Skillet Baked Lemon-Almond Tart

Wednesday mornings are my favorite because I look forward to browsing the New York Times Dining section online. It's pretty much the first thing I do in the morning. As a relatively new baker, I was excited to find this recipe in Mark Bittman's The Minimalist column. It seemed promising on the simple pedometer. This is one of those dishes that cooks fast and so I couldn't really leave the kitchen. As easy as it is, it still is a rather elegant dessert and when garnished and served is the perfect ending to a nice meal. In my case, it was the ending to my lazy cereal dinner - but I fully enjoyed it none the less! I did find this tart rather difficult to transfer to a plate and I think if you have one of those large flat serving utensils, your good. I was improvising and ended up having to pick it up with my hands. Let's just say, the presentation was much prettier in the skillet. What's fun about this recipe is that you don't have to stick to lemon and almond. I think a ginger and hazelnut combination would be delicious, or orange and pecan! I didn't have any lemon tea with me but I imagine this little tart would taste fantastic with some lemon tea or warm milk!

Skillet Baked Lemon-Almond Tart

Adapted from Mark Bittman's recipe in the New York Times

Ingredients:

4 eggs (I used fake eggs)

1/2 cup sugar

Pinch of salt

1/2 cup almonds (ground)

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup sliced almonds, plus more for garnish

1 lemon, zest and juice

2 tablespoons butter

Powdered sugar, for garnish

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a bowl, mix together the eggs, sugar, salt, ground almonds, cream, sliced almonds and lemon zest and juice.

2. Melt the butter in an 8 inch skillet over low heat. When it has completely melted and the foam has subsided, add the almond mixture to the pan, lightly using a whisk to distribute the batter evenly. Continue to cook the tart on the stove for about 5 minutes until the edges begin to set. Then put the pan in the oven for 10 to15 minutes.

3. When tart is done, turn your oven to broil and broil the tart for a few minutes until the top becomes slightly golden. Remove tart from the oven and sprinkle with powdered sugar and almonds. Enjoy!