Recipe: Lemon and Currant Tart

Recipe Source: Medrich, Alice.  Pure Dessert. Artisan Press, New York, 2007 p. 114. 

This recipe could easily be termed "disaster recovery."  I made this recipe for our family celebration of Orthodox Easter, which was last Sunday for those who don't celebrate.  I'd originally intended it to be a kind of "safety" dessert, a backup plan in case my main dessert didn't come out well.  Instead, the (frankly very complicated) main dessert was exactly what I wanted it to be, and it was the emergency backup plan that didn't work so well.  This surprised me, because other things I've made from this cookbook worked very well indeed, but whatever. 

Things started out okay.  I made the crust.  There was barely enough of it to fill the tart pan, but the original recipe said to expect that.  Fine, good.  I made the lemon filling.  Not so good.  When I put it into the bottom of the pre-baked crust, it looked like someone had slathered a little butter on the bottom of a crust and left it there to fester.  It did not look like someone had attempted to fill a tart.  I'm not sure why this should be, and I'm sure it's because I screwed something up.  I didn't have time to mess around with why, though.  I was about to have a house full of people - family - and I had to fix the problem quickly. 

I searched frantically through my cabinets to find something I could use, completely forgetting the leftover hamantashen fillings that were stored under the bed for lack of a better place for them.  What I did find was some currant jam I'd purchased for my husband during my sojourn in Syracuse.  It wasn't what I would have preferred (which would have been pomegranate), but it would have to do.  I emptied the jar into the tart.  Then I cursed.  Even when I evened it out, it still didn't fill the tart!  I developed an evil plan.  I would add a decorative whipped cream garnish.  Brilliant plan, with one problem: I didn't have enough whipping cream to pull it off.  I wound up running out to the (abysmal) supermarket near my house, waited 20 minutes in the self-checkout line (really!) and purchased a can of Redi-Whip. 

The result was actually quite pleasant.  After all the heavy traditional Easter foods - lamb, and lamb soup, and eggs - some of the guests found the...er, tartness of the tart to be very refreshing.  I wound up being quite glad that I didn't feed the tart to the dog when I realized it wasn't going to go my way...

Lemon and Currant Tart (serves 8; approx. $0.67/serving)

1 stick unsalted butter, melted

1/4 cup sugar

3/4 teaspoon almond extract

1/8 teaspoon salt

4.5 ounces all-purpose flour

Grated zest of 1/2 lemon

1/4 cup lemon juice

1/4 cup sugar

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

1 jar currant jam

Spray whipped cream, for garnish

Equipment:

• 9 1/2" fluted tart pan with removable bottom
• 2 medium bowls
• Strainer
• Small, nonreactive saucepan
• Small heatproof bowl
• Baking sheet

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and position a rack in the lower third of your oven.
2. In the medium bowl, combine the butter with the sugar, almond extract and salt. 
3. Add the flour and mix until well blended.  If the dough seems too soft and gooey (her words, not mine, but very accurate) let it stand for a few moments.
4. Press the dough into the pan to create an even crust.  This may be a little challenging, as there really isn't any dough to spare here, but be patient and your work will be rewarded.
5. Place the pan on the baking sheet and bake until the crust is a deep golden brown, 20 minutes or so. 
6. To make the filling, set a strainer over a medium bowl.  Working near the stove will be very helpful to you here.
7. In the saucepan, combine the lemon zest, juice, sugar and butter and bring to a simmer over medium heat.
8. In the small heatproof bowl, whisk the egg and yolk lightly to combine. 
9. Gradually pour the hot liquid from the saucepan over the eggs, whisking constantly.
10. Scrape the mixture back into the saucepan and whisk over medium heat until thickened and just beginning to simmer around the edges.
11. Pour the mixture into the strainer and rap against the bowl to encourage the liquid into the bowl. 
12. When the crust is ready, remove it from the oven but leave the oven on.
13. Pour the filling into the hot crust.
14. Empty the jar of currant jam onto the filling and spread it evenly over the lot. 
15. Bake 5 minutes to set the surface.  Cool completely on a rack.
16. Decorate with whipped cream and serve. 

Comments

[Sophie]

MMMMMM...lovely tarte!! I love it! Great job!

[Laura @ Hungry and Frozen]

Nice save - it looks delish. I hate it when a recipe turns out like that, lucky you had some jam in the cupboard! I'm sure I would have panicked and ended up with no dessert at all :)

[zerrin]

I would have panicked too in such a situation. CONGRATS on this "saved" tarte and sometimes it's better not to reveal the secrets to the guests :)

[Fearless Kitchen]

Zerrin - Thanks! I couldn't hide it from ALL the guests, since my mother-in-law saw what was happening, but people really seemed to like it.

Laura - Thanks! I'll admit that I usually try to keep a little something like that on hand in case inspiration (or disaster) strikes.

Sophie - Thanks!