Tarte au citron

12 servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
2 Pate sucree' recipes (see re ipe)
Raw rice for weighting shell
5 larges Eggs
¾ cup Sugar
3 tablespoons Lemon zest
3 cups Lemon juice

Directions

Roll out half the dough ⅛-inch thick on a floured surface. Press it firmly into an 8-inch tart pan with a removable fluted rim. Trim off excess dough, leaving a ½-inch overhang. Fold the overhang back inside the rim, pressing it to the side of the shell, and push the dough up ¼-inch above the edge of the pan. Crimp the edge decoratively with a fork. Roll out remaining dough and make up another tart shell in the same manner.

Chill the shells for 60 minutes. Line the shells with foil, fill the foil with rice and bake in the lower third of a preheated 400f oven for 8 minutes. Remove the rice and foil, and bake for 8-10 minutes more or until they are pale golden. Remove shells from the pans, transfer them to a rack and let them cool.

In a bowl with an electric mixer, beat the egg yolks with ½ cup sugar until the mixture is thick and pale and forms a ribbon. Beat in the zest and lemon juice. Transfer the mixture to a heavy saucepan. Cook it, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, over mod-low heat, until it registers 140f on a candy thermometer.

Continue to cook at a stable 140f for 3 minutes longer. Do not let it boil. Transfer the mixture to a bowl, and let it cool, covered with a buttered round of wax paper, until it is luke-warm.

In a bowl, beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until they hold soft peaks. Add the remaining ¼ cup sugar, one Tbsp at a time, and beat the meringue until it just hold stiff peaks. Stir a quarter of the meringue into the lemon mixture and fold in the remaining meringue gently but thoroughly. Transfer the tart shells to a baking sheet and fill with the lemon mixture, mounding it slightly. Bake the tarts in the middle of a preheated 400f oven for 12-15 minutes, or until the tops are golden and puffed. Transfer the tarts to a rack and let them cool.

a 1977 Gourmet Mag. favorite

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