MAKE AHEAD DESSERT: Lemon Shortcrust Tart with Fresh Berries

This past weekend we were lucky to have Chris's grandma visit us from Southern California. We planned to bring a dessert to a family dinner, but I didn't want to spend too much of our time with grandma in the kitchen. I ended up putting together a few favorite things that I could make ahead: vanilla shortcrust, lemon curd, and fresh berries.

You can make the dough and curd 3 days in advance, so long as it's stored air-tight in the refrigerator. I baked off the crust in a tart pan the morning of the dinner party while letting the berries macerate in sugar and lemon zest. Shortly before heading out the door, I spread the lemon curd in the tart shell and laid out the berries on top. It was beautiful with a delicious punch of lemon flavor alongside the sweet berries and buttery crust. Everyone really enjoyed it :)

This will definitely be a go-to make ahead dessert!

Steps/Things to Note
Please don't be afraid of the number of steps-- it's just because I spaced them out for my own convenience. Each part was pretty simple.
Up to 2 weeks before eating:

• Make lemon curd. After cooled completely, store in an airtight container with a piece of plastic wrap directly on the top of curd.

Up to 3 days before eating:

• Make vanilla shortcrust dough. Wrap dough tightly in plastic wrap. Keep in the refrigerator.

Day before/day of eating:
Baking the tart shell

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• If the dough has been refrigerated for more than 30 minutes, it may be very firm and hard and will crack if you try to roll it. Let it sit on the counter for 10 to 15 minutes until it is malleable but still cold. Break into small chunks and begin spreading the dough in the tart pan, using the palm of your hand to spread it evenly/as flat as possible. Make sure the dough covers the sides of the pan, as well. Prick the dough with a fork and refrigerate for 1 hour.
• Place a piece of foil on dough and then put pie weights, beans, or rice on top. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and weight and continue baking until golden brown.

Preparing the berries

• Wash 2-3 plastic containers of fresh berries (I used a container of raspberries and a container of blackberries).
• Combine berries with an 1/8 cup of sugar and the zest of one lemon in a small mixing bowl until ready to top the tart.

Building the tart

• After the crust (and curd if you're doing everything the day of) is completely cooled, smooth the lemon curd into the tart shell. 
• Arrange the berries to your liking on top of the curd.

LEMON CURD
recipe from Alton Brown, www.foodnetwork.com

Ingredients 

• 5 egg yolks
• 1 cup sugar
• 4 lemons, zested and juiced
• 1 stick butter, cut into pats and chilled

Method
Add enough water to a medium saucepan to come about 1-inch up the side. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Meanwhile, combine egg yolks and sugar in a medium size metal bowl and whisk until smooth, about 1 minute. Measure citrus juice and if needed, add enough cold water to reach 1/3 cup. Add juice and zest to egg mixture and whisk smooth. Once water reaches a simmer, reduce heat to low and place bowl on top of saucepan. (Bowl should be large enough to fit on top of saucepan without touching the water.) Whisk until thickened, approximately 8 minutes, or until mixture is light yellow and coats the back of a spoon. Remove promptly from heat and stir in butter a piece at a time, allowing each addition to melt before adding the next. Remove to a clean container and cover by laying a layer of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the curd. Refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.

VANILLA SHORTCRUST DOUGH
click to be taken to a previous post that has this dough recipe