Lemon Tart with Fresh Berries

Long years of observation have led us to believe that people are divided into two dessert camps: chocolate, and not-chocolate. This recipe falls into the latter category (along with crème brulee, gingerbread, and a whole host of fruit-based confections).

Picture brilliant yellow lemon filling nestled in a butter crust, and topped with bright red strawberries or raspberries, or deep purple blackberries; that's what this glorious tart looks like. Many berries have become year-round fruits, what with their provenance ranging all the way to Chile, but there's still nothing like the berries you pick in your own neighborhood, or find at your local farmer's market. I was in Florida in late April, and folks at the farmer's market there were lining up for baskets of the sweetest, juiciest, deep-red strawberries, perfect little berries picked at their absolute height of glory. What a change from the huge, pale-red, dry berries I'd been grudgingly buying (my son is fixated on strawberries, ANY strawberries) all winter here in Vermont. Now, Alice Waters (the "mother" of all-natural cooking) espouses eating only those fruits and vegetables in season in your own area. Clearly, Alice lives in California. If she lived in northern New England, and could only have potatoes, turnips, rutabagas, carrots, and sometimes onions and apples for at least 9 months of the year, she might change her thinking. I'm perfectly happy -- in fact, overjoyed -- to purchase those Chilean peaches, Florida oranges, and California avocados when the snow's flying here in Vermont. Sorry, Alice!

Back to the tart. We love the combination of berries and lemon, but feel free to use other fruits in place of the berries, as they come into season. Peaches would certainly be appropriate, or choose your own favorite.

Crust
1 1/4 cups (5 1/4 ounces) Round Table Unbleached Pastry Flour or King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1/4 cup (1 3/4 ounces) sugar 1 tablespoon lemon zest OR 1/8 teaspoon lemon oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick, 4 ounces) butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg yolk

Lemon Filling
1/2 cup (4 ounces) fresh lemon juice (the juice of about 2 large lemons)
1 tablespoon lemon zest OR 1/8 teaspoon lemon oil
1 cup (7 1/4 ounces) sugar
4 large eggs
1/2 cup (4 ounces) sour cream

Berry Glaze
1/4 cup (1 7/8 ounces) brown sugar
3/4 cup (6 ounces) juice (apple, cranberry, cran-strawberry…)
1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
2 pints fresh berries (about 1 pound), washed

Crust: In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, lemon zest or oil, and salt. Using a pastry fork or pastry blender, your fingers, or an electric mixer, cut in the cold butter, working the mixture till it's crumbly; a few larger chunks of butter can remain.

In a small cup or bowl, whisk together the egg yolk and the vanilla extract. Stir this mixture into the pastry dough. Roll or press the dough onto the bottom and at least 1 inch up the sides of a 9- to 10-inch springform pan, or 9-inch round cake pan. Use a fork to prick the dough all over (this will keep it from puffing up as it bakes), and refrigerate it for 30 minutes or longer.

Bake the chilled crust for 16 to 18 minutes in a preheated 375°F oven, until it's golden brown. Check it midway through the baking time; if it's developed any big bubbles, puncture them. Remove the crust from the oven (leave the oven on), and cool it on a rack as you prepare the filling.

Lemon Filling: In a medium-sized bowl, or the bowl of an electric mixer, whisk together the lemon juice, lemon zest or oil, and the sugar. Whisk in the eggs, then the sour cream. Pour the filling into the cooled tart shell. Don't overfill the shell; if any filling seeps over the top edge, it'll burn and stick.

Return the tart to the 375°F oven, and bake it for 18 to 20 minutes. The filling should look "set," but still wobble slightly in the middle. Remove the tart from the oven, and set it on a rack to cool for 1 hour. Refrigerate it; top the tart with strawberries and glaze a few hours before serving.

Berry Glaze: In a saucepan or microwave-safe bowl, combine the brown sugar and juice. Sprinkle the gelatin over the juice, and let it swell and soften for 5 minutes or so. Heat the mixture over low heat or in the microwave until the gelatin dissolves, then remove it from the heat and let it cool for about 30 minutes, till it's lukewarm.

Assembly: If you're using strawberries, wash, hull, and slice them; you can leave them whole if they're small. Brush a thin layer of glaze (about 2 tablespoons) over the tart. Mix the berries with the remaining glaze, then arrange them, one by one, atop the tart. You'll have some glaze left in the bottom of the bowl; pour it into a small container and keep it at room temperature. Place the tart in the refrigerator for the glaze to set.

After about 30 minutes of chilling, remove the tart from the fridge, and brush the berries with the reserved glaze. This will keep them fresh and glistening for 12 hours. Yield: 1 tart, 10 servings

Recipe from King Arthur Flour