Penelope's Recipe Box

Lemon curd is great for tarts. A thin layer between a pastry crust and just about any kind of berries is magic. But some people think lemon curd can be too heavy or too rich. If you’re one of them, but you still want to use it for, say a Strawberry and Lemon Curd Tart, you can lighten up the lemon curd by folding in whipped cream or egg whites, thereby transforming a curd into a cloud. Tart Pastry for a 9 inch tart shell

Lemon Curd

Buy it in any grocery store. But if you must make it…

1. 5 egg yolks
2. ½ cup sugar
3. ½ cup fresh lemon juice
4. freshly grated zest of 2 lemons
5. 6 tbs unsalted butter

The Red Currant Glaze

1. 1 cup red currant jelly
2. 1 tbs fresh lemon juice

In a small saucepan, bring the jelly and lemon juice to a boil

Remove from heat, let cool, and use immediately (if it cools too much it will thicken, and you’ll have to reheat it)

The Filling

In a heavy bottomed saucepan, combine the egg yolks and sugar

Whisk for 1 minute

Add the lemon juiced and zest

Whisk 1 minute more

Place over low heat and cook, stirring constantly, until slightly thickened (Don’t let the egg yolks get too hot or they’ll scramble)

Remove from heat and add the butter

Stir until smooth

Let cool, stirring occasionally

Transfer to a tightly capped jar and chill before assembling the tart (Or just take the jar of lemon curd you bought and chilled, out of the fridge)

Spread the lemon curd in the cooled tart shell

Slice each strawberry lengthwise into two or three pieces

Arrange the strawberries on top of the lemon curd

Brush with the warm currant glaze

Serve ASAP