HOME TOUR

Here’s a little secret between you and me. Hopefully we can still be friends. I don’t like chocolate. There I said it. It’s out in the open now and I feel SO much better about it. There’s a reason why there are very few chocolate recipes around here (chocolate zucchini bread anyone?). Because the husband is a self-proclaimed “salt guy” and the eater of the sweets is a self-proclaimed chocolate-hater, welcome to all the land of non-chocolate treats and it is Mother’s Day after all. This Lemon Creme Shortbread Crumble Tart is the perfect Mother’s Day treat for me. No chocolate for days but knock-your-socks-off good.

THE MAKINGS OF A TART

I made this over Easter but had omitted the “creme” part. It was just lemon curd and too sweet. I used my lemon curd recipe from these Parfaits we made last Easter. Can you tell I like lemon? Unfortunately, there is such a thing as “too sweet” and a common complaint with lemon curd. So I went back to the drawing board to figure out how we could dial back the sweetness. Lots of recipes call for the addition of sour cream or plain Greek yogurt, which is what I had on hand.

*Allergy Alert: This recipe does contain tree nuts.

Why the addition of the Almond Flour? It gives the shortbread a nice crumb texture, almost a European taste and feel to the tart.

INGREDIENTS

Shortbread crust:

1 3/4 C All Purpose Flour

3/4 C Almond Flour

3/4 C Granulated Sugar (I used a Vanilla Sugar I had on hand from a recent trip to Flour Bakery)

1 Stick (1/2 C) Salted Butter

1 tsp Vanilla

Lemon Curd Cream

6 Egg Yolks

1/2 C Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice

Zest of 1 Lemon

3/4 C Granulated Sugar

1/8 tsp Salt

1 Stick (1/2 C) Salted Butter

1/2 C Whole Milk Greek Plain Yogurt or Sour Cream

INSTRUCTION

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

You’ll want to start by making your lemon creme. Squeeze your lemons and zest one lemon. In a small saucepan combine the eggs, sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Over low heat you’re going to whisk the mixture constantly and not let the curd boil. Use a hand mixer or immersion blending when you add the butter for a creamier consistency.

Do the spoon test. If it coats the back of a spoon and doesn’t run off, it’s perfect. Take it off the heat and let cool for a few minutes before you add in the sour cream or yogurt. Using the mixer, add in your cream, transfer to a bowl. It thickens up more as it cools. You’ll want to place a piece parchment paper directly onto the surface (plastic wrap works too, we just don’t have that) so a skin doesn’t form as it cools.

Next start the crust. The key is very soft butter. Beat the softened butter and sugar together until it is light yellow and fluffy, 2 ish minutes. Add your vanilla extract. Mix together until incorporated. Add the all purpose flour and almond flour being careful to mix just until combine. It will be crumbly.

Lightly pat 2/3 of the shortbread crumble into a tart pan. Reserving 1/3 of the crumble to sprinkle on the top after the crust has par baked (also called blind baking). Bake crust 10-12 minutes until just lightly golden brown.  Remove tart from oven.

Add your lemon creme to the par baked crust. Top with the shortbread crumble and return to the oven for another 25-30 minutes. Topping should be crisp and golden brown. If you find your edges browning too quickly, add some tin foil or those nifty pie crust shields.

Serve warm or room temperature with a dollop of whip cream or vanilla ice cream. And enjoy this lemon creme shortbread crumble tart. Happy Mother’s Day mommas the world over.