I LOVE individual desserts.  They allow you to have something really special, all to yourself!  I love TARTS in particular.  They are such an elegant dessert.  This recipe is an extension of a full-sized strawberry tart that I’ve made many times.  So I used the yummy, buttery crust recipe that I know so well, and made it into individual tarts.  I wanted these to feature a homemade lemon curd, as the focus flavor.  You could use any berry you like to garnish these – strawberries, blueberries, or raspberries.  They all go really well with the lemon – but for this one – I chose blackberries.

I also love a “layered” dessert, since you can build upon one complimentary flavor after another.  This creates an amazing  flavor combination in your mouth!  I started with a cheesecake-type filling, then topped that with the lemon curd, followed by a mascarpone whipped cream topping.  And of course, added a few fresh blackberries to finish it off!

This recipe requires multiple steps, but you could start the process a day before you put the tarts together.  These took me about 3 hours from start to finish, on a Sunday afternoon.

First, I prepared the tart shell dough.  This recipe will make 1 – 9″ tart shell, or 5 individual 4″ tart shells.  Double to make more.

Ingredients:

1 large egg yolk
1 Tbsp heavy cream
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/4 c all purpose flour
2/3 c confectioner’s sugar
1/4 tsp salt
8 Tbsp cold, unsalted butter, cut into 1/2″ cubes

Whisk together the egg yolk, cream and vanilla.  Set aside.

Combine flour, sugar, and salt in a large mixing bowl.  Stir together.  Add cubed butter, and cut in with a pastry cutter, til you have a coarse mixture.  Pour this into a stand mixer bowl, with a paddle attachment.

Pour the egg mixture over the flour mixture.  Blend on med. just til the dough comes together.  Turn out onto a cutting board, and press together into a 6″ disc, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for about 1 hour.

While the dough is in the frig, prepare the lemon curd.  This version is made in the microwave, in under 10 minutes.

Ingredients:  DOUBLE THIS RECIPE, but make 1 batch at a time.

1/2 c sugar
4 Tbsp unsalted butter, at room temp
1/2 tsp lemon zest
1/2 c lemon juice (fresh-squeezed is best!)
1 large egg

Add all ingredients to a med microwave safe bowl.  Microwave on high, for 1 minute intervals, blend well with a whisk after each minute – for a total of 6 minutes.  Pour mixture through a fine mesh strainer, and cool completely in the refrigerator.

Next, prepare the cream cheese filling.

Ingredients:

12 oz cream cheese, room temp
3/4 c confectioner’s sugar
3/4 tsp vanilla
3 Tbsp heavy cream
Beat all ingredients together in a mixing bowl, using a paddle attachment.  Refrigerate.

Finally, prepare the mascarpone whipped cream topping.

For this, I whipped:  1 1/2 c heavy whipping cream til stiff peaks form

Then add:  3/4 c granulated sugar, 1 tsp vanilla, and a pinch of salt.  Whip until well-blended.

Add 8 oz mascarpone cheese at room temp.  Add this by spoonfuls, while the mixer is on med.  Mix til well blended and smooth.  Don’t over-whip.

Refrigerate.

Now make the tart shells.  Spray the tart pan with cooking spray.  Remove the dough from refrigerator.  Place on a floured surface, and roll out to a 13″ circle.  Cut circles that will fit the size of your tart pan.  I found the lid to my flour container was perfect for a 4″ tart!  Place the dough into each tart.  They should be level with the top of the pan.  Freeze for about 20 min.

Preheat oven to 350.  Remove tart shells from the freezer.  Place a piece of foil into each tart shell, then fill with dry beans or pie weights.  This will not only keep the tart bottom flat, but will also keep the sides in place during the baking process.  Place tart pan on a cookie sheet, and bake for about 20 min.  Remove the foil and beans/weights, and bake til lightly golden for another 3-5 min.  Remove from oven, and cool completely.  Remove each tart shell gently using a knife, and place on a cookie sheet.

Now it’s time to build the tarts.  Start with the cream cheese filling.  I piped this in to cover the bottom of the tart.  You can certainly just use a spoon, or a knife just as well.

Next, add the lemon curd.

Finally, pipe on the mascarpone whipped topping, using a piping bag and a large open star tip.  Top with your favorite berries.  These will keep for 5-7 days covered, in the refrigerator.