Raspberry-Lemon Tart

I made this tart several months ago, so the details are a bit hazy. My tart dough recipe makes enough for three tarts, and after two strawberry tarts, I needed to bake up the rest before we went out of town last summer. (It keeps pretty well in the freezer for a couple of months, but not indefinitely. ) I found this recipe in my new favorite baking cook book Baking- From my home to yours by Dorie Greenspan and I had to give it a try. The original recipe didn't call for raspberries, I just added those because I had some fresh ones on hand.

After the tart was all done, John announced we would be leaving for Utah in the morning if I could get all packed in the next 4 hours. I couldn't eat a whole tart in one evening, so I dropped 3/4 of it off at a friend's house in exchange for pictures and a critique. Then we went on vacation for several weeks, and they went on vacation, and then she got sick, and school started, and life happened, and we both forgot about the tart, then finally in my in box I found this-

What would I say about this tart?

I thought it was a perfect blend of lemon and berry. I loved the texture of the custard. My favoritest favoritest part however, that Kirsten has the corner on is her yummy crusts.

Thank you!!!!

The Most Extraordinary French Lemon Cream Tart

1 cup sugar
Grated zest of 3 lemons
4 large eggs
3/4 cup fresh lemon juice (from 4-5 lemons)
2 sticks plus 5 tablespoons (10 1/2 oz) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon size pieces, at room temperature
1 9-inch tart shell fully baked and cooled

Have an instant read-thermometer, a strainer and a blender (first choice) or food processor at hand. Bring a few inches of water to a simmer in a saucepan.

Put the sugar and zest in a large heatproof bowl that can be set over the pan of simmering water. Off the heat, rub the sugar and zest together between your fingers until the sugar is moist, grainy, and very aromatic. Whisk in the eggs, followed by the lemon juice.

Set the bowl over the pan and start stirring with the whisk as soon as the mixture feels tepid to the touch. Cook the lemon cream until it reaches 180 degrees F. As you whisk- you must whisk constantly to keep the eggs from scrambling-you'll see that the cream will start out light and foamy, then the bubbles will get bigger, and then as it gets closer to 180 degrees F, it will start to thicken and the whisk will leave tracks. Heads up at this point- the tracks mean the cream is almost ready. Don't stop whisking or checking the temperature, and have patience- depending on how much heat you're giving the cream, getting to temp can take as long as 10 minutes.

As soon as it reaches 180 degrees F, remove the cream from the heat and strain it into the container of the blender (or food processor); discard the zest. Let the cream stand, stirring occasionally, until it cools to 140 degrees F, about 10 minutes.

Turn the blender to high, (or turn on the processor) and, with the machine going, add the butter about 5 pieces at a time. Scrape down the sides of the container as you incorporate the butter. Once the butter is in, keep the machine going- to get the perfect light, airy texture of lemon-cream dreams, you must continue to blend the cream for another 3 minutes. If your machine protests and gets a bit too hot, work in 1 minute intervals, giving the machine a little rest between beats.

Pour the cream into a container, press a piece of plastic wrap against the surface to create an airtight seal and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight. (The cream will keep in the fridge for 4 days or, tightly sealed, in the freezer up to 2 months; thaw it overnight in the refrigerator.)

When you are ready to assemble the tart, just whisk the cream to loosen it and spoon it into the tart shell. Serve the tart, or refrigerate until needed.