Classic French Lemon Curd Tart
A buttery pastry shell filled with silky lemon curd—tart, bright, and elegantly simple. This showstopper comes together in under an hour and requires only pantry staples.
- Total time
- 48 min
- Servings
- 8
- Calories
- 285
- Protein
- 4g
Ingredients
- 1.25 cups all-purpose flour
- 6 tablespoons butter, cold
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 4 tablespoons water, ice cold
- 3 whole eggs
- ¾ cup sugar
- ½ cup juice plus 1 tablespoon zest fresh lemon juice and zest (about 3 lemons)
- 3 tablespoons butter
Instructions
- 1
Set the oven to 400°F and wait until the indicator light or beep tells you it has finished heating, about 10 minutes.
- 2
Cut 6 tablespoons of cold butter into small cubes the size of peas and add them to a bowl with 1.25 cups flour and 0.25 teaspoon salt.
- 3
Using your fingertips, rub the butter into the flour and salt until the mixture looks like coarse breadcrumbs with tiny pea-sized bits of butter still visible throughout.
- 4
Pour in 4 tablespoons of ice-cold water and stir with a fork until the dough just comes together into a shaggy ball—do not overmix or it will be tough.
- 5
Press the dough evenly across the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom, working it into the corners and over the rim.
- 6
Prick the bottom all over with a fork and place the pan on a baking sheet for easy handling.
- 7
Bake the pastry shell at 400°F for 12 to 14 minutes until it is light golden and set but not brown, then remove it from the oven and let it cool slightly.
- 8
In a heat-safe bowl, whisk together 3 eggs and 0.75 cup sugar until the mixture is pale, thick, and falls in ribbons from the whisk, about 2 minutes.
- 9
Whisk in 0.5 cup fresh lemon juice and 1 tablespoon lemon zest until fully combined and uniform.
- 10
Cut 3 tablespoons of butter into small pieces and set the bowl with the egg mixture over a pot of gently simmering water, making sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water.
- 11
Stir the egg mixture constantly with a rubber spatula, scraping the sides and bottom, until it is thick enough that a line drawn through it on the spatula holds for a moment, about 8 to 10 minutes.
- 12
Remove the bowl from the heat and stir in the 3 pieces of butter until they melt and the curd is smooth and glossy.
- 13
Pour the warm lemon curd into the cooled pastry shell and spread it evenly across the bottom and up to the edges with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon.
- 14
Let the tart cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes, then refrigerate it for at least 1 hour until the curd is completely set and chilled before serving.
Tools you’ll need
- 9-inch tart pan with removable bottom
- baking sheet
- measuring cups and spoons
- bowl
- fork
- whisk
- rubber spatula
- offset spatula or spoon
- heat-safe bowl
- pot for simmering water
- microplane zester (optional, for zesting lemons)
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