Classic Lemon Curd Tart
You might be asking yourself, why are you publishing a lemon tart recipe when the greatest lemon tart of all time already exists on your blog?
But that doesn’t stop me from ever being able to resist a classic lemon curd tart (tarte au citron) in a pastry shop case. Ideally somewhere in Paris, where it’s a staple. Give me a crisp, buttery shell with a beaming puddle of silky lemon curd inside and I’m going to dive right in every time, and especially in winter when we’re crying out for more daylight and warmth.
What I didn’t have is my own go-to recipe for a classic lemon tart. Yes, the internet is full of great ones; so are my cookbook shelves. It wasn’t for a lack of options. It’s that I have a minor quibble with most. So many lemon curd tart recipes come from famous pastry shops and pastry chefs and that’s wonderful — for them. Or for me when I’m lucky enough to eat one they have presented.
But I am a home cook in a very basic kitchen with only a moderate amount of patience. I don’t want to have to figure out what to do with six egg whites when the filling only uses yolks. I don’t want to roll out a tart crust if I can just press it in. I don’t want to use pie weights, ever. I don’t want to use a thermometer to check the filling temperature. And I want to use butter in the amounts it’s packaged in — here, that’s 4-ounce sticks. Finally, I want the filling to fill out the shell, so it’s just as brimming with joy and skill as the ones the professionals make.
It took a few citrus seasons of tinkering but it’s ready and I couldn’t wait any longer (like, perhaps, for egg prices to come down) to share it with you because this is the One: a lemon tart for home cooks like me. It uses whole eggs, whole sticks of butter, no rolling pins, no pie weights, and you can skip the thermometer if you trust your eyes to know when the filling has thickened — or your wrist, as the whisk begins to drag. It’s fancy enough to be served to the fanciest people at the fanciest brunch, but simple and sunny enough to make a gusting, icy winter day feel at least briefly endurable. It’s zinging with lemon and just looking at it makes me happy. Having a slice with a dollop of cream and a handful of fresh berries? It’s an assignment.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (150 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/3 cup (40 grams) powdered sugar or 1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (4 ounces or 115 grams) unsalted butter, cold is fine, diced
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (225 grams) granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 large or 5 medium-large lemons
- 5 large eggs
- 1/2 cup (4 ounces or 115 grams) unsalted butter, cold, cut into pieces
- Whipped cream and berries, to serve (optional)