The very first time I had a lemon tart I was at Tartine Bakery in the Mission and it was mind-blowing. That’s right. It blew a hole in my head and friends all say I’ve not been the same since.
It was sometime in February 2+ years ago. A large-ish group of us headed to the bakery because the guy I was dating had a friend visiting from LA who had it listed as one of the stops on her Eating Tour. When we got to the counter, we went to town, ordering so many desserts that our bounty threatened the structural integrity of our crappy plastic table. People judged us, but took photos anyway.
Banana Cream Tart. Eclair. Some more chocolate stuff. Something with a strawberry, I think. Possibly a slice of cake (or maybe it was cookies?). And, of course, le pièce de résistance: LEMON CREAM TART.
Pudding-soft, light and lemony with a perfect simple and crunchy shell, Tartine’s lemon cream tart instantly ascended to My Number One Favorite Thing To Eat.
In a continued effort to woo me, that guy I was dating would buy me this petite dessert often and happily. I gained 10 pounds this way, quickly and happily.
Even later, after that guy and I stopped dating, I would find myself driving out from East Bay just to treat myself to a Tartine lemon cream tart. Its consumption, to me, a beautiful thing, and no less glorious by being enjoyed alone.
Fast forward a year and a half, and not only had we gotten back together, but I found myself moving across the country in the interest of relationship preservation. Funny that.
He tried to ease my anxiety by once again turning up the charm in the most successful way he knew: through food. Lucky for him, the bakery in a market a few blocks from our apartment sold lemon tarts. They looked less fluffy and were missing Tartine’s scoop of crème fraiche on top.
I ate them anyways.
They tasted like a thick blend of cheesecake and lemon curd. It wasn’t bad, but it surely wasn’t the same. And the tarts proved a taunting reminder that Tartine was still 3000 miles away — California, still 3000 miles away.
Since my first Not-Tartine-Lemon-Tart Experience, I have discovered other incredible lemon desserts here (namely, the cupcakes — the cupcakes here are first class). I still miss the original Lemon Cream Tart that stole my heart, but with each Spot Yuzu Lemon Cupcake the memory fades and time marches on …
… to find something else to eat!