Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Lemon Tarts

Last week I went to Springville to learn how to make Lemon Tarts. They have been a family tradition at Easter for as long as I can remember. I've been craving all things lemon/lemon/sour/tart during this pregnancy, so they definitely hit the spot.

My grandparents work in the kitchen together, which I think is really special. My grandpa helps with all the food prep and my Grandma does the actual baking. My Grandpa zested and juiced at least 15 lemons for these lovely tarts. There are three separate parts to the lemon tart recipe, and making a batch is definitely a labor of love. My Great Grandmother used to roll out each individual tart shell, and so did my Grandma until my Mom gave her Tart Dough Tamper. It makes the work far easier, especially when you are making 4 dozen tarts.

I am determined to have more cooking/baking experiences with my mom and grandma. And I am also determined to start hand-writing my favorite recipes. I love seeing tried-and-true recipes that are so beat up you can barely read them (I think there will be a fist fight over my mom's brownie recipe that looks a lot like the recipe below)

I'm now on the hunt for some lovely, classic recipe card design. If only I had a typewriter.





4 comments:

Lorrie said...

Question, Lesley--your grandma H. was a wonderful pie maker as well, but she never made tarts. I would love to make them, but how do you get the tart out of the pan once you've filled it? Pie crust is so delicate that I've always been afraid it would just break up trying to get it out of the pan.

Lesley said...

Hey Lorrie!

They actually just pop right out of the muffin tin with no problems after they cooled completely. We had about 6 different pans that we used and they all came out with no issues.

I've never really thought about it before now, but the tart crusts are rather sturdy. I'm sure it's something to do with this recipe. I always use Grandma H's pie crust recipe, but this one looks a bit different (no egg or vinegar), which is perhaps why they crusts hold up better as tarts:

Single pie crust:
1 1/4 cup flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/3 cup shortening
3-4 TBSP cold water

Bake 450 degrees for 10-12 minutes


maybe I should post the recipe for the tarts too :)

Kendra said...

YES! I would love the recipe! I love lemon anything! :)

Sandi Bates said...

These look divine! What a fun family tradition (and delicious too). You will always remember these and need to be sure you carry on that for your kids! Thanks for sharing!