River Room Lemon Tart

Serves: 12

Hands On Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 2 hours and 45 minutes

Ingredients

2 cups graham cracker crumbs
2/3 cup sugar, plus more for caramelizing (optional)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
4 (14-ounce) cans sweetened condensed milk
1 cup fresh lemon juice
8 large egg yolks
Fresh berries, for serving

Instructions

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Generously grease a 10-inch springform pan with butter.

In a large bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar and melted butter. Firmly press the mixture into an even layer across the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake the crust until golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes. Let cool to room temperature.

Reduce the oven temperature to 275 degrees.

Using an electric mixer, beat the sweetened condensed milk, lemon juice and egg yolks until smooth. Pour the filling over the cooled crust and bake until the filling has just set, about 30 minutes.

Let the tart cool completely and then refrigerate, still in the pan, for 2 to 3 hours before serving.

To serve, remove the sides of the pan. Cut the tart into 12 slices and transfer the slices to serving plates. If desired, sprinkle a little more sugar over the top of each slice and use a kitchen blowtorch to carefully caramelize the sugar. Serve with fresh berries.

Nutrition

Per serving: 605 calories (percent of calories from fat, 29), 13 grams protein, 96 grams carbohydrates, no fiber, 20 grams fat, 197 milligrams cholesterol, 296 milligrams sodium.

About the recipe

It is actually sweetened condensed milk that gives this dessert its rich, creamy texture. Ted Lescher, River Room's executive chef, likes to sprinkle a small amount of granulated sugar on top of each slice and uses a kitchen blowtorch (available in most cooking stores) to caramelize the top. He garnishes each slice with raspberry puree and fresh berries. Recipe courtesy of River Room Restaurant in Atlanta, Ga.