this post is about a recipe, yes. but, it’s the kind of recipe post that starts with a story. if that’s not your jam, feel free to proceed. otherwise, it’s time to hear a story about two friends and how life has a purposeful way of bringing folks together.

allow me to set the stage. it’s the summer of 2006, and i’ve moved to athens to start my freshman year at uga. my older brother had already paved the way, and i was tagging along. thankfully, he was good with it. 🙂 before school began, though, i had to survive band camp. yes, if you didn’t already know, i was in marching band throughout high school and college. can a kid get much cooler? i think not.

the dorm wasn’t open yet, so i had to crash at my brother’s place (lovingly named “the sousa house”) for a few nights. i walked through the kitchen and into the living room and was greeted by a fellow incoming freshman with highlighted hair. “hi, i’m kelsey,” i said. “i’m kyle,” he replied. he was quickly nicknamed bank because there were already too many kyles around, my brother included. little did we both know a nearly 18-year old friendship had begun.

through hype nights and football seasons to changes in majors and everything in between, we both eventually graduated with degrees in MIS. and, wouldn’t you know it, ended up working at the same consulting firm for a bit (with my brother kyle, too)! bank got married, got a dog, got a house, and had kids. i got married, got a dog, and got a house. we churched together, worked from home together, and have been there for each other through life’s many seasons. and somehow the old inside jokes are still funny and still we take joy in watching each other grow. we certainly could not have know then what the next decade had in store for us, but man, is it fun getting to cheer each other on.

so, now that you have the whole story, what’s all this got to do with a recipe? well, everything! i needed an idea for my may bake, and when bank got wind, he suggested i make a lemon tart. i learned it’s one of his favorites and a tradition in their house for his birthday. i asked if he grew up with lemon tarts, and he laughed, saying, “dessert in my house was little debbie.” hey, nothing wrong with that! the cupcakes and cosmic brownies are still my favorites. he went on to explain he just wanted something different, and his wife liz (who is a master baker) stumbled upon this lemon tart recipe. she described it as her go-to, so i borrowed her tart pan and got to work.

i’ve made a couple pies before, so fixing up the crust dough was quick work. and i double-, triple-checked the parbake instructions to ensure it wouldn’t overbake. ah, what a lovely crust!

i then tackled the filling. i think it’s quite cool that you deseed the lemon and essentially throw the whole thing in there. and although the color looked right and the fragrance was pleasing, i was worried about the texture. it was pretty grainy, and i was hesitant to put it in the crust. would the filling smooth out? would everything come together?

well, when i had bank and liz and phillip try a slice, they all said the crust was delicious and the filling had great lemony flavor that wasn’t too sweet or too tart (see what i did there?). and i would agree; however, the texture never really resolved itself. you can see the top of the tart was pretty rough, and the inside wasn’t much better. even though i don’t think this tart would win any competitions, flavor is always king over looks, so i guess i had that going for me. overall, for my first tart, i’d say i should be pleased. reliable crust recipe and new techniques. onto the next bake!