Gratuitous Nerdity

I bake A LOT of cakes. I’m still learning, but they’re becoming second nature to me. Sometimes, it’s nice to step out of my comfort zone and try something new. With an overabundance of lemons in my kitchen, I tackled a traditional lemon tart with a non-traditional kick. Much easier than I anticipated and absolutely refreshing and delicious! The candied lemons and lavender-infused honey are optional, but absolutely worth the extra effort.

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 3/4 cup honey
• 3 Tablespoons food-grade lavender
• 1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
• 4 large eggs
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 4 lemons (2 teaspoons zest, 3/4 cup juice)
• 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• Whipped cream (homemade is easiest and best)
• Candied lemon slices (recipe at the end)

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, powdered sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon salt until well combined. Stir in melted butter until the dough comes together. Press the dough evenly into the bottom and sides of a 14×4 inch rectangular or 9-inch round tart pan with removable bottom. Refrigerate crust at least 20 – 30 minutes, or until firm.
2. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Prick the bottom of the crust all over with a fork. Line the crust with parchment paper and fill with pie weights (dried beans or rice work well, too). Bake for 20 minutes. Remove all weights and bake for an additional 10 – 15 minutes more, or until golden brown. Let cool on a wire rack.
3. While crust cools, prepare the lavender honey. In a small saucepan combine honey and lavender. Heat over medium heat until the honey begins to simmer. Reduce heat to low and simmer for about 10 – 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, and pour honey through a fine mesh sieve to remove the lavender; discard the lavender. Set honey aside.
4. Prepare candied lemons, if desired (instructions below).
5. In a small bowl, combine gelatin and 4 teaspoons cold water; set aside.
6. In a medium saucepan, whisk together the eggs, granulated sugar, and lemon zest until combined. Whisk in the lemon juice until combined. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, for 6 – 8 minutes or until thick and creamy. (Lemon curd should coat the back of a spoon.)
7. Remove from heat. Stir in the cut up butter pieces until it melts into the curd. Stir in the gelatin until well combined. Pour curd into cooled crust and refrigerate tart for at least 4 hours, or until completely set (I like to do mine overnight).
8. Serve tart with candied lemons, whipped cream, and a drizzle of lavender honey! Enjoy!

Candied Lemons:

1. Preheat oven to 275° F. Thinly slice a large lemon, discarding the ends and seeds. In a large skillet, heat 1/4 cup lavender honey and 1/4 cup water to just boiling, stirring to dissolve the honey.
2. Add lemons to the skillet and stir to coat.
3. Remove from heat and allow to stand for 10 minutes.
4. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Remove lemon slices from syrup and arrange in a single layer on the baking sheet.
5. Bake for 30 – 40 minutes, or until the lemons are lightly browned along the edges. *

*For best results, keep checking on lemon slices every 10 min. Some will get darker than others faster. Also, I like to turn the slices over halfway through baking time.