Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Lemon Tarts

Lemons, Lemons Lemons. I absolutely adore the citrus-y freshness and tart flavours of this wonderful fruit. Food would be so boring without it, baking would be lost without it, and life...yes, even life, would be sub-par without lemons. With lemons + the wonders of baking, you can do a hell of a lot more than just dance (I'm not much a dancer anyways). I'm not quite sure when my love for this magical fruit began, but as each day passes I love it a little more. In my eyes, nothing beats a perfectly cooked Lemon Meringue Pie, Lemon Bar, or Lemon Tart. If I lived in Florida or California, I would TOTALLY have a Lemon Tree, or a dozen, growing in my backyard. But unfortunately for me, Canadian winter's have robbed me of this human right (thank-god for free-trade and the abundance of grocery stores in my near vicinity). I cannot imagine being robbed of this perfect morsel of goodness.

Anyways, as of a few days ago, my fridge suddenly became full of lemons, and I had no excuse but to bake myself (and whoever happens to see me within the next few days) something lemon oriented. I had some leftover pie dough in my fridge from some recipe testing a few weeks ago that involved maple syrup, pecans, and bacon. So naturally, the idea was right there in front of me- Lemon Tarts. Individual sized, so that you could justify having a few- which would totally equate to one slice of pie, or something. This recipe is so simple to make; all it takes is sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, flour, and eggs then ta-da! you have dessert! So tonight, a random Wednesday night, I realized I was finally (somewhat) free of homework, and had some time to myself to bake. No distractions, just the ingredients and me. Unfortunately my classes today didn't end till the afternoon, and by the time I was home and ready to bake, the sun (and all of its wonderful natural light) had set- so my pictures might be sub-standard and lacking oomph (I'm sorry).

It didn't take me long to whip up the lemon filling (which I graciously borrowed from smitten kitchen's recipe originally intended for lemon bars). I rolled out my leftover pie dough, cut out some circles, filled the muffin tins and proceeded to fill the dough with luscious lemon filling. In 30 minutes I would be greeted with the lovely and subtle aroma of lemon tarts. Such a simple recipe, but totally not simple in taste.
I took them out of the oven and hastily transferred them to a plate. I couldn't wait to let them cool (and to sprinkle icing sugar on them) so I just had one plain. I was instantly met with a light and fluffy filling (not so much the lemon curd texture I was expecting) but never the less, the tartness sparked through my taste buds which resulted in a smile across my face. The pie dough was flaky and buttery, a perfect compliment to the sweet sweet filling. My lemon craving was more than satisfied by this simple and delicious tart (and unfortunately my self-control is telling me not to go back for seconds) but tomorrow is another day! I'm not quite sure what it is, but lemons remind me of the summer, more specifically, of sitting on a beach basking in sunshine. That's where I wish I could be right now, and these lemon tarts are kind of a glimpse into that paradise for me. Citrus-laced desserts and sunshine...can't think of a better pairing (well...maybe maple and bacon, but we'll save that for another day).

Till next time!

Addison