Mother is the necessity of invention as that oft-said saying goes and this dessert is no exception. I had already made the lemon curd, it was chilling in the fridge, so I set about to blind-bake the tart crust. As luck would have it, the edges burned to a crisp and the middle was soggy and rubbery so 2 points, in the garbage. Now what?!?! The guests had just finished dinner and were waiting for dessert! AAAK! I had some cookies left over from the parfait I made the night before so I grabbed some martini glasses, crumbled a pecan cookie in the bottom of each one, and filled the glass about 3/4 of the way up with lemon curd. I had intended to ring the tart with beautiful slices of strawberry but they were a little worse for wear from the drive home from the market so I hulled and quartered them, tossed them in a tablespoons of sugar and a splash of Grand Marnier and slid a spoonful on top of the lemon curd. I had a basket of blackberries and blueberries so I added to a few to each glass for a garnish and a perfect little mint leaf from my garden. Et voila! Deconstructed Lemon Tart...or Reconstructed as the case may be...either way, bon appetit!
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp sea salt
zest of 3 lemons, finely grated
1/2 cup lemon juice
4 large egg yolks
2 large whole eggs
7-8 tbsp butter, cut into cubes, set out til room temperature
1. In a medium-size nonstick or non-reactive saucepan, add the sugar, salt, and lemon zest and juice, and whisk until smooth.
2. Then add the egg yolks and whole eggs and quickly whisk well.