Sweet and tangy lemon tart with a silky, fresh lemon curd filling and a crumbly, buttery tart crust. The filling is not too sweet not too sour and combined with the crust and some lightly sweetened whipped cream on top, is just the dream!
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Lemon Tart Recipe
Ingredients
Lemon Curd:
- ½ cup lemon juice
- 1½ tbsps lemon zest - about zest of one large lemon
- ¾ cup granulated sugar - 150 grams
- 8 tbsps unsalted butter, cut into pieces - 113 grams
- ⅛ tsp salt
- 3 large eggs
- 3 egg yolks
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
Tart Crust:
- 1½ cup all purpose flour - 180 grams
- ¼ cup confectioner's sugar - 30 grams
- ⅛ tsp salt
- 7 tbsps cold unsalted butter, cubed - 100 grams
- 1 egg yolk
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 3 tbsps ice cold water
Instructions
Lemon Curd:
- Add lemon juice, zest, sugar, salt and butter in a sauce pan and place it on low heat. Stir occasionally until butter is melted and sugar is dissolved.
- In a medium bow, whisk the eggs and yolks. Then gradually whisk in a little bit of lemon juice mixture at a time until all of it is mixed in. Return the mixture to the sauce pan and place on low heat, whisking continuously.
- After about 15 minutes, the mixture will thicken and just starts to bubble. If you have a thermometer, it should show 170°F (76°C). Another indication is that the curd will coat the back of a wooden spoon.
- Add vanilla extract and whisk until combined. Strain the curd through a sieve and transfer it to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap so that the wrap touches the surface of curd. Refrigerate until ready to use. You can make the curd 1 week in advance, if you keep it in an airtight container in the fridge.
Making the Tart Dough with Food Processor:
- Add flour, salt and powdered sugar into the bowl of food processor and pulse a few times to combine.
- Add in cold, cubed unsalted butter. Pulse 6-7 times until it resembles coarse crumbs.
- Combine egg yolk with 2 tablespoons of water and vanilla extract and add it to the mix. Pulse a few times until combined and looks like a wet sand. Squeeze a small amount of dough together, if it's crumbly, add 1 more tablespoon of water and mix. The dough should not be too wet and sticky. If needed, add more water half a tablespoon at a time until no longer crumbly. I added 3 tablespoons of water in total.
- Now bring the dough pieces together to form a ball, I like to knead it very lightly, just with my fingertips for maybe 10 seconds until it comes together and the water is distributed evenly in the dough. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for 1 hour.
Making the Tart Dough with Hand:
- In a large bowl, whisk flour, salt and powdered sugar together until combined. Add the cubed pieces of cold butter. Then use your fingers or a pastry cutter to work the butter into the flour until it resembles coarse crumbs.
- Combine egg yolk with 2 tablespoons of water and vanilla extract and add it to the mix. Use a fork to distribute the liquid. Keep adding ½ tablespoon of water at a time and mixing until the dough starts to come together and you don't see any dry spots. You can test the dough by squeezing the dough pieces together, they should hold together. I added 3 tablespoons of water in total.
- Now bring the dough pieces together to form a ball, I like to knead it very lightly, just with my fingertips for maybe 10 seconds until it comes together and the water is distributed evenly in the dough. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for 1 hour.
Rolling and Blind Baking Tart Crust:
- Lightly grease a 9-inch tart pan. This is the pan I used.
- After an hour, flour your work surface and rolling pin lightly. Roll out the dough into a 10-11 inch circle.
- Transfer the dough to the pan and press the dough into the sides and bottom of the pan to fit tightly. Trim the edges with a sharp knife. Place the tart pan on a small baking sheet and freeze for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
- After 30 minutes, use a fork and poke holes all around the bottom of crust.
- Crumble up a piece of parchment paper and line the tart pan with it. Fill the lined tart with pie weights or dry beans or rice. Bake for 20 minutes. Then, remove parchment paper and beans. Return the crust to the oven for 5-10 more minutes until it reaches a light golden color. Take the crust out and let it cool down slightly. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F (176°C).
Fill the Tart:
- Take the lemon curd out of the fridge and whisk it a little bit so that it is smooth. Transfer it to the tart shell and smooth the top. Bake it for 10 minutes at 350°F (176°C) until the edges are set. Let the tart cool down, then refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.
- Top the tart with fresh berries, lemon rinds or whipped cream. Enjoy!
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