Pucker Punch

Think of lemon as an ever-available, ever-willing partner. Less aggressive than vinegar, decidedly fruity for all its sourness, lemon is probably, after salt, the most useful seasoning ever discovered. Does the broccoli need picking up? Add lemon juice. Does the fried fish want something to cut its richness? Pass the lemon wedge.

A squeeze of lemon does wonders for softly scrambled eggs, for lentil soup, for carrots sauteed in butter until they’re brown and caramel-y around the edges. A quartered lemon, combined with a few cloves of garlic, is the easiest, most reliable stuffing for a small roasting chicken. Any raw meat or fish will be refreshed by a rub with a cut lemon, and anything cooked in olive oil is likely to be improved by a small touch of lemon juice.

Lemon is also a universal improver in the fruit section. Do the out-of-season berries taste insipid? Apply lemon. Is the dried fruit compote so sweet it cloys? Lemon is the solution. Must the apples and pears be prepared ahead? Drop the peeled fruit in cold water acidulated with a generous amount of lemon juice.

Lemons keep more or less forever in the refrigerator, but they yield more juice when warmed. A bowl of hot water works fine if you’re not using the zest; give them a few seconds in the microwave or minutes on the radiator if the zest is part of your plans.

And don’t forget that zest! Like all citrus rinds, the thin, colored, outer skin of lemon is pocked with tiny cells that contain highly fragrant oils. Their taste is distinctly lemony, but different from that of the pulp and juice. Because it’s so powerful, grated zest can be used in small amounts to add zingy taste without altering texture.

Be sure to use only the colored part--the cottony white pith of citrus is bitter. A carrot peeler works well if you don’t have a special zester, and the rough edge of a lump of sugar is the classic zest-remover. Sugar, though somewhat awkward to use, has the extra advantage of absorbing any flying drops of oil. Crush the sugar when it has been used and count it as part of the sugar called for in the recipe.

Short, nutty crust; buttery, super-tart lemon curd filling; plenty of smooth whipped cream--in short, a dieter’s nightmare. But this is good and not at all difficult to make. The crust requires no elaborate weights to keep it from puffing up; the custard can be quickly cooked in an ordinary saucepan instead of a double boiler. This rather flat tart holds well and may be made--up to the whipped - cream part--as much as a day in advance.

LEMON HEARTBREAK TART

1/2 cup whole almonds

2 tablespoons sugar

1 cup flour

10 tablespoons butter

Lemon Filling

1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream, preferably not ultra-pasteurized

Grind almonds in mortar or food processor to texture of fine cornmeal. Mix thoroughly with sugar and flour in bowl. Cut in butter until texture resembles crumbly meal, using fingertips (or place in food processor, pulsing until no lumps of butter remain visible).

Lightly butter 10-inch tart pan with removable rim. Pat and press crust mixture evenly over bottom and up sides. Bake at 350 degrees until richly browned, about 15 to 20 minutes. Cool.

Set aside 1 cup Lemon Filling and spread remainder in baked shell. Cover tightly and refrigerate both tart and reserved Lemon Filling until both are chilled.

Between 1 and 6 hours before serving, whip cream until stiff. Place reserved 1 cup Lemon Filling in wide bowl and stir to smooth, then stir in about 1/4 of whipped cream. Fold in remaining whipped cream and spread over top of tart, swirling decoratively. Chill again until serving time. Makes 10 servings.

Lemon Filling

4 eggs

4 egg yolks

3/4 cup sugar

Finely shredded zest of 1 lemon

1 cup lemon juice

1/2 cup butter

Beat eggs and egg yolks with sugar with mixer until thoroughly mixed. Combine lemon zest, juice and butter in heavy, non-reactive saucepan and cook over medium-low heat just until butter melts.

Beat lemon mixture into eggs, then return combination to pan. Place pan over medium-low heat and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture starts to thicken. At once remove pan from heat and whisk furiously to prevent curdling. (Do not allow to boil.)

Turn heat to very low, return pan to heat and continue to cook, stirring constantly with wooden spoon, until custard coats spoon very thickly. (If curdling threatens at any time, just take pan from heat and whisk rapidly. At worst you’ll have small number of lumps that can be strained out later.) Strain thickened custard while hot.