Lemon Tart with Pine Nut Crust

Makes 8-10 servings

Make the Pine Nut Crust first…

Ingredients for the Lemon Sabayon:

3 large eggs, cold
3 large egg yolks, cold
1-1/8 cups sugar
3/4 cup fresh lemon juice (about 3 large lemons)
9 tablespoons (4-1/2 ounces) cold butter, cut into 6 pieces

Ingredients for the Pine Nut Crust:

This
is 1/2 the original recipe and makes enough dough for one 9-10 inch
tart pan plus another 6 inch or two mini 4 inch tart pans.

Butter and flour for the tart pan

1 cup pine nuts (5 oz)

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
8 T (4 ounces) unsalted butter (I used salted), room temperature
1/2
large egg (I break an egg into a small bowl, whisk briefly to combine
white and yolk and measure out 1/8 cup, which equals 1/2 egg)
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Place the pine nuts in a food processor and pulse a few times. Add the
sugar and flour and continue to pulse until the nuts are finely ground.
Transfer the mixture to a large bowl.

Add the butter, egg, and
vanilla extract and mix to incorporate all the ingredients (the dough
can be mixed by hand or in a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment). Wrap dough in plastic wrap
and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. (Dough
can be frozen, wrapped well, for up to 1 month.)

Preheat the oven
to 350°F. Generously butter and flour a 9-inch fluted tart pan with a
removable bottom and refrigerate it while the oven preheats. I used a
non-stick tart pan so skipped this step.

Remove the tart pan from
the refrigerator. Use your fingertips to press the chilled pine nut
dough evenly over the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Trim off any
excess dough.

Bake the crust for 10 to 12 minutes, then rotate
it and bake for another 10 to 12 minutes, or until it is golden brown.
Remove the crust from the oven and let it cool while you make the
filling. Don’t worry about small cracks. May be made 1 day ahead.

To make the lemon sabayon:

Bring
about 1 1/2 inches of water to a boil in a pot that is slightly smaller
than the diameter of the bowl you will be using for the sabayon. You
don’t want the bowl to touch the boiling water beneath. I used a double
boiler.

Meanwhile, in the bowl you will be using over the boiling
water, whisk the eggs, yolks, and sugar for about 1 minute, or until
the mixture is smooth.

Set the bowl over the pot and, using a
large whisk, whip the mixture while you turn the bowl (for even
heating). After about 2 minutes, when the eggs are foamy and have
thickened, add one-third of the lemon juice. Continue to whisk
vigorously and, when the mixture thickens again, add another one-third
of the lemon juice. Whisk until the mixture thickens again, then add the
remaining lemon juice. Continue whisking vigorously, still turning the
bowl, until the mixture is thickened and light in color and the whisk
leaves a trail in the bottom of the bowl. The total cooking time should
be 10 to 15 minutes, possibly less, depending on your stove.

Turn
off the heat and leave the bowl over the water. Whisk in the butter a
piece at a time. The sabayon may loosen slightly, but it will thicken
and set as it cools. Pour the warm sabayon into the tart crust and place
the pan on a baking sheet.

Preheat the broiler. While the
sabayon is still warm, place the tart under the broiler. Leaving the
door open, brown the top of the sabayon, rotating the tart if necessary
for even color; this will take only a few seconds, so do not leave the
oven. Remove the tart from the broiler and let it sit for at least 1
hour before serving. Serve at room temperature or cold.

Adapted from Epicurious, Courtesy of Bouchon Cookbook