Lemon Cheese Tart

I love modern...so that's probably why this book "The Modern Baker" caught my eye at the library. This book has some great recipes, and it's divided between cakes, cookies, breads, and non-sweet main course dishes. There is a smoked salmon/puff pastry/cream cheese and chive dish that looks good too...and the banana rum coconut cake...and.......did I mention the key lime cookies?

Maybe I chose this recipe to make because I want warmer weather to be here, and lemons remind me of lemonade and summer. I don't have a tart pan, so I made it in a regular pie dish and it turned out just fine. I think this would be something good to take to a potluck since it's a different type of dessert, but still rich enough for the sweet tooth.

I've already returned the book the library, so I will write out what I remember!

Sweet Tart Crust

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg

1 egg yolk

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

3/4 stick cold butter

Whisk flour, salt and baking powder together. Cut the cold butter into 8 pieces and add to mixture. Pinch the butter into the flour until it is all broken up and mixed in. Add in the sugar and one egg, mix. Then add other egg, mix. Keep folding it over until it begins to stick together enough to take out and form a ball. Because of the sugar content, the dough can be kneaded about 15 times to make it form nicely. Roll out into a circle 1" larger than the pie/tart pan, about 1/2" thick. Roll mostly from the center out with each pass, trying not to touch the edges too much. Grease the pan and lay dough over, then form the edge to look nice.

Lemon Filling

16 oz cream cheese room temperature (I used one regular, and one with 1/3 fat)

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup sugar

2 eggs (I only used 1 egg because I didn't want to use up all my eggs, and it was fine)

2 egg yolks (I also only used 1 egg yolk)

1 cup sour cream (low fat kind here!)

2 tsp lemon zest (I'm going to add more next time for more lemon)

Make sure cream cheese is room temp. It will take a few hours to do so. Add cream cheese to mixing bowl with sugar until soft and blended. Add vanilla and lemon zest, mix. Add one egg at a time, mixing after each one. Add sour cream, mix. Fill tart/pie pan with the lemon filling.Set oven rack on the lowest position and pre-heat oven at 325 degrees. Bake 30 minutes. While the tart is cooking, make the glaze.

Glaze

1 cup sour cream

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 cup sugar

After the tart has cooked 30 minutes, add the glaze on top and cook an additional 10 minutes. If you want to get fancy, adding some lemon slices or some more zest would look nice.

If you are using a pie pan (like I did), cook longer (mine took an additional 20 minutes because the pie pan makes the dessert thicker than a tart pan.) It may still 'wiggle' but it will set once it cools. Don't worry if the lemon filling looks like it is going to spill over, it will lower and set once it has cooled too. I figured mine was done once the lemon filling was beginning to brown and crack at the top edge.