Lemon tart (tarte au citron)
Lemon tart is my version of the French pastry, tarte au citron. It has a sweet shortcrust pastry shell filled with a tangy lemon custard.
Ingredients
For the sweet shortcrust pastry
- 160 g flour
- 80 g butter chilled
- 50 g icing sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or essence
- Water
For the lemon custard filling
- 5 eggs
- 150 ml double cream
- 3 lemons (juice and zest)
- 150 g caster sugar
- 1 tablespoon icing sugar
Instructions
To prepare the pastry
- Place the flour and butter in a food processor and pulse until the consistency of breadcrumbs.
- Add the icing sugar, egg yolk and vanilla extract (or essence) and pulse again. Add the egg white if the dough seems too dry and pulse again. If it still looks to need more liquid add a little water and pulse again.
- Wrap in cling film and chill for a minimum of 30 minutes.
- Roll out a circle, 3mm thick, on a lightly floured pastry board ad line a 20 cm diameter non stick loose bottomed metal flan tin. Cover and chill until ready to add the filling.
To prepare the lemon custard filling
- Zest and juice the lemons.
- Whisk the eggs in a large bowl.
- Add the cream, lemon zest, lemon juice and caster sugar and whisk again.
To assemble the tart and bake
- Preheat the oven to 170°C, 325°F, gas mark 3.
- Heat the lemon custard to around room temperature and then pour into the pastry case to just below the top of the pastry.
- Bake in the centre of the oven for around 30 minutes or until firm in the centre.
- Place on a wire rack to cool.
- Carefully remove, place on a serving plate and chill.
- Dust with icing sugar just before serving.
Notes
- The pastry case can be prepared ahead of time, covered with cling film and either stored in the fridge until the next day or frozen. The frozen pastry cased will defrost fairly quickly at room temperature when you are ready to use it.
- If you don't want to make pastry you could use a ready made pastry case to make this lemon curd pie.
- If you don't have a loose bottomed non-stick flan tin you could use a similar sized ceramic dish but place a sheet of non-stick baking parchment in the base of the dish before lining with the pastry.
- While you are making pastry it is worth preparing more than one batch as there will be same amount of washing up for two or three batches. You will then have pastry prepared to use for another recipe such as cherry Bakewell tart or pistachio frangipane.
Nutrition
Calories: 369kcalCarbohydrates: 46gProtein: 7gFat: 18gSaturated Fat: 11gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 166mgSodium: 118mgPotassium: 144mgFiber: 2gSugar: 28gVitamin A: 714IUVitamin C: 22mgCalcium: 47mgIron: 2mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!