Sunday, February 6, 2011

Lemon Tart with Chocolate Almond Crust



The recipe for my Lemon Tart with Chocolate Almond Crust is from the January 2003 issue of Food and Wine.  I didn't save the magazine but I did scan the recipe.


The chocolate almond crust is delicious with lemon! Two of my favorite dessert food groups :-)  This time, I chose not to use the lemon filling called for in this recipe but used a different favorite filling from my Very Lemon-y Tart recipe. 


It's a delicious blast of lemon flavor with the zest and juice of 5 lemons!  I made one large tart to take to the party later and one little tart for my husband and I to enjoy the next two days. I made another half recipe of the lemon filling and it was just the right amount for one large and one small tart.


This tart can be garnished so many ways, with shaved chocolate as suggested in the recipe or as I'm planning on serving it as you see it above with a dollop of fresh, whipped cream and also some kiwi fruit sliced in the shape of footballs ;)





Lemon Tart with Chocolate Almond Crust
Adapted from the January, 2003 issue of Food & Wine Magazine
Printable Recipe

Makes one 11-inch tart and one 7-inch tart. You could also use the extra chocolate pastry to make about 12 rolled cookies.

CHOCOLATE PASTRY

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup almond flour (I finely ground 3-oz of blanched almonds)
1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar
6 tablespoons cocoa powder
Pinch of salt
1 1/2 sticks cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
1 large egg

LEMON CURD (for the above tart I used this lemon filling recipe instead of the one shown here)

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
3/4 cup fresh lemon juice
8 large egg yolks
1 large egg
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
Bittersweet chocolate shavings, for garnish

MAKE THE CHOCOLATE PASTRY: In a food processor, combine the all-purpose flour, almond flour, sugar, cocoa and salt; pulse to blend. Add the butter; pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the egg; process until the dough just comes together. Turn the dough out onto a sheet of plastic, flatten into a disk and chill for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350°. Butter an 11-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. On a lightly floured work surface, roll the pastry out to a 14-inch round 1/4 inch thick. Fit the pastry into the tart pan. Run the rolling pin across the rim of the pan to cut off any overhanging dough. Patch any tears in the pastry with scraps. Line the pastry with foil and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake in the center of the oven for 30 minutes, or until the crust is nearly dry. Remove the foil and bake the crust for 15 minutes longer, or until firm. Let cool. Lower the oven temperature to 300°.

MEANWHILE, MAKE THE LEMON CURD: Set a fine sieve over a medium bowl. In a medium saucepan, combine 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon of the sugar with the lemon juice and bring to a simmer, stirring until the sugar dissolves. In another medium bowl, beat the egg yolks with the whole egg and the remaining 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon of sugar. Whisk half of the hot lemon syrup into the egg mixture; add the mixture to the saucepan and cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly, until the curd just comes to a boil, about 3 minutes; it should be the consistency of sour cream. Strain the curd through the fine sieve and let cool to room temperature, then whisk in the softened butter until the curd is light and fluffy.

Pour the curd into the crust and bake for 20 minutes, or just until set. Cool the tart on a wire rack, then refrigerate until chilled. Unmold the tart and garnish it with chocolate shavings. Transfer the tart to a large plate and serve.

MAKE AHEAD The baked tart can be refrigerated overnight.

57 comments:

  1. Your tart is a work of art and deserves to be framed in your mosaic. Chocolate and lemon sounds like an interesting combination, I need to try this one. Cute idea to cut kiwi into footballs for the party as well.

    Good Luck to your Packers.

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  2. Chocolate and Lemon sound like a winning combination to me! :-) We will be pulling for the Packers here too. You are so smart scanning in the recipes you like out of magazines. How do you file them? My old scanner no longer works but I have been thinking of buying a new one and Randy should be right on board if I can show him how it will cut down on the magazine stacks! Thanks for playing along Susan - I know you had a busy weekend!

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  3. You will be a rock star at your superbowl party. This is fantastic!

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  4. Susan, I couldn't book mark this fast enough!!! 'nuf said. Go PACKERS!

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  5. Che torta fantastica!!! Davvero complimenti, cara :-)

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  6. What a beautiful and yummy sounding dessert! Enjoy the Super Bowl!!

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  7. I smiled when I read not a big fan of football, good luck to both teams- that statement was proof (laugh). I am staying home while my boys head out to friends to watch the big game.

    This dessert rocks! The lemon just pops right out at you! Beautiful.

    Velva

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  8. Oh my, this certainly caught my attention! Looks great Susan! Have fun at the party:@)

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  9. I definitely need to get over here to your blog more often, or maybe it's a good idea that I don't. Your recipes sound wonderful. I keep bookmarking them & that folder is bigger than any other. Well, I guess that's not hard to figure. We have tons of lemons right now in our yard, so this is on the menu for sure!
    CAS

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  10. A delicious looking dessert! Chocolate, Almond and lemon... yum!

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  11. Anytime I see chocolate and lemon or lime in a recipe, it gets my attention!

    Cute idea to cut kiwi into footballs for the party!

    I hope your Packers do well.

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  12. I have made your very lemony tart and it's delicious..i can imagine this is a match made in heaven..Hope you are having fun..Great photos:)

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  13. oh wow first class tart at least u will enjoy the food lol

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  14. I would imagine since you made something black and gold you are for the STEELERS? :)
    It looks heavenly ! I am sure the party goers will love it.
    I think that crust would be good with many fillings!

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  15. Perfection...and it looks yummy!

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  16. How beautiful! It looks fantastic..I can just taste the lemon. The photos are amazing...

    Looks like your team is doing OK!!

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  17. This looks yummy to me. I love lemon and chocolate. I am looking at your other posting as well. yumm! I am your newest follower. Linda

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  18. Your photo's are outrageous! I want a slice of that tart, great combination of flavor!

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  19. Lemon is my favorite. The Packers won!

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  20. Lemon and chocolate in tandem sounds very good to me. It certainly looks delicious!

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  21. Susan

    You know I adore lemon tart and have made it quite a few times, but I have never thought of a chocolate crust for it. This is such an original and tasty idea. I will try it next time I make the lemon tart, to get even more pleasure out of it!

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  22. So pretty! I don't usually think of chocolate and lemon together, but I don't know why. :) I love them both!

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  23. It does look yummy! I do not think i have seen lemon and chocolate together.

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  24. Two of my favorite flavors in one delicious dessert! Lovely! I am going to check out the other Susan's blog. I really need to start challenging myself and trying new recipes.

    I'm not a big sports fan either. It was a good game and I congratulate both teams.

    Best,
    Bonnie

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  25. By now we know who won the game, but this lemon tart would have won over the crowd too.

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  26. Lucky and smart friends invite you and asking that you bring dessert; if they follow your blog, they knew you would make something special and that what your tart is; just beautiful.

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  27. Scanning recipes is a great way to eliminate some of the magazines in my every growing stack. Lemon and chocolate is one of my favorite flavor combinations and I can imagine other fillings in that lovely crust as well. Picture perfect, Susan.

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  28. Susan,
    It's no wonder that an artist like you would come up with such a beautiful piece of art! I love this tart. Although I am not big on lemon tarts but you had me with the choclate almond crust.

    Have a great week ahead.

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  29. How beautiful and original idea! It looks yummy Susan!A warm hug...

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  30. wow Susan, this lemon tart looks extremely delicious and beautiful! The chocolate almond crust is for sure a winner!

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  31. Cute way to support the steelers, though they did lose. I have a bag full of lemons to use... and this recipe is calling my name!

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  32. Wow, what a beautiful combination, lemon curd and chocolate, almond tart...looks delicious. Great photos as well :-)

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  33. Looks and sounds good. Don't know if I have had chocolate and lemon combination. I love lemon curd and could eat it with a spoon. But I try to refrain due to the cholesterol.

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  34. looks gorgeous- the color is unreal!

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  35. This is a lovely mosaic! I am hosting a Giveaway on my blog. I would love for you to stop by.hugs Anu

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  36. Absolutely stunning! I love the dark crust which I have never seen before (and I guessed which team) with a lemon tart and it would be delicious. Lucky you to be invited out to a party. I bet you saw many many wonderful treats. (I really don't care about the game!!)
    :)
    valerie

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  37. This is one seriously classy tart. You did a beautiful job with it! The lemon and chocolate together sound absolutely divine. I wouldn't have been able to pay a single speck of attention to the superbowl with this in the room.

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  38. Every time I come to your blog, not only do the photos jump off the "page" but I find myself wanting to go put on my apron and get to work in the kitchen. Your recipe is fantastic, I love lemon! oh and Chocolate together? Added bonus

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  39. Gorgeous photo. I am so impressed that you scan recipes. I have a million pages in folders from hundreds of magazines with no reasonable plan for organization... a small effort at labeling desserts or meat but then others are by magazine only... it would take months to scan them. As it is, I crack folder now and then. All my new recipes are online (and neatly copied) or in books.
    That said... love the lemon... I never think of it with chocolate... must investigate. When you recommend it I know it's good!

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  40. I forgot to ask, what software do you use to create the mosaic image of your photo? Like a frame? I love it!

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  41. Beautiful dessert. I love lemon, add chocolate even more amazing.

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  42. What an amazing dessert. I will sure going to try it out.

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  43. Gosh, that looks gorgeous, and much too delicate for football fare! :)

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  44. Thank you, all, for the wonderful comments! Maybe they brought our team good luck ;)

    JennyO, it's a Photoshop template that you can find by doing a web search for Mike Warren + Photoshop actions. They are for sale on his website.

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  45. This sounds amazing. I've never considered making a dessert using chocolate and lemon, but I'm sure it's delicious! Thanks!

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  46. How'd I miss this luscious tart? It turned out beautifully and I'll bet the flavor was amazing. I've had citrus on the brain lately and have a huge bag of lemons. We'll see what happens!

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  47. Your tart looks stunning! Beautiful job, I'm sure it was delicious. My first visit to your blog, which is fantastic...happy to have found it. We have the same heritage pan. Cheers, Nina

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  48. Yay Packers! Here is something the blogworld doesn't know about me - I was in the marching band in high school and had a chance to march at a Packers game once. It was well below freezing and a lot of the instruments couldn't even play, but we got to sit down right behind the bench and it was a great experience!

    Your tart looks fantastic. I think it is prettier than theres. I adore lemon and add it to chocolate and it doesn't get much better.

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  49. Cette association m'interpelle:) Bon jeudi à toi ma belle!!xxx

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  50. this looks so lovely..and your pictures are just stunning! thank you for sharing your talent with us:)

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  51. Oooh, I'll bet that chocolate/lemon combination is wonderful. We have quite a few lemons on our tree at the moment and I've been pondering making a lemon-poppyseed shortbread one day soon. Now I think I'll need to add a lemon/chocolate tart to the mix :) Thanks for the inspiration.

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  52. Oh wow, what a beautiful tart...the crust alone is to die for :) Gorgeous!

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  53. Oh wow, what a beautiful tart...the crust alone is to die for :) Gorgeous!

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  54. Your tart looks fabulous. Love lemons! The colour of the crust is beautiful and really goes well with the lemons!

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  55. This looks amazing and I can't wait to try this recipe.

    Carolyn/A Southerners Notebook

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