Serves6
- Active time:45 min
- Start to finish:4 hr
May 2008
Our Europe correspondent, Alexander Lobrano, was wary of working with pastry long before attending his course at Les Petits Farcis, in Nice . “This recipe is really genius,” he says. “I’m more of a savory/stewing type of cook, but this is so easy and works so well that it’s become a staple for me.” Olive oil in the crust gives it a rich, crumbly texture, and the zing of the lemon filling really steals the show. View more of our favorite recipes from this issue.
For tart shell
-
2
tablespoons
almonds with skins, toasted and cooled
-
3/4
cup
all-purpose flour
-
1/4
cup
confectioners sugar
-
Pinch of fine sea salt
-
1/2
stick cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
-
1
large egg yolk
-
3 1/2
tablespoons
fruity olive oil (preferably French)
For lemon curd
-
3
large lemons
-
3/4
cup
granulated sugar
-
2
teaspoons
cornstarch
-
2
whole large eggs plus 2 large yolks
-
1/2
stick unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
-
2
tablespoons
fruity olive oil (preferably French)
Make tart shell:
-
Preheat oven to 425°F with rack in middle.
-
Pulse almonds with flour, sugar, and sea salt to a fine powder in a food processor. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal with some small (roughly pea-size) butter lumps.
-
Add yolk and oil and pulse until just incorporated and a very soft dough has formed.
-
Spread dough evenly over bottom and up side of pan with offset spatula. Chill until firm, about 30 minutes.
-
Bake shell until golden brown all over, about 13 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely, about 30 minutes.
Make curd:
-
Grate enough zest from lemons to measure 1 tablespoon, then squeeze 3/4 cup juice from lemons.
-
Whisk together lemon zest and juice, sugar, cornstarch, whole eggs, and yolks in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking constantly. Boil, whisking, 2 minutes.
-
Remove from heat and whisk in butter and oil until smooth.
Cooks’ notes: - Tart shell can be made 1 day ahead and kept, loosely covered, at room temperature.
- Assembled tart can be chilled up to 4 hours.