What’s Cooking For Christmas?

With more and more families planning to stay home for the holidays, now may the perfect time to try a new holiday recipe.

‘Tarte Au Citron’: This refreshing open-faced tart is similar in flavor to a lemon meringue pie without the meringue. It is usually dusted with powdered sugar to offset the tartness of the lemon. You can also top it with a few fresh raspberries for an elegant look, and should you want even more lemony flavor, add some lemon zest into the filling.

Ingredients for Pastry:

7 T (100 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus extra for greasing

½ C (96 g) sugar

1 C (125 g) flour

Pinch of salt

Ingredients for FILLING:

3 lg eggs

3 lg egg yolks

⅔ cup (20 g) fresh lemon juice

½ C plus 2 T (143 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature

¾ C (144 g) granulated sugar

GARNISH: Confectioners’ sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 300°F (149°C). Grease a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Place pastry ingredients in a bowl; knead lightly to combine. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes, then place chilled dough on a floured surface and roll out ⅛ inch thick. Transfer to tart pan; pierce bottom with a fork; chill. Meanwhile, whisk together eggs and egg yolks in a small bowl. In a medium saucepan, stir together lemon juice, butter and sugar over low heat until butter has melted and mixture is combined. Pour a little of this mixture into bowl with eggs, stirring constantly; then pour egg mixture back into pan and stir constantly over low heat until mixture thickens and begins to bubble around edges. Pour into tart shell; bake 30 minutes or until top is golden. Dust with confectioners’ sugar prior to serving.

Prep time: 30 minutes.Cook time: 30 minutes.Makes 8 servings.

NOTE: Maybe a great time to teach the children in the family how to cook and make something special. Not everything comes as take-out, delivered, microwaved, or drive-thru.