French Lemon Tart (Tarte Au Citron)

This Lemon Tart (Tarte au Citron) is a traditional French dessert that is simple yet elegant. Creamy and bright this tart features a vibrant homemade lemon curd and a buttery pastry crust that is sure to delight.

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This classic lemon tart recipe is perfect for lemon lovers! Full of bright citrusy flavor this tart is the perfect dessert for everything from afternoon tea and weekend brunch to holidays like Easter and Mother’s Day. Delicious as is or you can serve this lemon tart with a dollop of whipped cream or fresh berries (I especially love raspberries!). For another delicious tart recipe take a look at my beautiful Cranberry Curd Tart.

This lemon tart recipe is very traditional featuring a homemade pâte sucrée, or sweet pastry crust. For the crust I like to use powdered sugar for just a bit of sweetness and a more delicate crumb.  For the lemon filling I keep things simple with lemons (both the juice and zest) sugar, eggs and butter. I also prefer to use less sugar and more lemon juice in my lemon curd to allow that bright citrus flavor shine through (if you love lemon desserts be sure to try my Limoncello Tiramisu).

Ingredients

• All purpose flour
• Powdered sugar
• Kosher salt
• Unsalted butter cold and cubed
• Large egg yolk
• Cold water

For the Lemon Curd Filling

• Lemon juice (approximately 5-6 large lemons)
• Fresh lemon zest
• Granulated sugar
• Kosher salt
• Large eggs
• Large egg yolks

Baking Tips

• You can use your favorite storebought pie crust for the homemade tart crust, just follow package instructions for blind baking 
• When making the tart crust (pâte sucrée) ensure your butter and water or cold for the best result
• Change up the citrus filling by making lime, grapefruit or orange curd
• Don’t skip the step of straining the lemon curd through a fine mesh strainer to ensure a smooth, creamy texture for your filling

How to Make a Lemon Tart

Start your lemon tart by making the tart crust. Place flour, powdered sugar, and salt in a food processor and pulse to combine. Add the cubed butter and pulse 4-5 times until it forms a coarse meal. Add the egg yolk and water 1 tablespoon at a time, pulsing after each addition.

Place the dough between two pieces of parchment paper (or on a lightly floured surface) and roll into a 12 inch circle using a rolling pin. Transfer the dough into a 10 inch tart pan with a removable bottom, press the dough into the sides and trim the excess crust. Using a fork prick the bottom of the crust. Chill the crust for 30 minutes.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line the tart dough with parchment paper and weigh down with pie weights or dried beans. Bake for 20 minutes, remove the pie weights and parchment paper and bake for an additional 10 minutes or until the crust is lightly golden. Remove from the oven and prepare the lemon curd.

To make the homemade lemon curd filling Combine lemon juice, zest, sugar and salt in a saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat. In a large bowl whisk together the  whole eggs and egg yolks. Add 1/4 cup of the warm lemon mixture to the eggs and whisk to thoroughly combine. Add the lemon-egg mixture to the pan and whisk thoroughly. Cook for 3-4 minutes or until the mixture has thickened. Stir in the butter until it has melted and everything is thoroughly combined. Strain the lemon curd using a fine mesh strainer and a rubber spatula.

 Pour the strained lemon curd into the tart shell and smooth it out with an offset spatula. Bake the tart for 10 minutes then chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or until set. Serve as desired.

Storage

Store this tart in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.

If you like this French Lemon Tart be sure to try some of my other recipes!

Blueberry Lemon Croissant French Toast

Easy Strawberry Mousse

Basque Cheesecake

Peach Clafoutis

Passionfruit Mousse

If you make this Lemon Tart please be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Be sure to follow me on Youtube, Facebook and Pinterest for my latest recipes. Also, if you do make this recipe please tag me on Instagram, I’d love to see what you guys are making!