Lemon and Raspberry Tart

Looking for something a little different to serve after your holiday meals this year? How about a Lemon and Raspberry tart with a short bread cookie crust? Quick and easy to make, this dessert will be sure to impress everyone at the table! Creamy lemon curd with raspberry swirls and topped with fresh raspberries. You might even impress yourself with this one!

2 cups of crushed cookie crumbs (About an 9oz bag of store bought cookies - Short bread are recommended.)

5 tablespoons of melted butter

¾ cups of freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 3 or 4 lemons)

1 tablespoon of lemon Zest

¼ teaspoon of vanilla extract

1½ cups of Sugar

1½ sticks of butter cut into pieces

5 large eggs

A pinch of kosher salt

3 tablespoons of raspberry preserves

1 small container of fresh raspberries

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees

Prepare the crust by crushing the cookies and mixing with the melted butter. Dump the mixture into a tart pan and press firmly along the bottom and the edges. If you don't have a tart pan you can use a pie pan though you may need to increase the amount of cookie crust depending on the size of you pie plate. Place the crust in the oven and bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove the crust from the oven and lower the heat to 325.

In a medium sized sauce pan add the fresh lemon juice, lemon zest, sugar, vanilla, and the eggs and whisk together until everything is combined. Continue to whisk the mixture constantly over medium heat for 10 to 12 minutes. The mixture will start to thicken and have a jelly like consistency. Remove from the heat and whisk in the 1½ stick of cut up butter until the butter has melted. Pour the lemon filling into the prepared crust.

Next, take about 3 tablespoons of raspberry preserves and heat it in the microwave for about 15 to 20 seconds (Just enough so that the preserves become loose and more liquid like.) Taking a small plastic bag, pour the preserves into the bag, squeeze out any excess air, and seal the top. Using a pair of scissors, snip out a small portion of the corner of the bag. Take the bag and make three circles with the preserves over the lemon filling - one large one around the outer edges, a slightly smaller one towards the middles, and a small circle in the center. Don't worry if it's not perfect!

To create the swirled spider web-like pattern, take either a knife or a tooth pick and just barely insert into the center of the tart. Gently pull back through both the lemon filling and the raspberry preserves and you'll create the pattern shown. Looks fancy and complicated but it really can't get any easier than this.

Place into the preheated 325 degree oven and bake for 15 minutes. Garnish with fresh raspberries and allow the tart to cool completely before cutting.