This week has been all about the meyer lemons for us, and I totally support it. Yesterday Kara asked for meyer lemon recipe suggestions and it looks like we’ve gotten some total winners. Meyer lemon pound cake? Yes please! Isn’t there something similar to that at Starbucks? It’s like a lemony loaf and it’s awesome! And now…what better way to end the work week than with a dessert that’s refreshing, slightly tart, sweet and lemon-licious? That was cheesy. :-/
Recently we’ve been making a conscious effort to eat healthier. Lots of fish and vegetables, Greek yogurt, baby spinach, fruits, all that good stuff. You probably wouldn’t know it from our blog though. Even though I did post an awesome and healthy salmon recipe just days ago, it’s just more fun to write about desserts! And I’ll always need to have some kind of sweets in my life, even if it’s just a taste every so often. We made these tarts last weekend then took them to a family party that night, so we didn’t need to feel too guilty. I did try a few bites though and…yum!!
You can easily make this meyer lemon tart using store bought lemon curd, we really like Trader Joe’s lemon curd. But if you’re feeling adventurous, definitely try this out. It’s not hard at all and it made enough to fill all these tarts with leftovers to shmear on toast for breakfast all week. ![]()

In a food processor, pulse flour, sugar, egg yolk, salt and butter for 30 to 60 seconds

Add half the water and pulse a few more times. Dough should resemble a coarse meal. Add remaining water if needed

The dough is ready when you can clench it in your hand and it stays together

Form the dough into a disk, refrigerate for 30 minutes then take it out and roll the dough out

Place dough over the tart shells and push the dough into the sides. We used mini shells

Cover with aluminum foil then fill with cooking beans

Bake until golden brown

Fill with meyer lemon curd then bake for about 15 more minutes, or until set

These tarts were so refreshingly tasty!
Ingredients
For the crust:
1 stick cold butter, cut into pea-size pieces
¼ cup sugar
1¼ cups all-purpose flour
pinch of salt
2-4 tablespoons cold water
Special Equipment:
1 pound dried beans
10-inch tart pan
-OR-
6 3½-inch mini tart pans
For garnish (optional):
berries
confectioners’ sugar, for dusting on top
Directions
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Put the butter, sugar, flour, egg yolk and salt in a food processor and pulse for 30 to 60 seconds, or until the texture resembles a coarse meal. Add half of the cold water and pulse the food processor 2 to 3 times. The dough should begin coming together. Add the rest of the water if needed. When the dough has reached the proper consistency, transfer it to a clean work surface. You will know the dough is ready when you grab a fistful and it stays together. Dust dough with flour and form the dough into a disk. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes.
Once the dough is out of the refrigerator, roll the dough out to about ¼-inch thickness on a lightly floured work surface. Lay the dough over the tart pan. If you’re working with one tart pan, push the dough into the sides of the tart pan then roll over the top of the pan with a rolling pin to cut the extra dough from the pan. If you’re working with a mini tart pan push the dough into the individual shells then cut the remaining dough off with a knife. Cover with aluminum foil. Fill the tart shell(s) with dried beans and bake for 10 to 12 minutes (8-10 for a mini tart pan). Remove the foil and beans and bake for 2 to 3 minutes longer. Remove from the oven and let cool, it should be golden and crisp.
After the crust has cooled, pour in the lemon curd and continue baking until the lemon curd has set, about 15 minutes. If the tarts are getting too brown, cover with foil. Let cool completely before cutting. Garnish with fresh berries and a dusting of confectioner’s sugar, if desired.
Source: adapted from Anne Burrell


