Christmas is the feast commemorating the birth of Christ. It is fixed in the liturgical year as December 25th and is preceded by four week of fasting called Advent.Lemon Tarts
The dough:
- ¾ cup butter, at room temperature
- 3 tbsp. confectioners’ sugar
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
The filling:
- 2 eggs, at room temperature
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- Grated peel of 2 lemons
- Juice of 2 lemons
- ¾ cup butter, at room temperature
The Garnish:
- 1 lemon
- Granulated sugar for sprinkling
Cream together the butter and confectioners’ sugar for the dough. Add the flour and blend until coarse and grainy. Place the dough in a plastic bag and refrigerate 30 minutes. Press the dough onto the bottom and sides of a 10 inch tart pan. Bake the pastry shell in a preheated 425ºF oven for 10 minutes. Remove and cool.
Blend together the eggs and the granulated sugar. Add the grated peel, lemon juice, and butter. Mix well. Place the tart pan on a cookie sheet and pour the filling into the pastry shell. Peel the outer rind off another lemon so that only a thin layer of white pith remains (a potato peeler works great)! Cut 8 thin slices from the peeled lemon and carefully place the slices in eighths on the tart.
Bake in a 350ºF oven for 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle a little granulated sugar on the slices of lemon on the tart. Turn the oven to high broil. Place the tart under the broiler on the top rack and allow to brown slightly on top. Watch closely so that you don’t burn the crust. Allow to cool completely. You could also use a blowtorch to add an attractive browning to the top of the tart.
