Mini Lemon Tarts

I use this Pâte sucrée recipe for every sweet tart I bake, as every single time it comes out perfectly. It has this lovely, sweet flavor, enriched with vanilla and ground almonds, which makes it more tender and crumbly. It's everyone's favorite, and I didn't meet person who wouldn't like it. If you love lemon flavor, this dessert is a MUST for you, perfect balance between sweet pastry and silky, smooth and sour lemon cream. 
Recipe for this dessert is taken from a book of famous, French pastry chef Pierre Herme, I'm pretty sure most of you know him, at least for his amazing selection of macarons. 

Mini Lemon Tarts 
(makes 30 mini tarts)

Pâte sucrée 

300 g unsalted butter, cut into pieces

2 eggs

190 g icing sugar

60 g ground almonds

1 vanilla bean, scrapped

500 g flour

1 tsp salt

Lemon curd

4 eggs
240 g granulated sugar
160 g lemon juice 
Zest from 5 lemons
300 g unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Crushed pistachios, mint and fresh berries to decorate. 

Combine  ground almonds with sugar and vanilla bean.Add butter and in a mixer bowl, and cream until soft.When butter is ready, add sugar mix.

Mix eggs in separate bowl, and add them slowly to butter mix. It will looks  lumpy, but all will come together when you add flour.

Add flour and salt to our mix, really slowly. I would recommend to do it in about 3 times.

Keep mixing our lovely pâte sucrée, until nice and smooth.

Take it out from the bowl, shape the dough into round shape and wrap it up with cling film.

Leave in the fridge for around 3 hours, if you have no time just put it in the freezer for 15-30 minutes  and roll out the pastry to a 3 mm thick, and start lining your tartlets molds.

Preheat the oven to 180°C, and when you ready to bake, put baking paper on the top of  the dough and fill up tartlets with rice or beans – that will prevent pastry from rising.

Bake tartlets for around 15 minutes.

When tarts are in the  oven, start preparing lemon cream. 

Mix zest and sugar together in the pot, add lemon juice and eggs. 

Bring it to boil, whisk constantly to avoid lumps. Boil it for around 2 minutes, and when is thicker, start adding butter, few pieces at the time. 

Use hand blender to combine butter with egg/sugar mixture, it will take couple of minutes. You should end up with creamy, airy and light yellow colour cream. 

When pastry is ready, pour in the lemon mixture, sprinkle with crushed pistachios and fresh berries and leave it cool in the fridge for 30 minutes. In my opinion tarts taste the best when chilled, straight from the fridge.