Daiquiri Tart

Daquiris are one of my go-to summer cocktails. I’m not talking about blended strawberry daiquiris (although those are good, too), either. I’m talking about the classic daiquiri cocktail that is made with lime, sugar and rum. This Daiquiri Tart is inspired by that classic cocktail, with a rum-spiked lime filling on top of a buttery shortbread crust.

The tart has two components: a crust and a filling. The crust is very easy to make, as it is a press-in crust. This means that you mix it up and dump the mixture into your tart pan, then press it into place with your fingertips. While traditional pastry crusts would still be delicious with this filling, this style of crust means that you don’t need to do very much advance planning before you bake it. You can mix up the crust while the oven preheats and you’re ready to go.

The filling is also prepared while the crust is baking, then poured into the still-hot crust. The hot crust technique is a favorite of mine (as regular readers will know) and works beautifully with dense shortbread crusts. There are only four ingredients in the filling: lime, rum, sugar and eggs. It’s almost like a boozy lime curd and it has a fantastic sweet-tart flavor that fans of key lime pie will love. Be sure to use fresh lime juice for the filling to get the best flavor possible. Depending on how juicy your limes are, you may need anywhere from 2-4 limes for the filling.

You can use any white rum in this tart and get good results, but getting creative with the rum can yield an even more delicious tart. Darker rums will slightly change the color of the filling, so keep that in mind, too, if you opt for an aged rum and expect the tart to be the same color as mine. Plantation Pineapple Rum is a nice option if you choose to go with a darker colored rum – and it makes a great daiquiri on its own, too. I used Wray & Nephew Overproof Rum in my tart. This white Jamaican rum is smooth and has a naturally sweet, funky tropical flavor to it that really comes through in the finished dessert. It’s a complex rum and adds an extra layer of flavor to the mix.

The tart should be refrigerated before serving to give the filling a chance to firm up and ensure you get neat, even slices. Leftovers should also be refrigerated. I would say that this tart is best within a day or two of baking, so go ahead and slice it up as soon as it is ready to eat!

Daiquiri Tart
Crust
1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup butter, room temperature

Filling
2 large eggs
2/3 cups sugar
6 tbsp lime juice, freshly squeezed and strained
2 1/2 tbsp white rum

Preheat oven to 350F. Tkae out an 8-inch tart pan and place on a baking sheet.
Make the crust. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, salt and lemon zest. Blend in butter with a mixer at low speed until resembles wet,sandy crumbs. Pour into pan and press mixture down (with your fingers or the back of a spoon) into an even layer on the bottom and up the sides of the pan.
Bake for 16-19 minutes, until just lightly browned around the edges.

While crust is baking, make filling. Whisk together all filling ingredients in a large bowl.
When the crust comes out of the oven and is still hot, pour in filling mixture.
Bake for about 20 minutes, or until filling is just set. When bars are completely cooled, refrigerate for at least 1 hour before slicing.

Makes about 24 bars.

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