Meyer Lemon Brûlée Tart with Shortbread Crust is a stunningly delicious little dessert. Sweet, but not too much. Light with citrusy lemon. Buttery shortbread crust. All topped off with a crispy caramel Brûléed sugar top. Oh, it's like heaven on a plate!
Spray a 9-inch springform pan or tart pan with removable bottom with cooking spray. Line a cookie sheet with a silpat, parchment paper, or foil.
Place all crust ingredients in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until dough starts to form clumps, about 30 seconds to a minute. Dough will be quite loose and dry at first, just continue pulsing until clumps form. Gather dough, and place in the springform pan.
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, 1 cup powdered sugar, ½ teaspoon salt, 3/4 cup cold butter
Press the dough with your fingers, evenly to the bottom and about 1 inch up the sides of the springform pan. Lightly prick bottom of the pie shell all over with a fork. Cover pie shell with plastic wrap, and let rest in refrigerator for 1 hour.
Put oven rack in middle position, and preheat oven to 425˚ F. Place pie shell on prepared cookie sheet, and bake for 10-12 minutes or until light golden brown. Remove pie shell and cookie sheet from oven and reduce oven temperature to 300° F.
While pie shell bakes, prepare filling
Whisk together cream, 2/3 cup sugar, zest, juice, extract, yolks, and whole egg until combined.
½ cup heavy cream, 2/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar, 1 teaspoon finely grated Meyer lemon zest, ½ cup fresh Meyer lemon juice, ½ teaspoon lemon extract, 4 large egg yolks, 1 whole large egg
Place tart shell (while still in the pan) and cookie sheet on the oven rack with the rack extended, and carefully pour filling into pie shell, then carefully slide rack into oven. Bake tart at 300° F until custard is set but still wiggles in center when gently shaken, 25 to 35 minutes (tart will continue to cook as it cools on the counter). Remove tart from cookie sheet, and cool in springform pan on a cooling rack 30 minutes, then remove springform ring, and cool tart to room temperature, about 1 ¼ hours.
Before serving, sprinkle remaining tablespoon of sugar evenly over top of tart. Move blowtorch flame evenly back and forth just above top of tart, avoiding crust, until sugar is caramelized and slightly browned. Store tart in an airtight container in the fridge.
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Notes
Meyer lemons have a more mellow and sweeter flavor than ordinary lemons. Regular lemons can be used in place of Meyer lemons in this recipe, but keep in mind that they contain less sugar, more acid, and are more sour and thus have the tart will have a stronger, more powerful lemon flavor.The tart, without the Brûléed top, can be baked then refrigerated in an airtight container, 1 day ahead. Very gently blot any moisture from surface of tart with paper towels before sprinkling with sugar and caramelizing top.