Lemon Tart with Butter Pastry
“Lemon tart (tarte au citron) is my desert island dessert. It’s the one I order at every French restaurant, judge relentlessly, and try to recreate at home. This version has an intensely flavoured, silky filling that sets perfectly and a pastry case that shatters when you press a fork into it.”
What You’ll Need
- FOR PASTRY: 200g plain flour, 100g cold butter diced, 50g icing sugar, 1 egg yolk, 2 tbsp cold water
- FOR FILLING: 4 large eggs, 250g caster sugar, 150ml double cream, zest and juice of 4 lemons, 1 tbsp butter
Let’s Cook — Step by Step
- Step 1 — Pastry: blitz flour, butter, and icing sugar until breadcrumb texture. Add egg yolk and water, pulse until dough comes together. Wrap and rest in fridge 30 minutes.
- Step 2 — Roll out on a floured surface to about 3mm. Line a 23cm tart tin, trimming the edges. Prick the base. Freeze 15 minutes.
- Step 3 — Blind bake (parchment + baking beans) at 180°C for 15 minutes. Remove beans, bake another 10 minutes until the base is dry and just turning golden.
- Step 4 — For filling: whisk eggs, sugar, cream, lemon zest, and juice together in a bowl. Stir in butter.
- Step 5 — Reduce oven to 150°C. Pour filling into the hot pastry case (pour at the oven door to avoid spills).
- Step 6 — Bake 30–35 minutes until the filling is just set at the edges with a slight wobble in the centre.
- Step 7 — Cool completely before cutting. Dust with icing sugar just before serving.
- Step 8 — Serve at room temperature — cold dulls the flavour.
Kitchen Tip: Pour the filling into the tart case while it’s still in the oven to avoid spilling it on the way to the shelf.
Made with fresh ingredients & kitchen love ♥ — meozmedia.com
