tart tarts

strolling in central market's produce department one day, i spotted an interesting variety of summer berries. reigning from a small farm in washington, i quickly grabbed a mini crate of each variety: gooseberries, red currants, and blackberries. i knew then and there that i'd be making tarts that afternoon.

i easily whipped up some standard tart dough and lemon curd and the berries practically jumped right in. i can't believe how pretty they looked. the combinations were ridiculous, they tasted so amazing... the lemon filling brought the best out of the strange berries-- the tart currants were kindof seedy on their own, but in the pastry you didn't notice it, they just exploded and married perfectly with the sweet lemon curd. the gooseberries were kindof grape-like, and also delicious in the simple tart.

i couldn't believe how successful these were.

and how quickly they disappeared from my fridge.

lemon cream (for summer berry tarts)

1 cup sugar, grated zest of 1 lemon, 1/2 cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice, 4 large eggs, 1 large egg yolk, 12 tablespoons or unsalted butter in 12 pieces, 12 fully baked tart shells with standard dough, 2 cups assorted seasonal fruits or berries

1 place the sugar in a medium bowl and grate the zest of one lemon into it. rub the sugar and zest together between the palms of your hands.

2 pour the juice into a medium nonreactive saucepan. add the eggs, egg yolk, butter, and the zested sugar, and whisk to combine. set the pan over medium heat and cook, whisking constantly, for three to five minutes, until the mixture begins to thicken. be sure to whisk all over the bottom of the pan, especially the edges. at the first sign of a boil, remove from heat and strain through a sieve into a bowl.

3 with a ladle or a large spoon, fill each tart shell nearly to the top with the lemon cream. refrigerate for twenty to twenty-five minutes or until set.

4 arrange the fruit in free-form patterns on the tops of the tarts, and serve.

(from book of tarts, page 28)