I made this tart as part of the Thanksgiving spread. Its main attraction is Pierre Hermé’s famous Lemon Cream, a sumptuous concoction that is quite unlike a regular pastry cream or lemon curd. Its secret, I think, must be the truly wicked amount of butter in the recipe. The cream is perfect for lemon lovers, with a smooth and velvety texture infused with powerful lemon flavor. The lemon gets even stronger overnight, so it’s excellent to make ahead.
I spooned it into a pistachio crust that was based on the one used for Alice Medrich’s Warm Mocha Tart. I chose this one because we were making three dishes to bring for Thanksgiving and didn’t have the time (or counter space) to chill and roll dough. Any simple pâte brisée in a 9-inch tart pan would be fine. Inspired by Tartelette, I topped the tart with chopped crystallized ginger, which adds a subtle spicy kick.
As mentioned above, the cream has a somewhat frightening amount of butter added; so frightful in fact that I impetuously cut it down a smidge just for fear of what wickedness would be wrought on my butt and thighs. I’m glad of this, actually, since the result is just on the edge of my butter limit, but so deliciously rich and lemony that one quickly ceases to care about how naughty it is.
Here’s the tart recipe, as I made it.