suzanne goin's meyer lemon tart

This year for Christmas, I gave Daniel a bar cart. I'd been searching for one for ages and finally - finally - found one that was both aesthetically pleasing and reasonably priced. Triumph. Anyway, setting up the bar cart got us excited to do some entertaining, so tonight we're having friends over for cocktails (made by Daniel) followed  by dinner (made by me). 

Before I settled on what I wanted to make for dinner, I already knew what I wanted to make for dessert: Suzanne Goin's Meyer lemon tart with a layer of chocolate brushed over the crust.

Unfortunately when I got to the grocery store there were no Meyer lemons to be found so I decided to go with regular lemons plus one orange for a little extra sweetness.

I used Ms. Goin's recipe for pate sucree, which came together reasonably well, and used the leftovers to make a few little pie crust stars and little scraps dusted with cinnamon sugar.

After baking the crust and brushing it with melted bittersweet chocolate, I started on the lemon curd. It burbled and got thick in the pot as I whisked until finally I decided it had to be done, stirred in some butter, and set it aside to cool before sieving it into the crust.

It firmed up nicely in the refrigerator. I'll be serving it this evening with some barely-sweetened whipped cream- back soon with a report!*

*Verdict: tart was fantastic; the dark chocolate layer makes it special. Definitely one to hold on to.

Suzanne Goin's Meyer Lemon Tart with a Layer of Chocolate from Sunday Suppers at Lucques
1 portion of pate sucree to cover a 10inch tart dish
2 oz bittersweet chocolate (I used 70%)
4 extra large eggs
3 extra large egg yolks
1 cup plus 1 tbsp granulated sugar
1 cup Meyer lemon juice
10 tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
A pinch of kosher salt
1 cup heavy cream for whipping

Preheat oven to 375
Line tart pan with pate sucree and prick the bottom with a fork. Line with parchment paper and fill the tart shell with beans or pie weights. Bake for 15 minutes then remove the parchment paper and weights. Return the tart shell to the oven and bake another 10-15 minutes until the crust is an even golden brown. Set aside to cool.
In a double boiler over medium-low heat, melt the chocolate. Spread the chocolate evenly over the bottom of the tart shell and chill in the refrigerator at least 15 minutes until the chocolate has solidified.
While the crust is chilling, make the lemon curd. Whisk the egg yolks, eggs, sugar and lemon juice together in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring continuously, alternating between a whisk and a spatula, until the curd has thickened to the consistency of pastry cream and coats the back of the spatula. Remove the curd from the heat and stir in the butter a little at a time. Season with the salt. Let the curd cool about 8 minutes and then strain it into the prepared tart shell. Chill the tart in the refrigerator for several hours. It should be served cold with a dollop of whipped cream.