Lemon Curd Tart

I have a quarter jar of homemade lemon curd left and was looking for recipes to use it for, instead of licking it off the spoon! :) Found this perfect recipe but I did make some changes to it. Firstly this recipe calls for curd cheese, I'm not even sure I've seen it before, so I just substitute with cream cheese. 

These are originally made in small mini mufiins pan or cupcake tins. I used the tart tins with daimeter of 3", and got about 15 tarts instead of 24 mini small tarts. According to the author, "These tasty little tarts are a popular tea-time treat in the North of England. They have a curd cheese and currant filling on a tangy layer of lemon curd."

The pastry is on the crunchy side and not as buttery soft as I expect it to be. But overall, this is a nice tart to have as a tea-time snack with a cup of tea. The lemon curd is so tangy and the sourness really pairs well with the cream cheese.

The tangy lemon curd!

The raisins add a lovely touch to the tangy tart.

I'm submitting this to :

Aspiring Bakers #10: Easy as Pie (August 2011), hosted by Janine of Not the Kitchen Sink!

LEMON CURD TARTS
(adapted from "Pastry Cook" by Catherine Atkinson)
Makes twenty-four
Ingredients
225gm/8oz/1 cup curd (farmer's cheese) (I use cream cheese)
2 eggs, beaten
75gm/3oz/6 tbsp caster (superfine) sugar
5ml/1tsp finely grated lemon rind
50gm/2oz/1/4 cup currants
60ml/4 tbsp lemon curd
thick cream, to serve


For the pastry
275gm/10oz/2-1/2 cups plain (all-purpose) flour
pinch of salt
75gm/3oz/6 tbsp butter, diced
50gm/2oz/1/4 cup lard or white vegetable fat
60ml/4 tbsp chilled water (I use abt 5-6 tablespoons)

1. To make the pastry, sift the flour and salt into a mixing bowl. Rub or cut in the fat until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Sprinkle the water over the dry ingredients and mix to a dough. Knead on a lightly floured surface for a few seconds until smooth. Chill.
2. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. Roll our the pastry thinly, stamp out 24 rounds using a 7.5cm/3in plain pastry cutter and use to line a mini muffin or cupcake tins. Chill until required.
3. Cream the curd cheese with the eggs, sugar and lemon rind in a bowl. (I beat the cream cheese until smooth and add in eggs, sugar and lemon rind, continue creaming till smooth). Stir in the currant. Place 2.5ml/1/2 tsp of the lemon curd in the base of each tartlet case. Spoon on the filling, flatten the tops and bake for 35-40 minutes until just turning golden. Serve warm or cold, topped with thick cream.