Lemon and lavender. This has been my go to flavour combo this year, and I think it works so well for both winter and spring treats! The bright, tartness of the lemon complements the soft, floral flavour of lavender, and keep things balanced so we don’t tip into soap territory. Because there’s nothing worse than a baked treat reminding you of soap!

You can choose to make this recipe as several mini tarts, or simply make it as one big tart (you’ll just adjust the crust amount!), and both are excellent choices.

Honestly tart fillings used to scare me, and I felt a little traumatized after testing one grapefruit tart 4 times in a row with no success in sight. I delved deeper into the science of it all…and realized that I hadn’t been using enough egg whites! Egg whites provide structure, while the yolks provide the rich creaminess. So, if you ever have a recipe that doesn’t seem to set properly for ya….just add an extra white or two! This is also why you’ll notice a lot of curd recipes just use yolks vs tart filling recipes using whole eggs!

Anyway, I filled up a jar of culinary lavender at Bulk Barn for 84 cents a few months ago (what a deal!!), and will often give it a quick grind in my mortar and pestle before adding to recipes. I’m kind of obsessed with it!

lemon lavender mini tarts

yield: 6 four-inch tarts (instructions included for making one 9-inch tart below as well)

lavender shortbread crust

1 1/2 teaspoon culinary lavender, ground finely

2 1/4 cups (281 g) all purpose flour

1/2 cup (66 g) powdered sugar

1 cup (227 g) salted butter, room temperature (if using unsalted, then add a generous pinch of salt)

lemon filling

3/4 cup (150 g) granulated sugar

2-3 tablespoons zest (about 2-3 lemons)

2/3 cup lemon juice (about 2-3 lemons)

5 eggs

1/2 cup (112 g) salted butter, room temperature and cubed

lavender whipped cream

1/2 teaspoon culinary lavender, ground finely

1/2 cup whipping cream

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2-1 tablespoon powdered sugar, to taste

to make the crust

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Set 6, four inch mini tart pans onto a rimmed baking sheet, and set aside. This allows for easy handling of the mini tarts. (If using a 9-inch tart shell, see below).

Grind the lavender as fine as you can- a mortar and pestle works best for this.

In a large bowl, whisk together the lavender and sugar mixture, the flour, and the powdered sugar. Add the butter and mix on medium until uniform crumbs form. Divide the dough between the 6 tart pans, and firmly press the dough into each one. I find it easiest to start with the edges, and keep one thumb pressing down on the edge while my other hand presses the crumbs up against the side to create an even border all the way around. Then press the remaining crumbs into an even layer for the bottom. I like my crust on the thick side, but you can make it thinner and keep some crumbs aside if you’d prefer.

Bake the crust for 12-15 minutes, or until they are a light brown colour. Remove from oven and allow to cool to room temperature before adding the filling.

to make the filling

First set a fine mesh sieve over a heat proof bowl, and set aside. This will be for straining the filling once it’s cooked, to remove any stray egg pieces that may have cooked separately, as well as the lemon zest. This ensures a perfectly smooth and creamy filling.

In a medium, heavy bottomed saucepan, mix together the granulated sugar and the lemon zest. I like to use my hands to rub the zest into the sugar until fragrant. Whisk in the lemon juice and eggs.

Cook the mixture on medium heat for 8-10 minutes, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens into a pudding like consistency. If after 10 minutes the mixture has not thickened, turn up the heat slightly and keep going. When you run the whisk through the mixture, you should be able to see the bottom of the saucepan for a few seconds. It will continue to thicken as it cools.

Remove from heat and whisk in the butter, a few tablespoons at a time until the filling is smooth. Immediately pour the filling through the sieve and into the heat proof bowl. Then pour the filling into the prepared tart shells, dividing it equally among them. Allow the tarts to cool to room temperature, and then transfer them to an airtight container in the fridge. Allow to chill for 2-3 hours before serving, or make them the day before you’d like to serve them.

to make the lavender whipped cream

In a mortar and pestle, grind the lavender.

In a medium bowl, whip the cream on high until medium peaks form. Add in the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and vanilla.

Best made directly before serving, but can be made ahead of time and stored in an airtight container in the fridge.

to serve

Add a dollop of whipped cream to the top of each chilled tart. Or, use a piping bag fitted with a medium star tip to pipe whipped cream onto each tart.

Serve immediately. Store any leftovers up to 2 days in the fridge.

Tips:

I know citrus curd fillings can be intimidating, but they’re actually pretty easy! Have confidence and give this a go!

Curd not setting? Keep cooking! Still not setting? Double check your ingredients? I find the biggest cause of runny filling is not enough egg whites - which are what help provide the structure for the filling. If a recipe uses mostly yolks, this can be a common issue.

Don’t mind zest in your filling? Skip the straining part!

Did you gasp at me not using a double boiler method? I’ve never had a problem cooking directly on the heat, and often found using a double boiler took a million years or my curd simply wouldn’t set. Make sure to: use a heavy bottomed pot - as a thin one may have hot spots that lead to problems, keep an eye on it the entire time and stir often!

**Note: would you rather make a single, larger 9-inch tart? Making one 9-inch crust will require less volume for the crust, however the filling remains the same!

To make a 9-inch crust ,use the following measurements:

1 teaspoon culinary lavender, ground finely

1 1/2 cups (188 g) all purpose flour

1/3 cup (42 g) powdered sugar

2/3 cup (151 g) salted butter, room temperature (if using unsalted, then add a generous pinch of salt)

Happy tart making!