Two More Days

Wednesday will be the first day that I get to meet Dr. Generous in person. They've slated a 1/2 hour meeting for the two of us, an U/S, and a mock transfer. It's about an hour and 10 minute drive to their office and I was hoping to catch a ride with a friend that works nearby. Alas, it wasn't possible this trip so I'll be driving up there alone. I couldn't even sway my mother to go along with me for the day. I tried bribing her with thoughts of lunch and shopping, but it didn't work.

What else? Father's day dinner was fine. I made a lemon tart from one of the Moose*wood Cookbooks. It sounded so good: a cookie crust filled with a really tart lemon custard. The custard begins in a pot over the stove and is cooked til it's thick and is then poured into the hot prebaked pie crust. It's baked til it's golden. I think this was a mistake. The filling looked so lovely, creamy, and light right before it went into the oven. Sure it was soft, not truly set, but there's nothing wrong with that. When it came out of the oven it was lightly browned, but the top had cracks in it. It looked so much better before it was baked. Next time I'll not bake it and I'll top it with fresh berries. Yum.

So, ladies how about a brief interlude from this IF BS?

Tart Lemon Tart

Pastry:
1-1/3 C. Unbleached White Flour
7 T. Butter
Pinch Salt
1/2 t. vanilla
1/4 C. Sugar
3-4 T. Ice Water

Filling:
4 Lemons*
5 T. Butter
1/2 C. Sugar
5 Eggs, Well Beaten
1/4 t. Vanilla

1 Lemon, Sliced in Very Thin Rounds

Cut butter into small pieces. Add flour to food processor. Add butter. Pulse til it's incorporated. Mix in salt, vanilla, sugar. Add just enough ice water to bind. Press dough into 9 or 10" drop bottom tart pan. Chill 1 hour or overnight.

Preheat oven to 425.

Line chilled crust with wax paper. Put in beans or pie weights. Bake 15-20 minutes. Remove beans/weights carefully.

Lower oven to 350.

Mix lemon juice, butter, and sugar in a heavy bottomed pan and heat til just warm and butter has melted. If too hot, let cool a bit before proceeding. Pour beaten eggs slowly into hot mixture in a steady stream (note: I use a hand mixer to make sure no clumps of egg form). Whisk or mix continually. Continue to stir on low heat until mixture thickens into a custard. (If your stove can't maintain a low enough temperature, use a diffuser if you have one). Stir in vanilla.

Pour into baked crust and bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until the custard sets and the top becomes golden. (Note: You might want to skip the second bake and just put it in the refrigerator at this point to chill).

Served chilled. Top with sliced lemons (or fresh fruit!)

*4 Lemons? I wish they'd instead say, "4 ounces of freshly squeezed lemon juice" or something similar. How much juice does the average lemon yield anyways? My thoughts here is that you've got 5 eggs to bind all that lemon, quite a bit, so I don't think you can go wrong with using the biggest, baddest lemons you can get your hands on.

Perfect for summer...and guaranteed to get your mind off of your eggs if only for a fleeting moment.