Rosemary Lemon Tart has lots of lemon, a rosemary infused shortbread crust, and topped with a lemon drizzle. Lemon is one of my favorite flavors on planet earth. It’s nearly as versatile as water in my book. Just think of all the recipes that call for lemon (just about anything with fruit, right?). Lemon gives some backbone flavor and enhances everything it touches. Alone, it’s Queen of citrus fruits, I kneel at her throne.
I also noticed while taking in all the little buds popping out of the ground in my yard that my lovely rosemary bush had a lot of new growth. I had cut it way back in the fall and was not sure I killed it; IT LIVES!
The twist of this blog today is taking lemon bar “type” filling combining it with a rosemary shortbread crust. As the title says above, we are making Rosemary Lemon Tart. It is oh soooo good! You can make this without the rosemary, but if you are one of my friends that live nearby (and you know who you are) I can spare a few more twigs, but I do need to let little Miss Rosemary grow too, so I can’t take too much off of her.
This is rather easy peasy and you will be doing some lemon squeezy. Let’s get our “lemon on.” This is kind of jumping the gun, but when you drizzle on the glaze, put the second layer in slightly diagonal to the first, it is just a bit prettier, especially when it is sliced and served.
First things first, make the rosemary sugar for the crust. It’s best if it is sits overnight, but even a couple hours will work. My food processor could not handle the big pieces, so I chopped the rosemary on a cutting board and then popped in the food processor to finish the job.
Once you make the crust, press up the sides first and then press the bottom. I used the bottom edge of a small juice glass to even out the corners around the bottom and push the crust up on the sides a bit more and evened out the bottom by rolling the glass on it.
The crust is pre-baked, but no need to weigh it down with pie weights or beans, it’s a shortbread crust, no leavening is in it (no baking soda or baking powder), and though it may puff up in a couple of spots, it is only minor and will usually go back down.
You don’t have to wait for the crust to cook before pouring in the filling. Just make sure you strain the partially cooked filling first, BEFORE adding the lemon zest. Straining gets out those little pieces of egg that never blend in “shudder.”
Yes, this is a thin tart, but it is bursting with flavor. We devoured ours quickly, so need to save the last slice for yourself as the entire tart will probably be gone in one fell swoop! Happy Spring Everyone!
Rosemary Lemon Tart
Ingredients
Tart Shell
- 1 cup flour
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 egg yolk
- Two 4-inch sprigs of fresh rosemary
- 1/2 cup cold butter
- dash of salt
Filling (Lemon Curd)
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons Clearjel, cornstarch, or tapioca starch
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1/2 cup lemon juice
- 4 large egg yolks
- 1 large egg
- 4 tablespoons butter
- Grated zest of one lemon
Lemon Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Instructions
Tart Crust
- Heat oven to 375 degrees F.
- The day before baking the tart, make the rosemary sugar for the crust. Strip or snip off rosemary and chop finely (or use food processor to mince with the sugar). Place in an airtight container and let the flavors mingle.
- Mix the flour, rosemary sugar and salt in a large mixing bowl. Cut in the butter with a large fork until the mixture has coarse crumbles.
- Add the egg yolk and stir until dough comes together and is thoroughly mixed, kneading by just a bit if necessary.
- Coat a 9” tart pan that has a removable bottom with butter.
- Roll the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Lay the dough over the top of the prepared tart pan and press dough evenly over the bottom and sides of pan. Use a small rolling pin or side of a glass to make bottom uniform. Use a butter knife to cut uneven dough off across the top edge (horizontally).
- Place the tart pan with the refrigerated crust into the center of the oven. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven, and set aside while making the lemon curd.
Lemon Curd
- In medium saucepan, stir together sugar and cornstarch and salt. Vigorously whisk in lemon juice, water, egg yolks, and egg and place over medium to high heat. Cook and stir constantly and bring mixture until slightly starts to thicken, about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove
pan from heat and stir in butter until fully melted. - Pour the mixture through sieve into separate bowl and then stir in lemon zest. Pour into prepared tart shell.
- Bake 30 minutes at 375. While warm, glaze with lemon glaze. Cool to room temp and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours.
- If using this as curd for another recipe, cover surface with plastic wrap actually touching onto the curd and chill in refrigerator about one hour. (The lemon curd is fabulous to add to plain yogurt.)
Lemon Glaze
- Stir the powdered sugar and lemon juice until smooth and glossy, drizzle over baked tart while still warm.
