Lemon Chocolate Tart

I put all of my recipes through a test. It's a ridiculous test with even more ridiculous criteria but, consciously or unconsciously, every recipe on this website has been sent through it. This lemon chocolate tart was the first and only to pass this test.

Only one recipe passed? I imagine you must be thinking. What could this test possibly be?

This serious test is to find the recipe, the first recipe, that makes Foreigner's I Want To Know What Love Is play out in my head. When I took my first bite of this tart, I swear this classic melody was playing in my mind. This tart is love. Oh, you know the words.

I'm going to take a little time

A little time to let this sink in

I will covet this sweet tart

Now that heaven has finally found me

In my life, there's been heartburn and shame

I don't know if I can face a failed recipe again

Can't stop swooning now, I've searched so long

To find this perfect bite.

I want to know what love is

I want you to show me

I want to taste what love is

I know you can show me

Well, at least that's how the sultry tones of Lou Gramm sounded in my head.

I've been searching high and low for a tart like this. The flavors meld so wonderfully together you will think it came straight from above. The shell is soft and sweet, with almond tones, and crumbles perfectly in your mouth like a shortbread cookie. Lemon and chocolate may be unusual flavors to pair together, but they are so delicious when you do. I used this homemade meyer lemon curd which, in my biased opinion, made this tart even sweeter.

Try this tart. Do it. Try it so Lou Gramm will sing to you too.

Lemon Chocolate Tart
Adapted from Dessert First

Yields 8 tartlets

Dough
1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup powdered sugar, sifted
1/4 cup almond meal or ground almonds
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg, room temperature
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour

In a food processor, blend the butter until smooth and creamy. Add the powdered sugar and process until well mixed. Add in the almond meal, salt, vanilla extract, and egg and process again. Scrape around the bowl if necessary. Add the flour and pulse just until the dough forms a ball. The dough will be the consistency of very soft and sticky cookie dough.

Remove the dough from the bowl, shape into a disk, and wrap in plastic. Chill in refrigerator for 4 hours or overnight to firm up the dough.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

When chilled until firm, roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface until it is 1/8-inch thick (you may have to wait a few minutes for the dough to soften). Cut out rounds of dough to fit the tartlet pans (alternatively, if you are making a large, single tart, roll out the dough and cut a large circle to fit the tart pan). Press the dough carefully into the pans; be careful not the stretch the dough! Stab the bottom several times with a fork so the dough will not rise in the oven.

Bake the tart shells for 15-18 minutes, or until they are lightly colored and the shell feels dry to the touch. Let cool completely before filling.

Filling
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 cups lemon curd (I used this Meyer Lemon Curd)

Place chocolate in a bowl. Set aside.

Bring cream to a boil in a small saucepan. Pour over the chocolate and let sit for a few minutes before stirring until the ganache is smooth.

To Assemble

Spread the chocolate into a thin layer into the bottom of the tart shells. Spoon the lemon curd on top of the chocolate, filling the tart shell until the curd reaches the top. Refrigerate an hour before serving (this is an ideal time; if you can't wait that long like me, it will all be okay. I promise).

Store the tart in an airtight container in the refrigerator.