TWD ~ Tartest Lemon Tart

We revisit the golden lemon this week with Babette of Babette Feasts. She chose Dorie’s Tartest Lemon Tart which, as written, uses the WHOLE lemon, “zest, pulp, and juice.” This zesty combination truly gives you one of the tartest lemon tarts you’ve ever tasted.  

I’m going to start right off by telling you that I didn’t like this…as written. Unfortunately I didn’t read the TWD post prior to baking this. If I had, maybe I would have foreseen the probable bitter and disappointing end. The thing looks beautiful, I have to say. My mouth was watering to try a slice while I was taking my pictures. While it was a feast for the eyes, it didn’t gratify the stomach or rather the tongue…at least for me. The inclusion of the pith, which Dorie does not exclude in the book, resulted in one of the few things I just couldn’t eat. Can you believe it? Check out how good it looks….it’s unfathomable! Something that looks so good but tastes so bitter. I’m sure there’s some kind of relationship joke that would be appropriate here, but at near 2am it’s escaping me.

Bungalow Barbara was kind enough to clue everyone in to another whole lemon recipe from Dorie, a Creamy Lemon & Raspberry Tart, that you can find on Serious Eats. In this one she suggests the removal of the pith. I STRONGLY suggest you do this, unless you are crazy for bitter stuff, then pith away. Steph from A Whisk and A Spoon also pointed us to the comments section of this post on Dorie’s blog where she suggests blanching the lemon slices before using to remove some of the bitterness. I say kick the pith to the door and you should be fine in the bitter department. I think I could have eaten this if I piled on an obscene amount of whipped cream, but I couldn’t qualify the calorie intake for something that I didn’t really enjoy. It’s not like I’m never going to bake again…this week…ok tomorrow. If I’m going to put something in my mouth, I’m sure as heck going to relish it.

Bitterness aside, I would try this tart again….WITHOUT the pith. The worst thing about the bitterness was that it was a bitter aftertaste. This is why I think that this would have been fine without the pith because initially it tastes good, but then it turns ugly bitter. And do realize I’m talking bitter, not tart. There is a difference. If you make this tart with the pith, that difference will be crystalized for you in your mouth and you’ll never mistake the two ever again.

One thing I will include here is a recipe for candied lemon slices. I actually am using one I came across on Tastespotting a couple of weeks ago for candied kumquats of all things. Go to Cook Oui Chef Blog 1.0 to learn how to make Kumquat Glass and Rhubarb Ribbons. While you’re there you can take a gander at some of the most gorgeous pics of kumquats you’ll ever see.

Candied Lemon Slices

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
2 lemons, sliced as thin as you can, the thinner the better…don’t forget to remove the seeds! (also, I’d suggest using organic lemons and a decent silpat because the silcone baking sheet I got from Target for two bucks left a creepy aftertaste, not that you’re supposed to be downing these things like Lemonheads or anything)

Preheat oven to 170˚F.

Put the sugar and water in a pan. On medium heat stir until sugar is dissolved. Set aside to cool.

Place a silpat on a baking sheet.

Dip the lemon slices into the syrup, well coating both sides. Shake off any excess, and lay on silpat leaving space between each otherwise they will stick to each other.

Bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes or until dry to touch but still slightly sticky.

Flip the slices over and bake for another 10-20 minutes or until the opposite side is dry as well. Remove and allow to cool. They will harden as they cool. Store in an airtight container.

Tagged as: Lemon, Recipe!, Tart, TWD