Classic French Lemon Tart Recipes

CLASSIC FRENCH LEMON TART

Steps:

• Make the « pâte sucrée » crust.
• In large mixing bowl, combine the butter and powdered sugar until creamy and smooth. Add the vanilla extract, almond flour and egg, and mix until homogeneous. Add the all-purpose flour and salt, and mix until just incorporated and the dough comes together into a ball. Wrap in a plastic film and place in the fridge for 2 hours, minimum.
• Pre-heat your oven to 350F (180C).
• Take the pâte sucrée out of the fridge, place it between two large sheets of parchment paper and roll it out to a 12-inch circle. Unpeel the top sheet of parchment paper, transfer the crust to a 9-inch tart pan (trim the sides if needed) and poke the bottom of the crust all over with a fork. Chill it again for 30 minutes. Line the top of the crust with foil or parchment paper and place pie weights or dried beans to keep the pie crust from puffing when baking.
• Bake the pâte sucrée for 20 minutes. Carefully remove the parchment paper filled with weights and bake for 10 more minutes, until the edges of the crust are golden.
• Set the tart shell aside to cool (still in the dish). Leave your oven on at 350F/180C.
• In the meantime, make the lemon filling.
• Grab a fine-mesh strainer before you start and have it ready within arm's reach.
• In a medium saucepan (no heat yet), whisk together the lemon juice, lemon zest, sugar, salt, egg yolks and eggs. Add the cubed butter and turn the heat to medium. Whisk slowly until the butter is all melted. Continue whisking steadily for several minutes until the mixture thickens to a thin custard consistency.
• Immediately pass the lemon filling through the fine mesh strainer, directly into the tart shell. Using an offset spatula (or back of a large spoon), smooth out the top of the filling. Bake the tart for 5 minutes, until the filling has slightly set and turned slightly deeper in color.
• Set aside to cool for at least 30 minutes. Enjoy slightly warm or chilled.

FRENCH LEMON TART - TARTE AU CITRON

Steps:

• Make tart crust per linked recipe, including blind baking the empty tart crust. Allow to fully cool before filling (to ensure it won't go soggy).
• Preheat oven: Preheat oven to 180℃/350℉ (160℃ fan)
• Whisk ingredients together: Put all ingredients in a medium saucepan and whisk to combine.
• Thicken on stove: Place the saucepan on the stove over low / medium low heat. Whisk constantly, especially as the butter is melting, to ensure it doesn't split. Keeping stirring until the mixture thickens enough to visibly mound (ie. holds its shape briefly) on the surface when dolloped - about 5 minutes, though it might take longer depending on stove strength, saucepan heat retention etc. See video and photos for thickness guide. Don't take it off the stove until it's thick enough otherwise the Filling won't set.
• Strain into a bowl using a fine mesh strainer.
• Fill tart: Pour into tart shell and smooth the filling surface using an offset spatula or similar.
• Bake: Bake for 5 minutes. It will still be a soft custard when you touch it but not liquidity. It will set more when cooled so it's sliceable.
• Cool: Cool tart fully to allow it to set before slicing to serve. Pictured with a dollop of creme fraiche (a thick, rich cream that has a slight tartness, and goes very well with the lemon tart) or whipped cream and even vanilla ice cream.
• Decorate if desired with lemon slices, edible flowers, raspberries. Else pipe on dollops of whipped cream or dust with icing sugar!

LEMON TART RECIPE

Steps:

• To make the lemon curd: In a medium heatproof bowl, place eggs, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and heavy cream, if using, and whisk to combine. Place the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water (bain-marie). Cook on moderate heat, whisking constantly, until mixture becomes thick (mine was ready in 10 minutes, but it can take up to 20). If you have a thermometer, it should register 170°F/75°C; otherwise, it should coat the back of a wooden spoon and leave a clear pass if you run your finger through it. The curd will thicken more once cooled.
• Remove from heat and immediately strain mixture through a sieve. Add butter, a few cubes at a time, and whisk until completely melted and incorporated, and mixture is smooth. Take your time with it-the whisking makes for an airy and light texture. Allow to cool to room temperature before filling the tart. (Lemon curd can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week, or can be frozen for up to 2 months. To thaw, place overnight in the fridge. Whisk the mixture to smoothen it before using.)
• Fill the tart shell with lemon curd, then refrigerate for at least 4 hours until chilled. Serve with berries and whipped cream if you like. The tart is rich, so cut your servings small.

CLASSIC FRENCH TARTE AU CITRON - FRESH LEMON TART

Steps:

• Roll out the pastry and line a 24cm to 26cm tart or quiche dish. Bake blind in a pre-heated oven 180°C/350F/gas 4, for about 7-10 mins, or until lightly golden brown and slightly crisp.
• Whisk the lemon juice, crème fraiche, sugar and eggs in a large bowl. Add the grated lemon rind & mix well.
• Carefully pour the mixture into the pastry case and bake for 40 minutes or so, until the custard has set but is still slightly wobbly. Sprinkle liberally with icing sugar.
• Serve slightly warm or at room temperature, with a drizzle of cassis and a sprig of mint. You can also serve this with a bowl of creme fraiche or cream.

TARTEST LEMON TART

Steps:

• Crust: Put the flour, confectioners' sugar, and salt in a food processor and pulse a couple of times to combine. Scatter the pieces of butter over the dry ingredients and pulse until the butter is coarsely cut in. Stir the yolk, just to break it up, and add it a little at a time, pulsing after each addition. When the yolk is in, process in long pulses-about 10 seconds each-until the dough, which will look granular soon after the egg is added, forms clumps and curds.
• Turn the dough out onto a work surface and, very lightly and sparingly, knead the dough just to incorporate any dry ingredients that might have escaped mixing. This is done by smearing the butter pieces into the flour using the heel of your hand-a French technique called "fraisage."
• Flatten dough into a disc and place between two pieces of parchment paper. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough, rotating it ⅛ of a turn at a time and rolling until it's just bigger than the tart pan.
• Butter the tart pan. Press the dough evenly over the bottom and up the sides of the pan, using all but one little piece of dough, which you should save in the refrigerator to patch any cracks after the crust is baked. Using a fork, give the crust a few pricks and freeze for at least 30 minutes before baking.
• Parbake the crust: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Butter the shiny side of a piece of aluminum foil and fit the foil tightly against the crust. Add pie weights on top of the foil to keep the crust flat as it bakes. Put the tart pan on a baking sheet and bake the crust for 25 minutes.
• The filling: Cut the lemons into small pieces and remove the seeds. Put the lemons and sugar in a blender or food processor and pulse, blending and scraping down the sides until you have a smooth mix. Add the remaining filling ingredients and pulse and blend on low speed until the filling is homogeneous. Tap the bowl on the counter several times to "de-bubble" the filling as much as possible.
• Remove the tart shell from the oven and carefully remove the foil and pie weights. Place back in the oven for 8-10 minutes to lightly brown. Remove the tart and patch any cracks with the leftover dough. Cool and reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees F.
• Bake the tart: Stir the filling, then pour it into the tart shell. Bake for 20 minutes, then increase the oven temperature to 350 degrees F and bake for an additional 25-30 minutes. (Total baking time is 45-50 minutes.) When the tart is properly baked, it should be set, although perhaps still shaky in the center, and most of the top will have formed a light sugary crust. (Don't be alarmed if the tart has bubbled over the edge of the tart-that's okay.) After cooling the tart to room temperature, set the tart on top of a sturdy can so the ring can drop away. Place on a dish and serve.