Lemon Tart

Pure accidents by Lakshmi. That’s what the blog should’ve been called. By the strike of fortune I am, time and again, able to turn disasters into edible – sometimes even delicious – dishes. Today’s lemon tart isn’t an exception.

I went astray by mixing too much butter with flour for the dough of lavanga latika, fried Bengali pastries shaped like tiny envelopes and sealed with cloves. A larger amount of butter made sense because I intended to bake them in the oven, instead of deep-frying. But, even before adding liquid, it was inevitable the consistency would not have worked. In a split second, I changed plans. There is never too much butter in a pie crust, is there?

This tart is a combination of the softness of butter and milk-based custard, and the sharpness of lemons. Opposites compliment each others. They allow enough space for both to shine and, simultaneously, cover each others’ weaknesses. You get the sparkling freshness of lemons without grumpiness and the richness of butter without fattiness. It’s a good principle to apply in relationships, too, instead of seeing differences as ostracizing.

The amount of lemon juice and zest is a matter of preference. Take into consideration how sour the lemons are. Sometimes they are surprisingly sweet. This quantity of butter calls for a tang!

I visualize the tart being decorated with white chocolate or some kind of a simple sugar creation. Unfortunately, I didn’t have time to do either. Luckily, it didn’t diminish the taste.

Thank you.