French Lemon Tart | Tart au Citron
This classic lemon tart is made from a pâte sucrée crust filled with a silky, lemon curd filling.
Ingredients
Pâte Sucrée
- 180 grams all-purpose flour 1½ cups
- 15 grams almond flour 2½ tbsp
- 50 grams powdered sugar 6½ tbsp
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 100 grams unsalted butter, cubed 7 tbsp
- 1 large egg
Lemon Curd
- 237 ml fresh lemon juice 1 cup
- 315 grams granulated sugar 1½ cups
- 2 tbsp lemon zest
- 6 whole eggs
- 6 egg yolks
- 340 grams unsalted butter, cubed 24 tbsp
Instructions
Making the Crust
- In a food processor (or you can do this by hand), pulse together the flour, almond flour, powdered sugar, and salt.
- Add in the unsalted butter and pulse until it resembles wet sand.
- Add in the egg and pulse until a rough dough forms.
- Dump the dough onto a work surface and knead a couple of times until smooth.
- Wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes, roll out the dough on a lightly floured work surface into a 12-13 inch round. Roll the dough over a rolling pin and gently unroll it over the tart pan.
- Adjust the dough to fit the tart pan, making sure to fit it into the corners of the pan. Cut off the excess dough, press the dough into the fluted sides, and even the top edge by pressing the dough gently with your finger across the top of the fluted sides.
- Prick the base of the pastry with a fork, or a docking tool, to prevent it from puffing up during blind baking.
- Chill the tart shell for 30 minutes.
- Put a layer of crumpled parchment paper into the tart pan and fill it with pie weights, or two cups of dried beans or rice. Bake for 15 minutes in a 390F / 200C preheated oven.
- Remove the weights and bake an additional 10 minutes.
- Let tart shell cool completely on a rack before filling with your lemon curd.
Making the Lemon Curd
- In a medium-sized, heavy bottom saucepan, whisk together the lemon juice, sugar, and lemon zest over medium-low heat.
- Then add in the eggs and egg yolks and whisk until fully incorporated.
- Stir in the butter and whisk continuously as it melts to keep it from splitting.
- Continuing to whisk, heat the mixture until it starts to thicken into a pudding-like consistency. It will take about 5-10 minutes depending on your cooktop. It is ready when it visibly mounds briefly on the surface of the lemon curd when dolloped. Err on the side of too thick, because if it doesn’t thicken enough, it won’t set in the oven.
- Strain the finished lemon curd into a bowl using a fine mesh sieve to strain out any pieces of egg that may have curdled.
- Pour the lemon curd into the fully cooled tart shell and smooth the top with an offset spatula.
- Bake for 5 minutes in a 350F / 180C preheated oven.
- Remove the tart from the oven and cool on a rack until no longer piping hot. Then, chill in the refrigerator for 4-6 hours or until fully chilled through.
- Leave as is, or decorate with candied lemon slices, berries, whipped cream, powdered sugar, or edible flowers. Slice and enjoy!