Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Frozen Lemon Tart

Lemon is the quintessential summer fruit, right?  Citrus-y, refreshing, and delicious, lemon makes for a great summer dessert. 

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I first saw this recipe a few weeks ago at Let’s Dish and it quickly made my “Friday Favorite Findspinboard over on Pinterest.  With all the heat and humidity we’ve been having over the past week {seriously, we broke a dew-point record… 82 degree dewpoint = gross}, this was the perfect time to try out this dessert.  Plus, we were having friends from our Bible study over for a BBQ in said heat. 

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And, you know, it’s always a great idea to try out new recipes on other people. 

What I loved about this recipes was that the ingredients were simple and it looked easy enough to put together.  Scanning the directions, though, I knew there would be a few changes. 

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1) Eliminate raw egg whites.  This seemed unnecessary from my perspective, so I eliminated it. 

2) Reduce and/or eliminate the number of eggs. I reduced the number of eggs by 1 in this recipe when I made it, but during the process I realized I could have eliminated the egg entirely.  Therefore, the recipe below has cornstarch as the thickener and no egg at all. 

3) Reduce the sugar.  I did reduce the sugar … hence the name, lemon tart!  I thought the dessert had the perfect amount of zip with the ingredients listed below, but if you’d like it sweeter {like lemonade}, add more sugar to the whipped cream. 

The result: We all loved it. 

 DSCN5563

I took Let’s Dish’s advice and doubled the recipe, so my photos reflect that.  However, the ingredient list is for one 8x8 or 9x9 baking dish

Frozen Lemon Tart – Adapted from Let’s Dish

Ingredients

  • 3/4 C crushed graham crackers
  • 3 T butter, melted
  • 1/2 C sugar
  • 1/3 C lemon juice
  • 1 tsp. lemon zest
  • 1 T corn starch
  • 1 C heavy whipping cream
  • 1/3 C powdered sugar

 Directions

Begin by crushing the graham crackers using a food processor.  Or, place the crackers in a bag and go at them with a rolling pin.  When crushed, add the melted butter.

Crushing graham crackers  

Stir together until clumps form.  Then, press the crumbs into a lightly greased 9x9 or 8x8 inch glass baking dish {a pie plate would also work}.  Reserve 1-2 T for garnish. 

graham cracker crust

Meanwhile, mix together 1/2 C sugar and corn starch along with the lemon juice in a large saucepan. 

Lemon juice, sugar and corn starch 

Slowly heat the mixture until it boils and begins to thicken.  When slightly thick, remove the mixture from the heat. 

Add in the lemon zest and stir. 

Lemon Zest added to the lemon mixture

Then allow the lemon sauce to cool to room temperature or colder.  Feel free to set it in the fridge to aid the cooling.  If you do, cover it to avoid the film that will form. 

Meanwhile, whip the whipping cream together with the powdered sugar until stiff peaks form.  Set aside. 

Whipped Cream

When the lemon mixture is cooled, gently fold the lemon into the whipped cream until you have lemon whipped cream! 

Lemon Curd and Whipping Cream

Then, carefully plop the whipped cream mixture over the graham cracker crumb crust. Use a spatula to gently smooth out the cream layer. 

Frozen Lemon Tart - adding the lemon layer

Garnish with remaining graham cracker crumbs. 

Frozen Lemon Tart

Cover and freeze for 6+ hours, or overnight, until ready to serve.

Remove from the freezer about 5-10 minutes before serving. 

Frozen Lemon Tart Read to Serve

This dessert is quite rich and delicious – so enjoy!  Think about sprinkling yummy fresh berries over the top when you serve the slices.  Blueberries, strawberries and raspberries would all be excellent.

Lemon Tart Dessert

This recipe is linked to: Tasty Tuesday, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday(2) , Totally Tasty Tuesday, Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, Ingredient Spotlight, Melt in Your Mouth Monday, Mangia Monday

21 comments:

  1. This looks super delish..YUM!! Following ya officially from Tempt My Tummy Tuesday.. Hope you can stop by and visit my blog sometime.. LOVING all the awesome posts you have here.. I'm Marilyn from http://theartsygirlconnection.blogspot.com/ TY

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  2. I want to try this! I love lemon and this sounds so refreshing.

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  3. oh my! this looks heavenly. its on my must bake list. thanks for sharing

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  4. Yum! This sounds and looks amazing. I have everything to make it besides the whipping cream. Pinned it to try out next week. Thanks for sharing!

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  5. Oh I looovvve lemon desserts, I will definitely have to try this one!!

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  6. sounds perfectly refreshing and delish!

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  7. This looks so yummy! I am pinning it and going to try it asap! Love the adaptations. I just found your blog today and I'm excited to follow your posts!
    http://www.sugarandspiceandallthingsiced.com/

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  8. This recipe looks VERY similar to one my Grandmother makes called "Lemon Stuff" (that's what us kids call it). Except this looks like a few less ingredients and easier to put together. I love her lemon stuff so I'm sure I'd love this one too!

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  9. LOVE this! It looks so yummy. Think I may have to try it. Thanks for sharing! :)

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  10. Yum! That does look like a perfect summer dessert!

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  11. Yum! That does look like a perfect summer dessert!

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  12. Sounds so yummy for a hot summer day! I'm pinning this one! :)

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  13. That looks so good!!! I love lemony desserts in the summer time! Thanks for sharing!

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  14. This looks yummy, gonna have to make homemade graham crackers nexy week so I can make this. :D

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  15. This dessert looks fantastic (not to mention pretty easy!). Looking forward to making this next week when we have company.

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  16. This looks amazing. But... Do you think I could substitute the heavy whipping cream for something else? I just don't want to use something that heavy and rich. Let me know if you have any ideas. Thanks!

    Mandy

    www.learn-laugh-cook.blogspot.com

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  17. It looks so creamy and cool, perfect for this hot weather.

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  18. I think it looks great and I love the changes you made! Nice way to attempt to cool off in that oppressive heat!

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  19. This looks so yummy! We used to have a similar dessert when I was in high school... back when the lunchroom ladies used to cook REAL food! I can't wait to make it! (My mom is almost phobic about eating eggs and I am also always looking for great recipes that I can share with her. This will fit the bill.) THANKS!

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  20. Sounds so springy! Love lemon :)

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  21. I followed the recipe and didn't change anything. Was very disappointed. Husband and son also said it wasn't up to par for the usual deserts I make.

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