Lemon Tarts

Lemon Curd:

1 cup sugar

2 tsp. finely grated lemon peel

1 cup lemon juice (about 5 lg lemons)

3 tbs. firm butter, cut up

3 eggs, slightly beaten

Mix sugar, lemon peel and lemon juice in heavy non-aluminum pan (1 ½ qts.).  Stir in butter and eggs.  Cook over Medium heat about 8 minutes, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and coats back of spoon.  Do Not Boil!  Immediately pour into one 1-pint container or two 1-cup containers.  Store covered in refrigerator for up to 2 months.

Yield:  2 cups of curd.  Enough for about 20 scones.

Tart Shells:

2 cups flour

4 to 5 Tbs. cold water

Pinch of salt

½ cup butter, well chilled

½ cup shortening, well chilled

Mini-muffin tins

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Mix together flour and salt.  With a pastry blender, cut butter and shortening into flour until mixture resembles coarse meal.  Add cold water, a little at a time, until mixture is moist enough to form a ball.  Do not over mix.  Cover and chill 15 minutes.  On a floured surface roll pastry out with a floured rolling pin.  Grease mini-muffin tins.  Cut pastry into 3-inch circles and press each circle into a muffin cup.  Bake for 8 minutes.  Cool completely.  Fill with lemon curd when ready to serve.  Garnish with clotted cream or whipped cream and a small raspberry, blueberry or blackberry and tiny mint leaf.