Meyer Lemon Macadamia Nut Tart
I’m not usually a lemon kind of girl. Dessert, to me, is chocolate, chocolate, and more chocolate. Fruit tarts, lemon bars, and fruity crumbles on restaurant menus will always be skipped over in favor of the rich chocolate cakes and caramel custards. Maybe I’m missing out, but I’m never disappointed.
To be honest I was quite tempted to turn this into a chocolate lemon tart. An unusual combination, maybe, but it sounded intriguing and certainly more my style than plain old lemon.
However, I felt that my last precious Meyer lemons of the season deserved a more fitting send-off, a tribute that highlighted their vibrant yellow color and tart-sweet flavor, instead of being drowned in chocolate.
I’ll admit, this tart satisfies even the most devout chocolate-lover. It’s delightfully tart and lusciously creamy. I added a bit of a twist with the macadamia nut shortbread crust, which adds a buttery richness that compliments the vibrant lemon filling perfectly. Not to mention it circumvents the need for a temperamental pastry crust.
Granted, I probably won’t make a habit out of replacing my beloved chocolate desserts with lighter, fruitier ones, but in this case, it was a nice change of pace.
Meyer Lemon Macadamia Nut Tart
Yield: 1 9-inch or 4-by-15-inch tart
Ingredients:
For Crust:
1/2 cup macadamia nuts
1 cup flour
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into cubes
1 tablespoon cold waterFor Filling:
7 large egg yolks
2 large eggs
1 cup (7 ounces) sugar
1/2 cup grated fresh Meyer lemon zest (from 4 to 5 lemons)
2/3 cup fresh Meyer lemon juice (from 4 to 5 lemons)
Pinch salt
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
3 tablespoons heavy cream, chilledDirections:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
To prepare the crust, place macadamia nuts in the bowl of a food processor; pulse until finely ground. Add flour and sugar and pulse until combined. Sprinkle cubes of butter over top. Pulse until just combined; drizzle in water and pulse one or two more times or until evenly moistened. Dough will be crumbly, but should come together when pinched with your fingers.
Dump dough into a 9-inch-round or 4-by-15-inch rectangle tart pan with removable bottom. Firmly press dough into the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Bake for 11 to 13 minutes or until edges are lightly golden brown. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool slightly while you prepare the filling.
In a medium saucepan, whisk together the eggs and egg yolks. Whisk in the sugar until combined, followed by the lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt. Add the butter and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens slightly and reaches 170 degrees, about 5 minutes. Pour the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer and into a heat-proof bowl; stir in the heavy cream.
Pour the filling mixture into the warm tart shell. Place on a baking sheet and bake until the filling is shiny and opaque and the center jiggles slightly when shaken, about 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely to room temperature, about 1 1/2 hours, then refrigerate until ready to serve.
Filling recipe from America's Test Kitchen.
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I was saying something similar the other day – why would anyone ever order any kind of cake that wasn’t chocolate? Madness! Saying that, this tart is gorgeous and I love the idea of that macademia nut crust!
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Lindsay, this tart is absolutely gorgeous!
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What a lovely tart! I love what you did with the powdered sugar. And I love the macadamia nut crust. Perfect!
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So beautiful! I totally agree about fruit desserts – I will always pick the “death by chocolate” dessert on any menu! But just the idea of a macadamia crust could convince me to try this out.
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This is beautiful Lindsay! One of these days I swear I’m going to get my hands on some meyer lemons. I don’t usually see them up here, but my store kind of sucks so that could be why.
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This is the second recipe I’ve seen in one month for Meyer lemon/macadamia crusted tarts. I totally need to make this. It’s gorgeous, and using macadamias as a crust sounds so intriguing and delicious!
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Wow! It looks gorgeous! I am drooling right now :D
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I am also not a lemon kind of girl, but this looks delicious, and I really like the decoration. How did you come with something like this? I wish I could be so creative.
Best Regards,
Ana
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I am drooling–this looks marvelous and I bet the taste is unbelievable! I will definitely make this one; we use to grow Meyer lemons when we lived in California and I know the flavor well, XOXO
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This is beautiful. I just made a macadamia nut lemon tart a couple weeks ago on my blog. They pair so nicely!!! Your photos are stunning!!
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This is the prettiest tart I think I have ever seen! Breathtaking!!
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Wow, it looks so delicious. The colors are amazing!
Regards!
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not only does this sound fresh and delicious, I think I can classify this as stunning as well – so bright and beautiful! macadamias make such a rich buttery crust, what a great addition to this tart!
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Totally agree – fruity desserts is something like an oxymoron ;)
But this tart does look delicious!
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Ahhh this sound like an amazing desert! I truly love Meyer lemons! Such a sweet citrus! Cant wait to try this delightful desert!
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This looks so beautiful! Lemon and macadamia nuts, I’m there!
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This is an absolutely beautiful tart. I love this gorgeous lemon color that is making me anxiously await spring now! Gorgeous photos!
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This looks amazing. I absolutely adore anything lemon, so I will have to make this!
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I for one adore lemon desserts so I’m thrilled to see this recipe- looks amazing.
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This looks amazing! Definitely going to attempt this – love how its not in the convential round tin either!
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I can’t think of anything that I want more than this right now. Oh my!
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That yellow color is insane; it just makes me want to jump in headfirst. Yum!
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Gorgeous tart. It’s just soooo bright and cheery and love the round/sugar shapes. So creative and fun. And lemony! Just saw you work on Naomi’s site…so pretty!
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Thanks for the heads up that Meyer lemon season is almost over. I’ll have to snag some more before it’s too late. Also love how you decorated the top.
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So pretty!! :-)
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Your pictures are absolutely stunning! What a gorgeous tart!
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Stunning! I love lemon anything and this tart is so appealing. Love how you’ve decorated it.
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It looks so pretty!
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I know what you mean about chocolate, chocolate, chocolate… but I also know what you mean about delightfully tart and sweet. I think lemon bars are my only sub for chocolate. these look amazing! I love the powdered sugar detail.
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This looks divine! Was it your “beer widow” dessert? Meaning, one you made while your husband was off drinking lots of beer? ;)
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What if you made this tart with white chocolate and lemon? :P I also read David Lebovitz’s blog, and that is a combination in some of his recipes. :)
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So gorgeous! I love the presentation. I really wish I could reach through the screen and grab a slice because I am craving this right now!
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This looks GORGEOUS!!!
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Stunning. So absolutely beautiful and vibrant! If I’m not having vanilla bean or mint-chip, I’m usually a lemon gal. And the combination with macadamia nuts sounds just perfect! So so lovely.
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The powdered sugar topping is perfect. Its both simple and elegant.
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Love Meyer lemons! The color is like a ray of sunshine and I bet the flavor is too!
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Lindsay, this looks so good! Your photography is stunning and the recipe sounds delicious!
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I’m usually a chocolate kind of girl too, but I also really love lemony desserts! This is gorgeous!
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AHH! while I love chocolate, I am a also a BIG fan of lemon tarts, and this one is so beautiful. my mouth is seriously watering!
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I just had my first taste of lemon bars a few months ago — definitely chocolate beats everything to the tee.
But this looks so scrumptious and I love meyer lemons, so that’s a plus :)
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Just brilliant! Im in love!!!! ~
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Geez, Girl! This is freaking gorgeous! I’ve got some Meyers in my fridge and now you have me inspired to do something w/ them!!
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I’ll never pass up chocolate, but I’m so glad you stuck with the lemon…this is gorgeous!!!
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What a beautiful burst of color! I love the idea of using macadamia nuts to produce a crust – how original. A treat to definitely try!
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the photo alone makes me want to try this recipe.. i have great admiration for food photography, it is a true skill!
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What a beautiful photograph! I love lemon tart and make it quite often. I like the idea of macadamia pastry and will give this a go.
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I love lemon! This looks amazing. Gorgeous pictures!
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i love lemon…i would go for this whole thing over chocolate….i wish i was sitting here typying eating this tart…meyer lemons yes please over and over again.
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beyond gorgeous Lindsay. :) It is so pretty – it looks like a piece of art! I love lemon desserts so much this time of year. Well, any time of year really.
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This is absolutely gorgeous!!!
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This tart looks divine. I love chocolate, but I adore anything lemon. It’s hard to choose between the two.
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This looks amazing! I’m a total chocoholic, as well, but I know I’d love this. I love your design with the confectioners’ sugar!
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I am obsessed with meyer lemons! The only way I use them is in lemon tarts :P
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I’m like you. I’ll choose something chocolaty 9 times out of 10. But, I could definitely see choosing this as my exception. Looks delicious Lindsey! The photographs are stunning.
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You are speaking my language! Fruit will never replace chocolate for me, but a nice lemon dessert is so refreshing sometimes. This looks absolutely wonderful!
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I love the way you decorated the dessert with a doily stencil, so pretty!
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YUM!
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Love lemons! I baked lemon meringue cupcakes the other day – and sorry, I always choose lemon and fruit cakes before chocolate :-) Love how you decorated the cake with the powder sugar!
Best regards, Ulrika
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This is STUNNING. Geez. I love how you used paper doilies to decorate the top. I am also totally a chocolate dessert kind of girl, but am currently working my way through a box of meyer lemons.
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I am never the one for lemons in desserts but man oh man! that is the prettiest dessert I have seen in a long long time!. So fresh and inviting…
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Meyer lemon curd is a favorite of mine. This is beautiful. I love the way you sprinkled the powdered sugar. Very pretty!
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I’m a sucker for lemon desserts and this looks right up my alley! Super nice :)
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Gorgeous, Lindsay! I’m a chocolate lover, too…will always go for the chocolate, caramel, coconut and nut desserts over fruity ones. But, I’m down for “lusciously creamy” any day of the week!
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Your tart looks absolutely stunning, such a gorgeous sunny yellow colour :) I bet it tastes divine too!
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Thank you very much for the recipe Lindsay! I tried it last week, with minor changes, and the result was awesome!!
Actually, it has become the first post of my brand new blog:
http://not2latetocraft.blogspot.com.es/2013/03/pastis-de-llimona-i-ametlla-lemon.html
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Thank you so much for this recipe! I just made it tonight for an Easter dinner and it was D I V I N E and just as beautiful as it is in your picture. It is definitely a keeper recipe that I’m sure I’ll be going back to. Thanks again! :)
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Wow…this is quite literally the most gorgeous lemon tart I have ever seen! STUNNING! You are seriously an amazing photographer. And chef. This is one I will definitely make!
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