Lime Curd Tart

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted until golden and cooled completely
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup vanilla wafer crumbs (from about 30 1-1/2 inch cookies)
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 1 tablespoon cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 4 large eggs, beaten lightly
• 1/2 cup fresh lime juice (from about 4 limes)
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated lime zest (from about 2 limes)

Directions

1. 1

   Make crust:.

2. 2

   Preheat oven to 350 degrees and butter a 9-inch tart pan with a removable fluted rim.

3. 3

   In a food processor pulse almonds, sugar and salt until almonds are ground fine.

4. 4

   In a bowl toss nut mixture with cookie crumbs and butter until combined well.

5. 5

   Sprinkle half of crumb mixture onto bottom of pan near rim, pressing evenly up side.

6. 6

   Sprinkle remaining crumb mixture onto bottom and press evenly over bottom, joining edge.

7. 7

   Bake crust in lower third of oven 10 minutes, or until a deeper shade of golden brown, and cool on a rack.

8. 8

   Make filling:.

9. 9

   In a heavy saucepan cook sugar, butter, eggs and lime juice over moderately low heat, whisking frequently until thick enough to hold marks of whisk and first bubbles appear on surface -- about 12-15 minutes.

10. 10

    Stir in zest and cool. (Filling may be made 1 week ahead and chilled, its surface covered with plastic wrap.).

11. 11

    Spoon filling evenly into crust and cover surface with a buttered round of wax paper.

12. 12

    Chill tart, covered, at least 1 hour and up to 24.