A velvety smooth Meyer lemon curd and a layer of bright strawberry jam nestled inside a lemon-scented shortbread crust, topped with fresh strawberries and edible flowers.
Yield: one 14-by-4.5-inch rectangle or 9-inch round tart
Prep Time: 1 hourhour
Cook Time: 40 minutesminutes
Chill: 3 hourshours30 minutesminutes
Total Time: 5 hourshours
Ingredients
For Crust:
1½cups/ 188gall-purpose flour
3tablespoons/ 24gpowdered sugar
1tablespoonlemon zest, from 1 large lemon
¼teaspoonfine sea salt
9tablespoons/ 113gunsalted butter, cold, cut into cubes
5ounces/ 140gfresh squeezed Meyer lemon juice, from 4 to 5 lemons
¼teaspoonfine sea salt
4tablespoons/ 56gunsalted butter, cut into pieces
3tablespoons/ 45gheavy cream, chilled
fresh strawberries, for topping
Instructions
To prepare the crust, place flour, sugar, lemon zest, and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until combined. Sprinkle cubes of butter over top. Pulse until broken up into pea-sized pieces; drizzle in lemon juice and 2 tablespoons water and pulse one or two more times or until evenly moistened; add additional water, a tablespoon at a time, as needed. Dough will still be crumbly, but should come together when pinched with your fingers. (You can also do this by hand in a mixing bowl with a pastry cutter if you prefer).
Dump dough onto a clean tea towel or piece of plastic wrap; lift up sides and twist into a bundle to press the dough together. Knead once or twice if needed to bring it together into a uniform ball (If using a rectangle tart pan, shape the dough into a rough rectangle instead of a round disk). Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight.
On a lightly floured surface or pastry cloth, roll dough to a rectangle or circle about 2 to 3 inches larger than the size/shape of your tart pan. Gently drape the dough into the tart pan, easing it into the corners (try not to stretch it). Trim off rough edges. Place in the freezer for 15 to 30 minutes until firm.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line frozen crust with a crumpled piece of parchment paper; fill with weights (granulated sugar is my favorite pie weight, rice or beans work as well).
Place on a baking sheet (in case it leaks), and bake for about 20 minutes or until edges are puffed and appear set. Remove parchment lining and weights. Return crust to oven for 5 to 10 minutes more until edges just start to brown and bottom is no longer raw looking. Place on a wire rack to cool slightly while you prepare the filling.
To make filling, in a bowl, rub lemon zest together with sugar until fragrant and evenly distributed.
In a medium saucepan, whisk together the eggs and egg yolks. Whisk in the sugar, followed by the lemon juice and salt. Add the butter and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens slightly and coats the back of a spoon (about 170 degrees on an instant-read thermometer). Pour the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer; stir in the heavy cream.
Spread strawberry jam in a thin, even layer in the bottom of cooled tart crust. Pour the lemon mixture on top, filling to within about 1/4-inch from the top of the crust (the filling won't rise or puff much, so fill it as full as you can while still being able to move it without spilling).
Bake until the edges are set but the center still jiggles when shaken, about 15 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely to room temperature, then refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight, until ready to slice and serve. Top with fresh strawberries before serving.