Lemon Tarts

Spring is here and you know what that means....

Lighter colors, lightened up desserts, and a new season of Game of Thrones of course!

Although the start of this season was immediately followed by grave disappointment that left me doubtful of what would come in the next episode, I knew I could still live that GOT life with some dually festive lemon tarts.

These were made while aiming for a dessert like key lime pie with a brain clouded by dreams of old fashioned lemon poppy seed cake.

Of course the crust is raw and made of wholesome ingredients, and the filling is lower-than-key-lime-pie in sugar and fat (because how else could it land on tbc?), but all-the-gods be damned these pack some serious flavor.

The lemon mousse balances perfectly between something that is satisfactorily sweet and something that is tart enough to just tweak that back of the jaw spot.  The texture of the crust was made to match so instead of biting into a whipped center and getting cut short by a hard crust, your teeth keep gliding.  The blackberry topping adds a little depth to the lemon but can be omitted if you're fruit-phobic.

One small win for the GOT fans and a perfect Sunday treat, enjoy!

Lemon Tarts

Ingredients

For the crust:
(adapted from these Larry Bar's)

• 1/2 c almonds
• 1 c old fashioned oats, dry
• 1 T poppy seeds
• 1 t vanilla
• 25 dates
• 3 T water

For the filling:
(adapted from Bon Appetit, Bouchon, and Ina Garten)

• 2 egg yolks
• 1 egg
• 1/2 c sugar
• 3 T butter
• 1/2 c lemon juice
• zest from 3 lemons

For the blackberry topping:

• 6 blackberries
• 1 T sugar
• 1/3 c water, plus more as needed

Combine

For the crust dough:

1. Toss the almonds, oats, and poppy seeds into the bowl of a food processor and blend for 1 minute until everything is finely ground.
2. Add the dates and blend on medium speed for 1-2 minutes until only small pieces remain.
3. Add the vanilla and water and blend on low speed until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and sticks to itself.  If this doesn't happen, add another tablespoon of water and blend again.

Directions of forming the crusts:

1. Tear plastic wrap into 3x3 squares.
2. Scrape the dough off of the blade of the processor, then roll it into a 1-1 1/2 inch ball.
3. Place the ball between two pieces of plastic wrap, flatten the ball until it is about 1/3 inch thick, place the disc over the top of a muffin tin, remove the top layer of plastic wrap, push in and down from the sides of the disc to fit it into the tin.
4. Use the plastic wrap to fit the crust snuggly into the tin and repeat until you have all your crusts ready.

For the lemon filling:

1. Whisk the eggs, yolk, and sugar in a medium mixing bowl that can be used in a double boiler.
2. Bring 2 inches of water to a boil in a medium pot over medium heat.
3. Fit the bowl onto the mouth of the pot so it does not touch the water line and whisk constantly as the egg mixture heats for 3 minutes.
4. Add 1/3 of the lemon juice and zest, then whisk for another 3-4 minutes.
5. Repeat until all of the juice has been incorporated then continue whisking for another 4 minutes, dropping in slices of butter during this final heating.

Note: at first it will look like there is nothing happening but each time you add the lemon juice the mixture will double in size, becoming light and foamy.

For the blackberry drizzle:

1. On the side, add the blackberries, water, and sugar to a small non-stick skillet.
2. Use a fork to mash the blackberries slightly as they cook and stir often until the mixture is reduced to a syrup.

For the tarts:

1. Spoon the lemon mixture into the tarts until it is level with the edge.
2. Swirl the blackberry mixture across the top of the tart
3. Top with extra lemon zest.
4. Let rest at room temperature for one hour or store in the fridge for up to three days before enjoying!