Classic French Lemon Tart
There are three (3) steps to prepare this lemon tart: make the dough, prepare the filling, and bake. The recipe (below) is the beginner's version of a quick and easy filling that will satisfy everyone in your family.
Ingredients
For the Sweet Pastry Dough:
- 1/2 cup (115 g) confectioners’ sugar (10X fine sugar)
- 1/2 stick unsalted butter (2 ounces - 56 grams)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract or 1 vanilla bean scraped
- 3 large egg yolks
- 1 cup (225 g) All Purpose Flour you may need up to 1/4 more
For the Filling:
- 3 large eggs
- 3 large egg yolks
- 2/3 cup (170 g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) fresh lemon juice from about 3 lemons
- 2 lemons for the zest and juice
- 3 tbsp butter Melted
- 1 pinch of sea salt
Instructions
To Make the Dough:
- To make the dough, in a food processor, combine the confectioners’ sugar, butter, and vanilla extract and process until well mixed.
- Add the egg yolks and process until blended. Add the flour and pulse several times. Do not worry if the dough does not form a ball.
- Press the dough together and cover it with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or, even better, overnight.
- On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough to an 11-inch circle about 1/8 inch thick. Wrap the dough around the rolling pin and unwind it over a 9-inch tart pan.
- Press the dough deep down into the corners, letting 1/4 inch hang over the edges. Crimp the edges tightly, and then let the dough relax for 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Bake the tart shell until very lightly browned, about 10 minutes.
To Make the Filling:
- To make the filling, in a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, yolks, granulated sugar, lemon juice and zest, butter, and salt until smooth.
- Pour the filling into a pre-baked tart shell and bake at 375°F (190°C) until just set, 30 to 35 minutes.
- Let the tart cool to room temperature before slicing.
Notes
I do not use baking beans or other weights to hold the crust in place when I bake a tart shell blind (empty). Crimping the edges tightly holds the dough in place and then later, I roll a rolling pin over to cut the edges clean.
As mentioned above, the filling in this recipe is the simpler version. If you are up for a challenge, please refer to my original post for the more complicated version involves two (2) steps, first making lemon curd and then finally a lemon mousse.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!