Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Remove the dough from the bowl and knead lightly and briefly to make a smooth mass.
Wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
On a well-floured work surface, roll the dough into a circle about 11 inches in diameter.
Roll the dough back onto the rolling pin and transfer it to the tart pan. Unroll the dough
and gently press it into the pan. Trim the excess dough to 1 inch from the pan edge and
tuck the extra dough between the pan and the dough rim to make a sturdier, taller edge.
Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Prick the crust with a fork. Line the crust with a sheet of
aluminum foil and fill it with rice, dried beans or pie weights. Bake for 10 minutes. Re-
move the foil and beans and bake until the crust is golden brown and firm, about another
15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool to room temperature.
For the curd: Beat the eggs, yolks, sugar and salt in a small saucepan until smooth and
light colored.
Add the lemon zest, lemon juice and butter and cook over medium heat, stirring con-
stantly, until the butter melts, about 2 minutes.
Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue cooking and stirring for about 5 minutes, or
until the curd is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon and your finger leaves a definite
track when you draw it across the spoon. The curd should resemble a thick hollandaise.
Pour it through a fine-mesh strainer into a chilled bowl.
Spoon the curd into the prepared crust and smooth the top with the back of a spoon. Re-
frigerate for at least 1 hour to set the lemon curd. Serve cold.
CITRUS CURD
Lemon curd is a paradox in a saucepan: it's rich and creamy; it's tart and fresh. Those
are the characteristics that make it delicious; they're also the characteristics that make it
seem impossible to prepare. Think about it: What happens when you pour lemon juice in-
to milk? How would you make that taste good? The answer lies in a particularly basic and
very useful bit of food chemistry.
Citrus curds are creamy despite having little or no cream in them. Instead, the luscious
texture is supplied by cooked beaten eggs. But citrus curds also are smooth, not like
scrambled eggs at all. How does this work?
