And another year has gone by, in a flash, and that second number keeps growing. It’s nice to see you grow up, spend time with you, prepare the dishes you like the most, but for this special day here’s something special: the Strawberry Tart with Lemon Curd, colorful and cheerful just like you.
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Rest time: 1 Hour
- Preparation time: 1 Hour
- Portions: 8/9 people
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 3.5 oz butter
- 0.42 cups lemon juice (the juice of two small lemons)
- 1 tbsps lemon zest (grated, the peel of two small lemons)
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 medium eggs
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 eggs (medium)
- 0.5 cup sugar
- 3.5 oz butter
- 7 oz strawberries
- as needed meringues (small colored)
- as needed wafer paper (in sheets)
- as needed powdered sugar
- as needed butter (for greasing the pan)
- as needed flour (for dusting the pan)
Preparation
Place the butter in a saucepan, melt it over low heat, add the sugar, lemon juice, and grated zest. Stir for about a minute with a whisk.
With this amount of lemon, you’ll get a cream with a very strong flavor; if you want it milder, halve the lemon and zest.
In a bowl, beat the eggs with a whisk and then add them to the mixture on the stove. Stir with the whisk for a few minutes until it begins to slightly solidify and become shinier. Remove from heat and let it cool.
For the preparation of the shortcrust pastry, follow the procedure found here, using the quantities indicated in this recipe. If the dough is sticky, add a little flour. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour.
Remove the shortcrust pastry from the fridge, roll it out on a floured surface with a rolling pin to a thickness of 1/4 inch.
Butter and flour a pie tin with a diameter of 10 inches, place the pastry on top, and trim the edges to a height of about 3/4 inch. Place rolls of aluminum foil around the edge to prevent the edges from closing inwards.
Prick the bottom with a fork so it doesn’t puff up while baking. Bake at 350°F for 25/30 minutes, placing the tin on the second rack from the bottom.
If desired, cover the pastry with a sheet of parchment paper and place dried beans on top to keep it perfectly flat and prevent it from deforming during baking. In this case, bake for about 15/20 minutes, then remove from the oven, remove the beans and parchment paper, and bake for another 10/15 minutes.
With the remaining pastry, I cut out letters, numbers, and shapes with heart and flower cookie cutters. Cover the baking tray with parchment paper, place the cookies, and bake for about 10/12 minutes at 350°F.
After baking the pastry, let it cool, and cover it with the lemon curd. I used 10.5 oz of the 15.9 oz prepared with the indicated recipe amount, but you can use more if you like.
Now decorate the tart with the letters and numbers of cookies dusted with powdered sugar, strawberries, meringues, heart and flower cookies, and wafer leaves. And best wishes!
Tips/Advice
With this amount of lemon, you’ll get a cream with a very strong flavor; if you want it milder, halve the lemon and zest.
If desired, you can blind bake the pastry by covering it with a sheet of parchment paper and placing dried beans on top to keep it perfectly flat and prevent it from deforming during baking. In this case, bake for about 15/20 minutes, then remove from the oven, remove the beans and parchment paper, and bake for another 10/15 minutes.
If you liked the Strawberry Tart with Lemon Curd, try the other tart recipes:
Shortcrust Pastry Tart with Jam and Figs
Soft Orange Tart with Water Cream
