Though the flavor will be somewhat different, the same number of regular lemons can be substituted for the Meyer Lemons in this recipe. Remember to slice the lemons paper thin. You will need to increase the amount of sugar to two cups. The thinly sliced seeded lemons will need to tenderize overnight in the sugar in a covered bowl at room temperature. Before adding eggs remove wrap and stir sugar and lemons together, picking out any stray seeds.

Ingredients:

Pastry Crust:

2/3 cup ice water

1 tsp. table salt

3 cups plus 2 tbsp. unbleached all-purpose flour

1 cup plus 5 tbsp. unsalted butter (2 sticks plus 5 tbsp.) cut into 1-inch pieces, placed on a plate and refrigerated until needed

Filling:

2 medium Meyer Lemons

1 3/4 cups granulated sugar

4 large eggs

1/4 tsp. salt

Egg Wash and Topping:

1 large egg yolk

1 tbsp. heavy cream, additional for garnish

Coarse sugar for sprinkling

Fresh mint leaves for garnishing

Directions:

Mix together water and salt in a small bowl. Refrigerate until needed.

Place flour in a large bowl. Sprinkle butter pieces evenly over flour, cutting butter into flour with a fork or a pastry blender until coarse crumbs form.

Sprinkle butter-flour mixture with refrigerated water, tossing with a fork until mixture is evenly moistened. Gather mixture together with your hands to form a ball. Place ball on a lightly floured counter and divide into 2 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a flat disk, wrap individually in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least two hours or overnight. (At this point, dough disks may be placed in a freezer bag and kept frozen for up to one month. Allow bag of dough to sit overnight in the refrigerator before continuing.)

One hour before rolling out dough, seed and thinly slice Meyer Lemons. Place lemons in a medium plastic or glass bowl and toss with all of the granulated sugar. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and set aside at room temperature.

Place one dough disk onto a lightly floured counter. Roll dough into a 12-inch circle and gently fit it into a 10-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Do not trim overhang!

Whisk the eggs into the reserved lemon-sugar mixture. Pour this mixture into the pastry lined pan, evenly distributing the lemons.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Whisk together the egg yolk and cream in a small bowl. Gently brush the edges of the dough with this mixture. Roll out remaining dough disk on a lightly floured counter into a 12-inch circle. Gently lift rolled dough and place over filling in pan, letting overhang rest on top of the bottom crust. Press edges of pastry together to seal. Trim edge overhang to 1/4-inch, roll slightly inward over rim of pan, and crimp decoratively.

Brush pie dough with egg wash and sprinkle liberally with coarse sugar. Make 3-4 decorative slits on top of crust with a sharp knife to create air vents. Put filled pie pan onto a foil-lined baking sheet and place pie in oven to bake for 35-40 minutes, or until filling is bubbling. If pastry is browning too quickly, lay a sheet of foil paper gently over top of pie.

Transfer pie, in pan, to a cooling rack to cool completely. Carefully push pie up on removable bottom to disengage rim. Transfer pie to a decorative platter to serve. Slice pie, garnishing each slice with a dollop of whipped cream and a fresh mint leaf. Store leftovers, covered with foil or plastic wrap, in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

Makes 10-12 servings

Recipe adapted from Tartine , by Elisabeth M. Prueitt and Chad Robertson. (Chronicle Books LLC, 2006)