Lemon Curd Tart with Chocolate Surprise

Like I mentioned in my previous post, my first introduction to lemon curd was very recently and I had tasted it as lemon curd tart from a gourmet bakery. The flavor is breathtaking. Literally. OH MY…! I just loved it. I’m not a person who really loves desserts or anything that is too sweet, but this lemon curd tarts I tasted was so perfect for me, a balance of slight sweet, tang…YUM.

For this week’s Fondbites, Bake Along challenge #60, Subhashini gave us a chocolate orange cream tart recipe. The moment I saw the recipe, I knew I was going to make a lemon curd tart. I made few modifications to the recipe and came up with this tart. Orange and chocolate is a heavenly combo, so is lemon curd and chocolate. Though I had decided on what combo I would be making, the issue was I wasn’t sure if I could actually make a good tart. But I was elated to see the results and the entire process of making the tart base, lemon curd, and the tart it self was so much fun.. I would confess, this is One of my favorite tart hands down. 😀 I mean it. It is better than the one that I had tasted in a gourmet bakery. 😀 So now the suspense is broken, how did I use my lemon curd… I just have to use them in tarts. This is my version of lemon curd tart with chocolate surprise… how yum does that sound to you!!

Here’s my lemon curd tart with chocolate surprise recipe

Ingredients:-

For Short crust pastry:

All purpose Flour/ Maida- 1½ cups
Silvered almonds – 1/4 cup
Butter, cold unsalted- 3/4 cup (150 gms)
Sugar, powdered- 1/4 cup
Salt- 1/4 teaspoon
Cold water-1-3 tablespoons
Chocolate Ganache:

Dark Chocolate – 25 gms
Milk Chocolate – 25 gms
Dairy cream – 50 gms

Lemon Curd filling :

Click here for my recipe
Method of preparation:-

For the Short Crust pastry:
1. You need to use chilled butter to make tarts. Cut the butter into cubes. In a blender jar combine  Flour, almonds, butter, powdered sugar, salt and 1 tablespoon of ice water. Pulse the ingredients until just combined.

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. Transfer the flour mixture on the work surface and knead to make a smooth dough.

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. Roll the dough and cover it with cling wrap and place it in fridge for about 1 hour.

4. After resting the dough in fridge for 1 hour, remove it from fridge and roll it into thin sheet.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5. Roll the dough over the rolling pin carefully, lift the pin and place it on tart pan(8 inch x 8 inch).

6. Unroll the dough from the rolling pin onto a tart pan and rip off the extra dough from the sides of the pan. Press the dough to the tart pan. Using a fork prick holes for even cooking.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7. Chill this pastry with tin inside fridge for 30 minutes.

8. Preheat oven to 170 C.

9. Place a piece of parchment over the dough and fill with dry beans. Place in the oven and bake for 15 minutes then remove the paper and beans and return to the oven to bake for 5-7 more minutes until golden around the edges and dry in the middle. Cool completely before filling.

Now the tart pastry is ready. We will do the filling once the pastry cools down completely. Once completely cooled,  slide a sharp edge of a knife in the hole and very gently pull the tart base out of the pan without breaking.

 

 

 

 

 

 

10. Ganache: Chop the chocolates in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high power in bursts of 30 seconds until the chocolate has been completely melted.

11. Add cream into the melted chocolate and keep mixing well until it comes to gether into a smooth and shiny ganache. Let cool down to room temperature.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

12. Add a thin layer of ganache onto tart base. Set in freezer for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

 

 

 

 

 

 

13. Next add warm lemon curd(make sure it has been passed through sieve to get smooth and lump free curd layer) over the set chocolate ganache and spread it evenly.

 

 

 

 

 

 

14. Bake for another 10 to 15 minutes, until the filling is shiny and opaque. The centre will jiggle slightly when shaken.

15. Let it cool completely, about 1 to 1 and a half hours, then refrigerate until ready to serve.

I drizzled with chocolate ganache and garnish with mint leaves. Slice a piece from the tart using a clean and sharp knife. You can serve this slice with a dollop of whipped cream if you prefer it. These tarts/pies looks so delicious, I love how fresh and sunny it looks! Fabulous! 😀 Enjoy!

My Notes:-
1. Using a removeable tart base pan makes it very easy to get the base out of pan and ensures the base doesn;t break at any cost. So if possible use a removable tart base pan.

2. If you dont like lemon curd, simply fill the tart with chocolate ganache and set it and set it as chocolate tart. You can garnish with chopped chocolates and serve it.

3. If you prefer more classy garnish, spread some fresh raspberries/strawberries over the lemon curd and serve for a more fruity based tart.