July 4th Lemon Tart
When searching for a July 4th dessert with patriotic colors, I had two specific criteria in mind. Firstly, it needed to be easily sliceable, ensuring it maintained its visual appeal on guests’ plates. Secondly, given that there will be a lot of other food prep going on that day, it should not require last-minute assembly.
This lemon tart, with fresh berries and whipped cream and crème fraiche stars representing the colors of old glory, is the beautiful and delicious result of that search. The baked lemon filling slices beautifully, allowing for precise and appealing slices, while the tart itself maintains its picture worthy appearance. It can be baked the day before, with the colorful adornment done the morning of the event and kept in the refrigerator until it’s time for dessert.
To ensure the best appearance of the tart, it’s crucial l to keep a lookout for excellent condition raspberries a few days prior to preparing it, as they are the vital element in the tart’s design.
The lemon filling recipe, originally from Patisserie Lanciani, is the one we used in Seven Layers, my Martha’s Vineyard pastry shop. We baked a dozen individual lemon tarts each morning, and finished them with a whipped crème fra®che rosette topped with chopped pistachios.
This delectable tart can serve as a welcome dessert for any summer dinner, with or without fresh berries. If you have space, consider placing an unbaked, well-wrapped P¢te Sucr©e tart shell in your freezer. The day before a dinner party, simply pull out the shell and pre-bake it directly from the freezer.
I am extremely happy with all elements of this dessert. Do give it a try, I think you will be as well.
July 4th Lemon Tart
| Yield: 1 10″ tart | # of Servings: 10 |
Ingredients
1 recipe P¢te Sucr©e
5 tbl (2.5 oz / 71 g) butter, melted
5 large eggs (8 fl oz)
1 cup + 3 tbl (8.5 oz / 241 g) sugar
¼ cup + ½ tbl (2.25 oz / 64 g) sour cream
¾ cup (6 fl oz) fresh lemon juice
Grated rind from 3 lemons
3 half-pint containers1 red raspberries
1 pint blueberries, washed
1 cup (8 fl oz) heavy cream
1 cup (8 fl oz) crème fraiche
3 tbl (.75 oz / 21 g) confectioners’ sugar, sifted
Special equipment needed:
- One 10-inch by 1-inch deep tart pan
- A heavy bottomed 2 to 3 qt saucepan
- Large pastry bag (21â€) with medium star tip (Ateco
Pre-recipe preparations:
- Wash four to six2 lemons and let them come to room temperature
- Remove P¢te Sucr©e from the refrigerator to soften.
- Preheat oven to 375 °F
Directions
Forming the P¢te Sucr©e shell:
- Pound the dough gently with the rolling pin and roll out to a 12†circle.
- Drape over the rolling pin and fit into the tart pan. Gently press into the corner of the pan without stretching the dough. Patch any tears with dough scraps.
- Let rest and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, or overnight. After resting (to let the gluten relax) the tart pan with the dough may be placed on a 10†or 12†cardboard circle, wrapped well in plastic, and frozen. May be pre-baked directly from the freezer.
Baking the P¢te Sucr©e shell:
- Preheat oven to 375 °F.
- Place tart shell on a heavy-bottomed baking sheet, such as a half-sheet pan. Spray pan release on a square of aluminum foil and press it onto the chilled dough, making sure to press into the corners. Line with dried beans or rice.
- Bake until the pastry dough is set, 14 to 15 minutes.
- Remove the beans3 and foil and bake for another 3 to 4 minutes, just until any raw dough is baked and it just begins to brown. Don’t overbake. Place on a cooling rack.
- When almost cool, carefully remove the outer ring by placing on a small bowl or can, and allow the outer ring to fall. Place tart shell, with the metal bottom, on the paper or silpat lined baking sheet.
- Let totally cool.
Making the filling and baking:
- Preheat the oven to 350 °F
- Melt the butter, set aside to cool slightly
- Place eggs in a medium mixing bowl and beat with a whisk.
- Add sugar and sour cream. Beat with whisk until thoroughly combines, and there are visible clumps of sour cream. This will take a bit of whisking.
- Stir in lemon juice and melted butter. Whisk gently to combine.
- Pour mixture into saucepan and stir over medium flame with a heat-proof spatula or wooden spoon. Keep stirring until the mixture is warm, about 120 °F.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon rind.
- Pour the filling into the tart shell. The filling should be ⅛ “ from the top of the pastry. Carefully, place the pan in the oven.
- Bake just until the center of the lemon filling is beginning to set, there should only be the slightest wiggle in the center, when the baking pan is gently touched, about 14 to 16 minutes. Don’t overbake, the lemon filling will continue to set as it cools.
- Remove from oven, place on a cooling rack until just warm.
- Carefully slide a thin metal spatula, or the metal bottom from another tart shell, between the crust the bottom and slide onto a flat cake plate. Let cool.
Finishing:
- Whip the heavy cream, crème fraiche and the sugar until thick. Place in pastry bag with star tip.
- Form a concentric circle with the raspberries against the crust.
- Pipe stars of the whipped cream mixture next, then blueberries, whipped cream, raspberries, then finish with a few blueberries in the middle. Or, create whatever red, white, and blue pattern you wish.
- Store in the refrigerator. Tart may be placed on dessert table for 1 to 2 hours.
- Slice with a sharp chef’s knife.
Notes:
1 Open up the raspberry containers in the store. If some look mushy, you will need more than three half-pints.
2 Depending on the size of the lemons. Four large lemons should be enough, six if medium.
3 Save the dried beans for pre-baking other tarts or pies.
