Meyer Lemon Tartlets
Mini muffin-pan tartlets with a cream cheese pastry, filled with silky Meyer lemon curd and topped with raspberries and mint.
🍽️ Makes 24
Ingredients
| 1 1/2 tsp | 7.5 ml | Meyer lemon zest |
| 6 Tbsp | 90 ml | Meyer lemon juice |
| 6 Tbsp | 90 ml | sugar |
| 2 | large eggs, at room temperature | |
| 1/4 cup | 60 ml | unsalted butter, cut into small pieces |
| 3/4 cup | 180 ml | unsalted butter, at room temperature |
| 4 ounces | 115 g | reduced-fat cream cheese, softened |
| 2 tsp | 10 ml | Meyer lemon zest |
| 1 tsp | 5 ml | vanilla extract |
| 1/4 cup | 60 ml | sugar |
| 1/8 tsp | 0.6 ml | salt |
| 1 1/2 cups | 360 ml | flour |
| — | raspberries (topping, optional) | |
| — | mint leaves (topping, optional) |
Instructions
- For the curd, whisk together Meyer lemon zest, juice, sugar, and eggs in a heavy saucepan. Cook over moderately low heat, whisking constantly, until slightly thickened. Add butter a few pieces at a time, whisking constantly until melted, before adding more butter. Continue until curd is smooth and thickened, and coats the back of a spoon (about 5 minutes total). Transfer curd to a bowl, press a piece of plastic directly on the surface, and chill until cold - at least one hour.
- For the pastry, beat butter, cream cheese, Meyer lemon zest, and vanilla in a large mixer bowl at medium speed until smooth; add sugar and salt and beat until combined. Reduce speed to low and gradually add flour; beat just until incorporated. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to 1 hour, until easy to handle.
- Preheat oven to 350°F and spray two 12-cup mini muffin pans with nonstick spray. Form one-inch balls of dough and place each ball in a muffin cup; use a tart tamper/shaper or lightly floured hands to press dough into the bottom and up the sides of each cup. Prick bottom of cups with a fork and bake for 18 minutes, until edges are lightly golden and set. Cool in pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes before removing from pans to cool completely.
- To assemble, pipe or spoon lemon curd into cups. Chill for 30 minutes before topping with a raspberry and mint leaf. Store leftover tartlets in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Any leftover curd can be chilled up to one week.
Yield: 24 tartlets.