Lemon Tart — Curd Filled
A classic French lemon tart with a buttery crust and a tangy, smooth lemon curd. The perfect balance of sweet and tart.
Lemon Tart — Curd Filled
A classic French lemon tart with a buttery crust and a tangy, smooth lemon curd. The perfect balance of sweet and tart.
Key move
Blind bake the tart crust until golden brown and completely set to prevent a soggy bottom.
Cook mode keeps your place
Larger text, ingredients in reach, and saved step progress while you cook.
Leagues
Put This Plate On The Line
Find the dish standard, study the titleholder, or judge the field when voting opens.
The Setup
- Tart Pan9-inch
- SaucepanMedium
- Parchment Paper
- Pie Weights
The Mise en Place
5 of 10Your prep station before cooking begins
Crust (0/5)
Crust is soggy.
Ensure the crust is blind baked until golden brown and completely set before filling.
Curd is lumpy.
Cook the curd over low heat, stirring constantly, to prevent the eggs from scrambling.
Chef's Notes
Blind bake the crust with pie weights or dried beans to prevent a soggy bottom. Remove weights for the last 10 minutes of baking.
Gently stir the lemon curd mixture while cooking to ensure even heating and prevent scorching.
Serve chilled with a dollop of lightly sweetened whipped cream and a few fresh raspberries for color.
The baked tart shell can be made a day ahead and stored at room temperature. The lemon curd can also be made 2 days ahead and refrigerated.
The Method
MAKE
Prep aheadIn a large bowl, whisk together the flour and powdered sugar (½ cups).
Flour and sugar are combined
CUT
Prep aheadCut in the cold butter using a pastry blender or your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
Mixture resembles coarse crumbs with pea-sized butter pieces
ADD
Prep aheadAdd the egg yolk and cold water (2 tbsp). Mix until the dough just comes together.
Dough just begins to clump together
FORM
Prep aheadForm the dough into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Dough is formed into a disc and wrapped
PREHEAT
Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
Oven is preheated
ROLL
Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to a 12-inch circle.
Dough is rolled into a 12-inch circle
TRANSFER
Transfer the dough to a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Press the dough into the bottom and up the sides of the pan.
Dough is fitted into the tart pan
TRIM
Trim any excess dough from the edges of the pan.
Excess dough is trimmed
PRICK
Prick the bottom of the crust with a fork.
Crust bottom is pricked
LINE
Line the crust with parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans.
Crust is lined and weighted
BLIND BAKE
Time-sensitiveBlind bake the crust for 20 minutes. Remove the parchment paper and pie weights and bake for another 10-15 minutes, or until golden brown.
Crust is golden brown and set
COOL
Let the crust cool completely before filling.
Crust is completely cool
MAKE
In a medium saucepan, whisk together the eggs, sugar, lemon juice (½ cups), and lemon zest (2 tbsp).
Eggs, sugar, lemon juice, and zest are combined
ADD
Time-sensitiveAdd the cold butter and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the curd thickens and coats the back of a spoon.
Curd coats the back of a spoon and leaves a clear line when a finger is drawn through it
STRAIN
Strain the curd through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl.
Curd is strained
POUR
Pour the lemon curd into the cooled tart crust.
Curd is poured into the crust
REFRIGERATE
Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or until the curd is set.
Curd is set
SERVE
Serve chilled.
Tart is ready to serve
Related Techniques
Appears in collections
Keep browsing by the kind of recipe choice this supports, not just this single dish.
Master These Next
Pavlova — Meringue Cloud
Crisp meringue shell, marshmallowy center, topped with whipped cream and fresh fruit. A textural delight that's surprisingly easy to make.
Chocolate Fondant — Lava Cake
Crisp edges give way to a warm, flowing chocolate center. This decadent dessert is surprisingly simple to make and guaranteed to impress.
Pound Cake — Classic Vanilla
A classic vanilla pound cake with a fine crumb and rich, buttery flavor. The secret? Room temperature butter, creamed to perfection.