Dessert Week 7 :: Snowflakes and Lemon Tarts

Last Sunday was an extremely cold day but that cold also helped create some beautiful ice crystal formations on my windows.  They were delicate snowflake-like ice crystals. So pretty!

Almost like a forest...

In the evening

This week I decided to make lemon tarts because I had some organic lemons on hand.  The recipe (from the book Pure Dessert) was quite easy but...not enough filling was made (sad, I think I had too much cooked egg). Instead of one large 9" tart I made three mini tarts and maybe could have made four. They tasted pretty good, more on the tart side though so I would add a little more sugar for those who like it sweeter or cut down on the lemon juice.  The crust was also decent and didn't shrink so I'd definitely make again (and because it was pretty easy)!

The lemon tarts looked a bit plain though.  Inspired by the ice crystals, I added some snowflake sprinkles.  Prettier...but upon tasting, they just didn't add to the experience.  I guess that is why meringue is so great because it's soft and sweet; pairing well with the tart lemon filling.  And, you can pipe meringue into different patterns like little dollops, waves, or even a rose to make it interesting. 

A thinner crust on the side would be better and was noted in the recipe.  It fits exactly a 9" tart pan so you get the right thickness.  I'll definitely try the crust recipe with the 9" pan!

I made the lemon filling the night before and you could fill the tart shell with the filling and then serve, but if you put it back in the oven for 5-10 mins, it sets the filling, smoothing out the top. A small detail but great tip!