Lemon Chess Tarts Recipes

Steps:

• For the Tart Shell:.
• In Cuisinart, blend all ingredients while adding the butter in quarter-inch pieces.
• Drizzle in chilled water until dough is thick or holds together when pushing together with fingers.
• Move dough onto wax paper. Press into 1" thick disk and chill for at least one hour. Then press into 10" tart pan.
• Line pastry with parchment paper and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes until light brown. While still warm, remove parchment paper.
• Let tart shell rest at room temperature until ready to fill.
• For the Filling:.
• Cream butter until fluffy. Mix sugar with cornstarch. Add to butter and cream together.
• Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add lemon juice (it will curdle; this is okay) and grated peel.
• Pour into a semi-baked 10-inch tart shell and bake at 350 for about 40 minutes, or until the filling no longer jiggles.
• Allow to cool, slice and top with berries if desired.

Steps:

• Mix almond meal and powdered sugar in processor to fine powder, about 10 seconds.
• Transfer to bowl of electric mixer and add butter; beat until light.
• Blend in eggs, lemon juice and salt.
• Beat in flour all at once until just combined;do not overmix.
• Gather dough into a ball and wrap in plastic.
• Refrigerate at least 3 hours.
• Roll dough out on generously floured surface into 11 1/2-inch circle 1/8 inch thick. (Keep surface and rolling pin well floured to prevent sticking.).
• Fit dough into 10-inch tart pan;trim edges.
• Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Brush shiny side of 11 1/2-inch foil circle lightly with melted butter.
• Fit buttered side down into shell.
• Fill shell with dried beans or pie weights.
• Bake until dough is set, 15 to 20 minutes;remove foil and weights.
• Continue baking shell until golden brown, about 5 minutes.
• Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees.
• Stir cream into cornmeal in small bowl.
• Cream butter and sugar in bowl of electric mixer until light and fluffy.
• Beat in eggs, one at a time, and continue beating until light.
• Blend in cornmeal mixture, lemon peel, juice and extract.
• Spoon filling into shell almost to rim; do not overfill.
• Bake tart until custard is set, about 30 minutes. (If edges brown to quickly, cover with strips of foil.).
• Cool on rack.
• Just before serving, dust lightly with powdered sugar.
• Garnish with whipped cream and berries, if desired.

Steps:

• Roll out the dough 1/8 inch thick on a floured surface, fit it into 8 tartlet tins, each 3 3/4 inches across the top and 3/4 inch deep, and roll a rolling pin over the edges of the tins to trim the excess dough. Chill the shells for 30 minutes.
• In a bowl with an electric mixer cream the butter with the sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy, beat in the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, and beat in the buttermilk, the cornmeal, the grated zest, the lemon juice, and the salt. Divide the mixture among the tartlet shells and bake the tartlets on a baking sheet in the lower third of a preheated 425°F. oven for 15 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F. and bake the tartlets for 10 to 15 minutes more, or until they are golden and set. Let the tartlets cool in the tins on racks until they can be handled, remove them from the tins, and let them cool completely on the racks. The tartlets may be made 1 day in advance and kept covered loosely in a cool place. Dust the tartlets lightly with the confectioners' sugar and garnish them with the lemon zest knots.

Steps:

• LEMON CHESS TASSIES:.
• Beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy.
• Gradually add flour to butter mixture, beating at low speed.
• Shape dough into 48 balls; cover and chill 1 hour.
• Place 1 dough ball into each lightly greased cup of miniature muffin pans, shaping each into a shell.
• Spoon LEMON CHESS PIE FILLING evenly into tart shells.
• Bake at 350 deg F for 25 minutes or until set.
• Cool in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes.
• Remove from pans; cool completely on wire racks.
• LEMON CHESS PIE FILLING:.
• Whisk together all ingredients.
• Use filling immediately.
• Makes 3 cups filling.

Steps:

• For crust: Mix first 8 ingredients in processor. Using on/off turns, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal. Blend in egg yolk and and just enough milk to bind dough; do not form ball. Gather dough together; flatten to disc. Wrap in waxed paper and plastic and refrigerate at keast 3 hours. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead.).
• Very lightly butter 10-inch tart pan with removable sides. Roll pastry out between sheets of waxed paper to 1/8-inch thick round. Transfer to prepared pan, discarding paper and pressing gently into bottom and up sides, Run rolling pin across top to trim.(Can be prepared 1 day ahead to this point.).
• Position rack in lower third of oven and preheat to 400. Pierce bottom of crust with fork. Line with parchment or foil and fill with pie weights or dry beans. Bake 12 minutes. Remove weights and paper and continue baking until crust is light brown, about 7 minutes. Cool on rack. Reduce oven temperature to 350.
• For filling: Using electruc mixer, cream butter until light and fluffy. Add 1 cup sugar, 1/3 at a time, and beat until light and fluffy. Blend in corn starch and salt. Mix in eggs one at a time, then mix in yolks one at a time. Stir in fresh lemon juice, grated lemon peel and vanilla; mixture may separate,.
• Pour filling into crust. Bake until top is pale golden brown and custard is set, about 30 minutes. Cool completely on rack. Dust top with powdered sugar. Arrange candied zest around edge, or lemon slices in center. Serve with whipped cream if desired.