This tart is built on a puff pastry rectangular crust that’s large enough to feed a crowd. Meyer lemons give this tart a slightly sweeter edge, but it’s fine to use regular Eureka lemons as well. You can replace the strawberries with other berries as they come into season. Serves 10-12.
Ingredients
The lemon filling
4 eggs
2 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup Meyer lemon juice or other fresh-squeezed lemon juice
Grated zest of 2 lemons (about 1 1/2tablespoons)
Pinch kosher salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
The tart shell
1 sheet puff pastry dough, thawed
1 egg
Sugar, for sprinkling
Assembly
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon sugar
1 pound strawberries, hulled and sliced
Directions
For the lemon filling: In the top of a double boiler set over barely simmering water, whisk together the eggs, egg yolks, sugar, lemon juice, zest and salt. Cook, whisking constantly, until the custard thickens and the whisk makes tracks in the mixture, about 10-15 minutes.
Remove from heat, and whisk in the butter pieces, a few at a time, until fully incorporated. Push mixture through a sieve, and cover the surface with plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 2 hours, or up to 2 days.
For the tart shell: Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment. Lay the puff pastry out on a floured surface. Roll out into an even rectangle about 12- by 16 inches, and carefully move to the prepared baking sheet. The dough should just fit.
Whisk the egg with a little bit of water to create an egg wash; set aside.
Using a sharp paring knife, cut a 1-inch strip off each side of the dough, and set on the work surface. Carefully brush the egg wash about 1-inch wide around the edges of the pastry rectangle. Place the strips on top of the egg wash, creating a higher border around the edges of the rectangle. Press to adhere, and trim as necessary at the corners. Brush the top of the edges with more egg wash, then sprinkle with sugar. Score the edges lightly with the paring knife, making very faint diagonal hash-marks about 1 inch apart all the way around. Prick the bottom of the crust several times with a fork. Refrigerate the crust for about 30 minutes so it won’t spread too much during baking.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Bake the crust for about 15 minutes until golden; reduce the oven temperature to 325, and bake for about 5 minutes, until evenly golden and puffed. The inside will most likely dome as it bakes — it’s OK to tap it down with a fork or poke it with a knife to let the steam out as it bakes. As it cools, tap it down more so that the inside is flat. It’s OK if the crust flakes. Set aside until ready to assemble.
To assemble: Whip the heavy cream to soft peaks with the sugar. Fold half the cream into the prepared lemon filling, and set the other half aside to serve with the tart.
Spread the lemon cream over the inside of the tart shell, distributing evenly. Overlap the sliced strawberries in rows, or in the pattern of your choice. Cut into squares, and serve at once.
Per serving: 273 calories, 5 g protein, 20 g carbohydrate, 20 g fat (8 g saturated), 146 mg cholesterol, 87 mg sodium, 0 g fiber.
