Tarte Citron (Lemon Tart)

Yield > 6
To 8
Keys : Citrus French France European Mediterranean
Ingredients :
1/2 lb Frozen Puff Pastry, thawed
The Juice of 6 Lemons,
(About 1 cup)
6 whl Eggs
5 lrg Egg Yolks
1 1/4 cup Granulated Sugar
1 cup Unsalted Butter, cut into
pieces
Method :
• But you don't have to wait for a reason to celebrate.
Today's recipe is the perfect ending to a rich, complex dinner.
Once assembled, this tart requires just a minute under the
broiler and then an hour to set, so it's very simple to prepare.
Try it for dessert tonight and your friends, family, and guests
will be impressed with your French pastry skills.
• If you prefer to use your own puff pastry recipe instead
of a prepared pastry dough, just follow the instructions given
below in The Kitchen Staff Tips.
• Pre-heat oven to 400-F degrees and assemble your miseen-
place, now.
• (Mise-en-place defined: French cooking method whereby
you arrange each ingredient in the prepared portions and
sequence you'll require when preparing your recipe.)
• On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry dough to
about an 1/8-inch-thick circle that's about 12 inches across.
Transfer the pastry to a 9-inch tart pan, preferably with a
removable bottom. Gently fit the pastry into the pan and trim
off any excess. Prick the bottom of the pastry all over with a
fork. Line the pasty with aluminum foil and weight it with dried
beans or rice, to keep the pastry from puffing up unevenly
during baking. Bake for 15 minutes and remove from the oven
when lightly browned.
• Remove the foil and weights and cool on a wire rack.
• Pre-heat the broiler.
• In the top pan of a double-boiler, mix the lemon juice,
eggs, egg yolks, and sugar over simmering water in the
bottom of a double-boiler pan. Beat the mixture for 8 to 10
minutes with a hand-held electric mixer or whisk.
• Make sure the mixture is very thick and the batter clings
to the utensil.
• Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter pieces a
little at a time.
• Pour the custard into the puff pastry shell.
• Place the lemon tart under the broiler for 60 seconds, or
until the top is just glazed. Let it sit at room temperature for
about an hour, or until the lemon filling is cooled and set.
• Slice to serve. Refrigerate any remaining tart to store,
but serve at room temperature.
• Kitchen Staff Tips: To prepare a from-scratch puff pastry,
chill 1 cup of butter or margarine. Reserve at least 2
tablespoons. Work the remaining chilled butter with the back
of a wooden spoon on a sheet of waxed paper that is twice the
size of an 9-inch by 12-inch sheet. Make sure to work on one
side of the wax paper, then fold the other side on top of the
butter, leaving room for the butter to spread as you roll it out
to an even 8-inch by 6-inch square. Chill the butter in the
refrigerator for at least 1 hour, or place it in the freezer for 20
minutes.
• Cut the reserved 2 tablespoons butter into 1 3/4 cups
sifted all-purpose flour until the mixture resembles a coarse
meal. Gradually add 1/2 cup ice water. A fork works great for
blending the dough. Cover, and let rest for 10 minutes, then
roll the dough on a lightly floured surface into a 15-inch by 9-
inch rectangle. Peel off one side of the wax paper from the
chilled butter and place on one side of the dough, then fold the
dough over the top of the butter and seal the edges. Wrap the
butter and dough in wax paper and chill for at least an hour in
the refrigerator.
• Unwrap the dough and place it on a lightly floured
surface. Roll it out to a 15-inch by 9-inch rectangle. Make sure
you roll out from the center to keep the batter and dough
layers equalized. Brush off any excess flour, then fold the
dough in thirds, turn the dough, and fold in thirds again.
• Press the edges to seal. Wrap and chill the dough for at
least an hour or freeze the dough at this time.
• To prepare your pastry, simply roll out the chilled or
thawed dough to the size required for baking. You now have 7
layers of butter and dough to form a puff pastry while baking.