lemon mascarpone tart

This Lemon Mascarpone Tart is my favourite spring dessert. Lemon is a great ingredient and this tart has major star power. Whether you serve it as the finale of an Easter Brunch or after a fresh spring dinner, it will always be enjoyed and appreciated.

The recipe for this beautiful Lemon Mascarpone Tart originated at a Calgary Restaurant called “Florentine’s” in the early 90s. At that time, the food editor of The Calgary Herald was Cinda Chavich. Chavich had a column where you could write and ask her to request your favourite recipe from a local chef. If that chef was of a generous nature they would be flattered and happy to have it published.

I wrote to “The Herald” in 1995 to ask for this recipe and Marianne Sanders who owned Florentine’s and started Brûlée Patisserie, shared this amazing recipe. Her pastry chef and successor at Brûlée, the adorable Rosemary Harbrecht developed it. Rosie later became a dear friend. How could you not love a woman that created this dessert?

Because you make the dough in the food processor and it makes enough for two tarts this Lemon Mascarpone Tart is deceptively easy and efficient. You can freeze the half of the dough and thaw it for a treat on another day. Another short cut is to use store-bought lemon curd to cut down on the work involved. If you don’t feel like making this tart yourself you can still purchase one from Decadent Brulee in Calgary.

Lemon Mascarpone Tart

Tart Crust Ingredients
2 ¼ cups flour
½ cupsugar
½ cup butter, softened
1 egg
1 egg yolk
Dash lemon juice
Pulse together the flour, sugar and butter in a food processor.
Add the egg, yolk and lemon juice and pulse until the dough comes together.
Divide dough in half and refrigerate of freeze half.
Spray a 10-inch spring form pan with cooking spray.
Press two-thirds of the dough into the bottom of the pan.
Bake at 350ºF for 12 minutes. Cool.
With remaining dough, form a long rope and press into the pan to form the edge of the crust. Refrigerate until baking.

Filling Ingredients
¼ lb cream cheese
¼ lb mascarpone cheese
¼ cup sugar
⅓ cup lemon curd
3 eggs
5 Tablespoons lemon juice
6 Tablespoons whipping cream
Cream the cheeses, sugar and lemon curd.
Add the eggs gradually and beat until fluffy.
Beat in the juice and cream.
Pour into the prepared crust that has been spread with a thin layer of lemon curd.
Bake at 350ºF for approximately 20 minutes.
Chill the tart and then load it with fresh berries and edible flowers right before serving.