This is a recipe I made for the 4th of July (see, told you I've been crazy busy! At least it's still July when I get to blogging this!) My sister's birthday is July 1, so I usually make a dessert of some sort to celebrate. She loves citrus and berries, so I came up with this recipe for her.
And wow, is it great. Seriously.
You could make this mousse separately and just serve it as part of a trifle or a parfait, too!
The crust I used was a variation on King Arthur Flour's Citrus scented tart dough - except I added a LOT more lemon. A lot. It had a real citrus punch, and was really wonderful.
So, if you want to make a really special dessert, try this one! It is going onto the list of "Make Again" recipes, for sure! I used a jar of pre-made lemon curd from Trader Joe's, but you could make your own if you desire. BUT - try the stuff from Trader Joe's if you have one near you. Great stuff.
Lemon Berry Mousse Tart
Lemon Mousse
1 (10.5 oz) jar lemon curd
1 c whipping cream
2 Tbsp lemon zest
1 Tbsp lemon juice
Lemon Tart Dough
1 c sugar
3 Tbsp lemon zest
4 3/4 c All-Purpose Flour (adjust if dough is too sticky or too dry)
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 c unsalted butter, slightly softened
1 egg
2 egg yolks
1 to 2 Tbsp water (adjust if dough is too sticky or too dry)
1-2 cups assorted berries (I used blueberries and strawberries)
To make crust:
Mix together sugar and lemon zest in a food processor. Add the flour and salt, and mix until well combined. Add the butter, one small chunk at a time, until the texture of the dough resembles rolled oats. Add the egg and egg yolks and mix well. Add water until the dough sticks together when pressed between your fingers. Separate into two parts, pat into disk shapes, and wrap in saran wrap or parchment paper. Cool for at least 30 minutes.
To make mousse:
Whip cream until it forms peaks. Fold in the lemon curd until well incorporated. Add extra lemon (zest and juice) - adjust to your taste. We like it super lemony, so we went all out. Set mousse aside in fridge until the crust is ready.
Mix together sugar and lemon zest in a food processor. Add the flour and salt, and mix until well combined. Add the butter, one small chunk at a time, until the texture of the dough resembles rolled oats. Add the egg and egg yolks and mix well. Add water until the dough sticks together when pressed between your fingers. Separate into two parts, pat into disk shapes, and wrap in saran wrap or parchment paper. Cool for at least 30 minutes.
After cooling, place each disk into the bottom of a 11"-13"tart pan (preferably with a removable bottom - I used 1x13" tart pan and 2 rectangular tart pans. Press dough down evenly around the shell - really press it down so that it bakes up evenly. If you have a tart tamper, this is the perfect time to use it. You can also use the bottom of a heavy glass (put parchment on top of the dough to make it easier to press down)
Preheat oven to 375 F. Line the tart shells with parchment paper or waxed paper filled with pie weights, or dried beans. Bake for about 20-25 minutes, or until the tart crust is golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.
Assemble Tarts:
Once the tart shells are completely cool, fill with the mousse (I piped it in to make sure it was even). Top with assorted berries, and chill until ready to serve.
