Citrus: A History

Six Citrus Recipes

from Citrus: A History

by Pierre Laszlo


Tarte au Citron

Tart shell:
1 1/4; cup all-purpose flour
1 stick (1/2 cup) cold unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 or 3 tablespoons ice-cold water
1 egg yolk

  • Preheat oven to 350°F.
  • Combine flour, salt, sugar, and butter in a food processor and blend until coarse crumbs form.
  • Turn the mixture into a bowl. Sprinkle ice-cold water over it and mix with a fork until it forms a ball. Add additional drops of water if it is too dry.
  • Form dough into a disk, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate to rest for at least 30 minutes.
  • Roll out dough on a lightly floured board to fit a 9-inch tart pan.
  • Fit dough into pan and prick all over with a fork.
  • Line the tart with aluminum foil and fill with pie weights (or with rice, beans, etc.)
  • Bake shell until slightly firm around the edges, about 10 minutes. Remove foil and weights and continue to bake until golden brown, about 10 minutes more.
  • Brush entire inside of crust with egg yolk to seal and cool.

Filling:
2 lemons, zest removed and chopped
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1/3 cup unsalted butter
1 9-inch tart shell, baked blind and brushed with egg yolk (the recipe above)

  • Juice the lemons into a saucepan, add the zest, sugar, and eggs to the juice, and whisk to combine.
  • Set pan over low heat and stir constantly to thicken slightly.
  • Remove from heat and strain into a bowl.
  • Stir in butter and pour into prepared tart shell.
  • Bake until filling is jiggly in center, about 20 minutes.
  • Cool on rack to room temperature, then chill and garnish as desired.

Book details:

Pierre Laszlo
Citrus: A History
©2007 256 pages, 20 color plates
Cloth $25.00 ISBN: 978-0-226-47026-9 (ISBN-10: 0-226-47026-1)

For information on purchasing the book—from bookstores or here online—please go to the webpage for Citrus: A History.

See also: