Wendy's Raspberry Tarts with Lemon Curd

When I was asked to do a guest post, I knew immediately I wanted to write about baking. I love to bake and the more complicated the recipe the more fun I have. I love to experiment and try new ingredients. Fortunately for those of you who like to keep things a little simpler in the kitchen, this recipe for microwave lemon curd is about as easy as it gets—and you can use it in so many ways.

One of my favorite things about the lemon curd recipe is that it doesn’t really matter if you have the right amount of ingredients. Everytime I make it the recipe varies slightly, but this is my favorite combination. Egg whites keep for a few days in the fridge in an air-tight container, so be sure to save those for a pavlova or maybe an angel food cake.

Don’t forget to make extra tart shells so you can try different combinations of filling and toppings. The thought of a thin, crisp shell coated in chocolate ganache and filled with peanut butter mousse has me drooling.

Microwave Lemon Curd:
12 egg yolks
1 cup lemon juice
2 T lemon zest
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted

Whisk together all ingredients in a medium, microwaveable bowl. Microwave mixture on high in increments of 30-60 seconds until thick (about five minutes). Whisk vigorously between each heating. Pour into a small glass jar or directly into tart shells and allow cool.

Pâte Sucrée (Tart Crust): adapted from Annie’s Eats
1 egg yolk
2 T cold water 1 t vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups flour
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 t salt
8 T (1 cube) unsalted butter (cold)

In a small bowl, gently whisk together egg yolk, water and vanilla. In a separate bowl combine flour, sugar, and salt. Using a small cheese grater, grate cold or frozen butter into the flour mixture. (You can use a pastry cutter or fork to cut the butter if you don’t have a grater handy.) Beat the mixture until it looks like course cornmeal (chunks of butter can remain). Gather dough into a ball, wrap, and chill for about thirty minutes. When ready, roll dough to 1/8-1/4 in thick and use a cookie cutter or glass to cut circles a little larger than the top of muffin tin cups. Gently push each circle of dough into the muffin tin and prick once or twice with a fork. Bake at 375F for 15-20 minutes, rotating pan halfway through if necessary.

Lemon Tart Filling:
1/2 cup lemon curd
2 oz cream cheese
1 cup cool whip

Using a handheld mixer, beat the cream cheese until fluffy. Add the lemon curd and beat until combined. Add the cool whip, and gently fold the lemon mixture in with a rubber spatula. Spoon into a piping bag with a large round tip (or a plastic bag with the corner cut off) and pipe into tart shells. Top with fresh raspberries and mint leaves.

Ways to use lemon curd:
on a spoon
in tarts
on toast
filling for cake or cupcakes
on crepes
on cheesecake
with fresh berries
on biscuits or scones
on a pavlova
filling for sandwich cookies
between meringues or macarons

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