Renny Darling's

A Sedate & Proper Victorian Tea


Delicate Lemon Shortbread with Lemon Curd

1 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar

2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder

1 tablespoon grated zest (yellow part of the peel)

Beat together butter and sugar until light and creamy. Combine flour and baking powder and add, all at once, beating until nicely blended. Do not overbeat.

Spread dough into a 10-inch greased tart pan with a removable bottom. Cut dough into 16 wedges and prick each wedge 2 or 3 times with a fork. Bake at 325° for 30 minutes, or until top is lightly browned. Cut through the wedges again, as they will run together. Serve with a spoonful of tart Lemon Curd. Yields 16 small servings.

Lemon Curd:
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
4 tablespoons lemon juice

1/4 cup butter (1/2 stick)
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest (yellow part of the peel)

In the top of a double boiler, lightly beat together sugar and eggs until blended, about 1 minute. Beat in lemon juice until blended. Place pan over simmering water and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens, about 5 minutes. Do not allow to boil or it will curdle.

Remove the top of the double boiler from the hot water, and stir in the butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, until blended. Stir in the lemon zest. Allow to cool. When cool, lay a film of plastic wrap on the curd to prevent a skin from forming and refrigerate until serving time. Yields about 1 cup.

 

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