Miniature Lemon Tarts

Miniature Lemon Tarts - Lori S.

This recipe uses a mini muffin pan to create these bite-sized treats.
Makes 24.

Lemon Curd
1/2 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
2 teaspoons lemon oil or 3 tsp. lemon zest
2 large eggs plus 2 yolks
1 cup superfine sugar
3/4 stick unsalted butter (6 tablespoons)

In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer, about 2 min. Slowly add the eggs and yolks. Beat for 1 min. Mix in the lemon juice. The mixture will look curdled, but it will smooth out as it cooks.

In a medium, heavy-based saucepan, cook the mixture over low heat until it looks smooth. (The curdled appearance disappears as the butter in the mixture melts.) Increase the heat to medium and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens, about 15 min. It should leave a path on the back of a spoon and will read 170°F on a thermometer. Don't let the mixture boil. (I had to keep the heat pretty low so it wouldn't boil.)

Remove the curd from the heat; stir in the lemon zest. Transfer the curd to a bowl. Press plastic wrap on the surface of the lemon curd to keep a skin from forming and chill the curd in the refrigerator. The curd will thicken further as it cools. Covered tightly, it will keep in the refrigerator for a week and in the freezer for 2 months.

Crust
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 stick unsalted butter (1/2 cup)
1 3-ounce package cream cheese
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine flour, confectioners' sugar and baking powder in a bowl and whisk to combine. Cut butter and cream cheese into pieces then sprinkle over flour mixture. Cut butter and cream cheese into flour mixture until it resembles coarse "sand". Set aside. In another bowl, whisk egg yolk and vanilla until well blended. Add to flour mixture, and mix until dough just starts to come together. Roll dough into a ball, flatten slightly, then wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 375º F.

Divide dough into 24 equal pieces and roll into balls. Place each ball of dough into a mini muffin cup and press down in the center to form a cup. Press dough all the way up the sides of the muffin cup until the dough extends to the rim. (You can use a tamper if you have one.) Prick the bottom of the dough with the tines of a fork. Place the muffin pan on the center rack of an oven and bake for 10 minutes.
Remove muffin pans from the oven and lower the temperature to 325º F. (I used the tamper to press the tarts once more, then returned the muffin pan to the oven. Allow the crusts to bake until the edges start to turn a golden brown. Transfer muffin pan to a wire rack allowing the crusts to cool completely in the pans.
To assemble the tarts, use a spoon to add the desired amount of curd into each crust. Carefully remove each tart from the muffin pan with a knife. Serve immediately.

I added a little bit of glaze to each tart by making a simple glaze of powdered sugar mixed with lemon juice. I put it in a ziploc bag, cut the tip off of one corner, and drizzled glaze over the top of each tart.

Tarts may be kept refrigerated in an airtight container for up to two days.