Lazy Mary's Lemon Tart

Page: food52.com/recipes/1374_lazy_marys_lemon_tart

| Course Type: Pies and Tarts

(1 review)

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Recipe Review

Your lemons have better things to do than to end up in this tart.

I'm giving it a 2 instead of the 1 it actually deserved because it's LEMON. Lemon lemon lemon I love lemon.

Where to begin critiquing?

Let us begin with the ingredients:
-Butter. Groovy. In what state is this butter to be? Cold? Melted? Salted? Unsalted? IT MAKES A DIFFERENCE - perhaps not to Mary, but it does to me.
- "One large Meyer lemon" Nope. I had to double that in order to pass lemon-scented and sneak up on lemon-flavored.
- "Superfine sugar." OK that was fun. I ran the sugar in my Vitamix practically until it was powdered. It impressed every jaded teen in the house.
-"Your favorite tart shell" Listen. Anyone known as or aspiring to the title "Lazy Mary" does not have a favorite tart shell. Tart shells by their very nature are not for the lazy. If you're buying grocery store crust, just go ahead and get a whole pie for pete's sake.

Moving on the the directions which are - and I'm paraphrasing but only just - blend it, dump it, bake it for 40 minutes. No cues to determine doneness but the length of baking. Tarts are fussy creatures. Ovens are temperamental. Unless your oven is IDENTICAL IN EVERY RESPECT to the author's oven good luck with this.

And the headnotes which reference the smoothness of the filling and praise its lemony flavor. DON'T FALL FOR IT! The filling is full of lemon particles and no blender on earth can render a lemon into imperceptibly small particles - not my Vitamix, not your Osterizer. IT'S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN.

This is my first foray into the Food52 world and I am underwhelmed. But since I have 4 more Meyer lemons sitting on my counter, I'm actually considering Lazy Mary's Improved Lemon Tart which seems to address most of my objections. It's possible I'm a slow learner. Or a believer in second chances. I'll let you know after it comes out of the oven.

(6) useful  

Comments

Queezle_Sister - 3rd January 2012
Interesting review, and I've been wondering about other people's takes on food52.

My own experience has been variable. Some things are great, but it seems that submitted recipes are not all tested and corrected.

So many great lemon recipes out there - I really liked the lemon buttermilk pudding cake at Leita's culinaria - reviewed here. I'm envious of your Meyer lemons!

aj12754 - 3rd January 2012
I've only made one or maybe two things from food52 and have been underwhelmed -- I think their recipes are better in the marketing (appealing titles and interesting ingredients) than in the making.

But I enjoyed your review :-)

skdouglass - 4th January 2012
OK.

I have had a day to calm down. Most of the CAPSLOCK came from a sense of betrayal by the pretty picture and by NPR which gave the recipe a minute and a half last week.

I'm better now.

I stand by my comments - overwrought though they may be. But I will back off my complaints about the lemon grit slightly. I formulated my comments after sampling the extra little cups of filling which wouldn't quite fit into the shell. When eating filling along with the shell, the tongue can't distinguish lemon-grit from tart-shell grit.

It's not polished. It's certainly not for the lazy. If enjoyed on its own merits, it's a Perfectly Acceptable Conclusion to a Family Meal So let's just call it a Rustic Lemon Tart and call it a day.

(edited 6th January 2012) 

Queezle_Sister - 4th January 2012
I think venting about poor recipes is one of the really useful things about cookbooker. I prepared a recipe about six months ago, and the suggested time required was so far off, I was pissed, and my review showed it.

Your lemon drop review - ages ago - was so memorable. I'm happy to have you here with your witty reviews.

aj12754 - 4th January 2012
I second Qs's remarks -- I would much rather have an "overwrought" (not that I found it so) review than waste good ingredients on a lousy recipe. Been there, done that.

BethNH - 5th January 2012
My favorite review ever! You got me with the opening line.

Queezle_Sister - 5th January 2012
This review makes me wonder if we should have a "best of" for cookbooker. This review would be at the top of the list.

skdouglass - 6th January 2012
You guys!

I blush.

Leeka - 6th January 2012
Awesome review! I'm glad I caught the comments and came to check it out. I love the passion!

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