LEMON CURD TART (BAREFOOT CONTESSA)

LEMON CURD TART (BAREFOOT CONTESSA) image

Number Of Ingredients 10

For the tart shell:
12 T (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter,room temp
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
Pinch salt
4 lemons, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 lb (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temp
4 extra-large eggs, at room temperature

Steps:

Mix butter & sugar in electric mixer until just combined. Add vanilla. Add flour and salt. Mix on low speed until dough starts to come together. Dump onto dusted surfaceand shape into a flat disk. Press dough into a 10-inch-round or 9-inch-square false-bottom tart pan, making sure that finished edge is flat. Chill until firm. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter 1 side of a square of aluminum foil to fit inside chilled tart and place it, buttered side down, on the pastry. Fill with beans or rice. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil and beans, prick tart all over with fork, and bake again for 20 to 25 minutes more, or until lightly browned. Cool to room temp. Remove the zest of the lemons with a vegetable peeler or zester, being careful to avoid the white pith. Squeeze the lemons to make 1/2 cup of juice and set the juice aside. Put the zest in a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Add the sugar and process for 2 to 3 minutes, until the zest is very finely minced. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter with the sugar and lemon zest. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, and then add the lemon juice and salt. Pour the mixture into a 2-quart saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until thickened, about 10 minutes. The lemon curd will thicken at about 175 degrees F, or just below a simmer. Remove from the heat. Fill the tart shell with warm lemon curd and allow to set at room temperature.