I love lemon desserts, and this one is so special! The creamy lemon filling is crazy delicious, and the crust is made with toasted almonds that give it the best flavor. It's beautiful, elegant, and really simple. If you need a dessert to be a showstopper, give this a go. Topped with whipped cream, it has just the perfect blend of sweet and tart.
Lemon Tart with Almond Crust
Serves 8-10
1 cup gluten free all purpose flour (I used Orgran All Purpose Flour)
1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted
1/4 sugar
6 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
2-3 tablespoons cold water
Filling:
1 cup sugar
3/4 lemon juice
3 eggs
3 egg yolks
2 tablespoons grated lemon peel (rind of 1 medium lemon)
Dash salt
6 tablespoons butter, cubed
Place the flour, almonds, sugar, butter, extract and salt in a food processor. Cover and pulse until blended. Gradually add water, a little at a time, pulsing until mixture forms a soft dough. Press onto the bottom and up the sides of a greased 9" springform pan or fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. Bake at 400°F for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack. In a large heavy saucepan, whisk the first six filling ingredients until blended. Add butter; cook and stir over low heat for 7-8 minutes or until thickened. Strain. Pour into crust. Bake at 325°F for 8-10 minutes or until set in middle. Cool on a wire rack. Serve at room temperature or cold. Top with whipped cream if desired.
Step-by-step tutorial:
Gather your ingredients. You will need a gluten free all purpose flour (I was gifted this Orgran flour, and it worked great!), sliced almonds toasted (I bough some already toasted, but you can toast them in a pan on the stove), sugar, cold butter, almond extract, and salt.
In a food processor, add 1 cup flour, 1/2 cup toasted sliced almonds, 1/4 cup sugar, 6 tablespoons cold butter, 1/2 teaspoon almond extract, and 1/4 teaspoons salt. Pulse until blended. Gradually add 2-3 tablespoons cold water, pulsing in between, until it comes together to form a soft dough. Press into the bottom and slightly up the side of a greased 9" springform pan with removable bottom.
Bake the crust at 400°F for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack while you make the filling.
For the filling you will need sugar, lemon juice, 6 eggs, a lemon (for the peel), salt, and butter.
In a large heavy saucepan, whisk together 1 cup sugar, 3/4 cup lemon juice, 3 eggs, 3 egg yolks, the grated rind of 1 lemon (about 2 tablespoons), and a dash of salt. Add tablespoons cubed butter. Over medium heat, cook and stir constantly, until thickened.
Pour the filling through a strainer.
Pour the filling into the crust, then bake at 325°F for 8-10 minutes or until set in the middle. Cool completely on a wire rack before serving.
You can top it with a lemon peel rose. To make, using a paring knife, carefully cut a long strip around and around the lemon, then roll it up.
You can also top with lemon slices sprinkled with coarse sugar or candied lemon peel strips. So many options to make it pretty, although I think it is gorgeous as is!
Topped with whipped cream, it has just the perfect balance of sweet and tart. The crust is one of my favorite crusts of all time!
Elegant, but really quite simple. Definitely a dessert to catch the eye and treat the tastebuds.
One bite and you'll be hooked. Even my son who is not as big of a fan of lemon desserts loves this!
Recipe Source: Recipe adapted from a recipe at Taste of Home