Fennel-Kissed Lemon Tart with Salted Hazelnut Crust {#BrunchWeek}

It's #Brunchweek!  We're on the last day of our second annual week-long blogging event hosted by Terri of Love and Confections and Susan of The Girl In The Little Red Kitchen!

I hope you checked in with us this whole week - May 5th through 11th - while we celebrated the deliciousness of brunch and prepared for Mother's Day and the summer brunching season.  We are 32 bloggers strong, bringing you recipes for everything from cocktails to eggs benedict to donuts.

Our amazing sponsors have donated some great prizes for a gigantic giveaway. Click (here) to read about this fun event, the sponsors, and the giveaway!

I'll be honest: I have a little fennel fetish. That crisp freshness with slightly herbaceous notes makes me swoon with foodie lust. So, for a #BrunchWeek dessert, I decided to create a lemon tart kissed with fennel in three ways. I added a dash of fennel bitters to my crust, a generous splash of absinthe to the curd, and a sprinkling of fennel pollen over the top to garnish. Ahhhh...fennel!

And the bonus: I got to use two of the complimentary Bob's Red Mill products I received for participating in this week's festivities. I usually have half a dozen Bob's Red Mill bags in my pantry at all times - from their tapioca to their flaxseed meal. But I've never tried their hazelnut meal and whole wheat pastry flour until now. I'll definitely be buying more of both products. Click to read an Intro to Hazelnut Meal/Flour from Bob's Red Mill.

Ingredients 
makes 6 mini tarts

For the Crust

• 1-1/2 C Bob's Red Mill Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
• 1/2 C Bob's Red Mill Hazelnut Meal Flour
• 1/2 C softened butter
• 1/2 C organic powdered sugar
• 1/4 C olive oil
• 1 T cold water
• 2 pinches of fleur de sel
• dash of fennel bitters

For the Filling

• 5 organic Meyer lemons
• 1/2 C organic powdered sugar
• 1 T honey
• 8 T butter
• 8 large egg yolks
• splash of absinthe
• fennel pollen for garnish

Procedure

For the Filling
Juice the lemons. Combine the juice, powdered sugar, honey and butter. Bring to a boil. Meanwhile beat the yolks. Add 1/3 of the boiling liquid to the beaten yolks then add the mixture back into the boiling liquid. Continue beating over medium heat until it thickens. Add a splash of absinthe. Be careful not to let the curd boil or it will scramble. Pour the curd into a bowl and press plastic wrap against the surface to prevent a film from forming. Chill completely. 

For the Crust
Mix the whole wheat pastry flour, hazelnut meal flour, sugar and salt; rub in the butter with olive oil until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Add a splash of fennel bitters. Stir in 1 tablespoon of water with a fork until the mixture forms a ball. Chill until firm. Roll out between two pieces of parchment paper. Press gently into the mini tart pans. Stick in the freezer while the oven heats. Bake for 25-30 minutes at 350, or until a light golden brown. Let cool completely.

To Assemble Tart
Pull the tarts out of the pans. Spoon the chilled filling over the baked crust. Sprinkle with fennel pollen for garnish.

And that is a wrap on #BrunchWeek 2014. Here are the last of the dishes from this fabulous cooking crew...

Brunch Beverages:

• Prosecco Mojito from Cooking in Stilettos

Brunch Egg Dishes:

• Crab Cake Eggs Benedict from Love and Confections
• Eggs Benedict from Big Bear's Wife

Brunch Breads, Grains and Pastry:

• Individual bourbon Bacon Bread Pudding from The Girl in the Little Red Kitchen
• Maple Coconut Granola from That Skinny chick Can Bake
• Cheese Blintzes with Mixed Berries from It's Yummi!
• Blueberry Scones from Roxana's Home Baking
• Almond Cake from Real Housemoms

Brunch Fruits, Vegetable and Sides:

• Orzo Veggie Salad from Chelsea's Messy Apron
• Balsamic Pear and Blue Cheese Bruschetta from White Lights on Wednesday

Brunch Desserts:

• Fennel-Kissed Lemon Tart with Salted Hazelnut Crust from Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Click to go to the Sponsor Info 

and enter THE giveaway!  

Thanks again Bob's Red Mill - just one of the eleven sponsors -

for ingredients used in this recipe.