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

For the tart shell:

Directions

1. Mix the butter and sugar together in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment until they are just combined. 

2. Add the vanilla. 

3. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour and salt, then add them to the butter-and-sugar mixture. 

4. Mix on low speed until the dough starts to come together. 

5. Dump onto a surface dusted with flour and shape into a flat disk. Cut out round disks to be pressed into your desired size of greased tart mold, making sure that the finished edge is flat. Chill until firm. 

6. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 175 degrees C.
7. Butter one side of a square of aluminum foil to fit inside the chilled tart and place it, buttered side down, on the pastry. Fill with beans or rice. Bake for 20 minutes. 
8. Remove the foil and beans, prick the tart all over with the tines of a fork, and bake again for 10 minutes more, or until lightly browned. Allow to cool to room temperature. 

Fill rice on the aluminum foil covering the tart pastry ; prick the tart with the tines of a fork

For the lemon curd:

1. Remove the zest of the lemons with a vegetable peeler or zester, being careful to avoid the white pith. Squeeze the lemons to make 1/2 cup of juice and set the juice aside. 

2. Put the zest in a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Add the sugar and process for 2 to 3 minutes, until the zest is very finely minced. 

3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter with the sugar and lemon zest. 

4. Add the eggs, one at a time, and then add the lemon juice and salt. Mix until combined.(Coagulation may happen due to chemical reaction, the coagulated foam could be removed)

5. Pour the mixture into a 2-quart saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until thickened, about 10 minutes. The lemon curd will thicken at about 75 degrees C, or just below a simmer. Remove from the heat. 

6. Fill the tart shell with warm lemon curd and allow to set at room temperature. Voila!