It's The Bees Knees - Honeyed Lemon Pine Nut Tart

For the final pastry in my refrigerator, I had decided to revisit one of my favorite Tarts. Lemon Honey and Pine nuts make a fantastic combination. I usually make this with a sweet Pâte Brisée, but figured it was time to expand my horizons a little and become a little more flexible.

This whole Pâte Sablée experience has been particularly challenging... I forgot that I should not blind bake it ahead of time, like Pâte Brisée, so my first batch of dough turned into a cookie before I could finish toasting the pine nuts on the stove... oops...

I quickly threw together another batch of Pâte Sablée, but since I was now out of Chestnut flour, I used the Hazelnut meal in my freezer. This is really nothing more than a large Lemon bar with Pine Nuts added...

Honeyed Lemon Pine Nut Tart

1 recipe Pâte Sablée
6 Large eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup Honey (Orange Blossom or Fig)
1/2 cup unsalted butter
4 lemons, juice and zest (about 1/2 cup)
pinch of kosher salt
1 1/2 cup Toasted pine nuts

Press pastry dough into a 9 - 10 inch tart pan.

Return to refrigerator to chill.
Meanwhile toast the pine nuts in a shallow skillet over medium-low flame.

Place eggs, sugar, honey and butter into a pan over low heat stir constantly until sugar dissolves.

Add lemon juice and zest; continue stirring and cooking over low heat until mixture thickens. (If it looks lumpy, run it through a mesh strainer)

Fold in Pine nuts and allow mixture to cool while preheating the oven to 400 degrees.

Transfer to your chilled shell.

Bake for 20 minutes. (it will be slightly puffed, but will sink as it cools)

Cool on a wire rack to room temperature then chill in the refrigerator.
Dust with powdered sugar

and serve with a dollop of Crème Fraîche.


Mangia!!
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