What makes this Lemon Tart so perfect? It’s the lemon curd filling. It’s not too sweet but not mouth-puckeringly sour either, and so custardy it just melts in the mouth. This is a classic French tart that’s elegant and pretty as a picture, yet the filling is as simple as can be: just eggs, sugar, butter and fresh lemon!
🇫🇷Welcome back to FRENCH BISTRO WEEK!🇫🇷
Welcome back to the final instalment of French Bistro Week! 🇫🇷 This is a week in which I’m sharing all the recipes you need to recreate your very own French Bistro experience at home. Here’s the menu of recipes I shared:
Starter: Warm Goat’s Cheese Salad – A classic French Bistro starter. This fresh leaf salad sports nuts, bacon, and pan-fried goat’s cheese medallions that are golden outside and oozing inside.
Main: Duck Confit – An iconic French dish that’s so much easier to make than you think! It’s the ultimate make-ahead dinner party dish for showing off!
Side: Lentil Ragout – A traditional side for Duck Confit, these French lentils are mouth-wateringly good!
Dessert: Today’s Lemon Tart – A perfect finish to the meal that’s not too heavy, this is a tart you’ll find in virtually every patisserie across France.
Lemon Tart
Today’s Lemon Tart recipe is a classic tart known in French as Tarte au Citron. Endlessly popular, you’ll find it on the shelves of patisseries all across France, and it’s a favoured dessert served at French bistros or even fine dining restaurants. Tangy, refreshing and light, this tart makes the perfect dessert to follow on from decadent and rich French mains!
About this French Lemon Tart
The filling in this Lemon Tart is a brilliantly yellow, beautifully fresh lemon curd that’s completely smooth. It sets enough that you can cut neat slices as pictured throughout this post, yet soft enough that it melts alluringly in your mouth just like custard.
As for the taste, it’s a Goldilocks bullseye: not overly sweet, not overly sour, just right. I found that other Lemon Tart recipes I’ve tried veer too far in one direction or the other. A perfect balance between the two is my ideal!
The crust I’ve used is a sweet French Tart Crust called Pâte Sucrée. This is an excellent master pastry for all sorts of sweet tarts. It’s buttery and not too sweet, and flaky without being so crumbly that it’s difficult to eat with a fork. Bonus: The dough is extremely easy to work with – even easier than Shortcrust Pastry.
Feel free to use sweet shortcrust if you prefer, or if you’re pressed for time just buy a pastry case! Who’s going to know? 😊
Ingredients in French Lemon Tart filling
Here’s what you need to make the lemon curd filling for this tart.
Lemons – We use both lemon zest and juice for this recipe. You’ll need 2 normal size lemons, or 3 smaller lemons.
Butter – Unsalted butter, cut into cubes so it melts more evenly.
Eggs – Eggs are what sets the lemon curd filling into a custard. We’re using both whole eggs and egg yolks. Yolks add richness which gives the filling a nice and creamy mouthfeel.
Leftover egg whites – Here’s my list of what I do with them and all my egg white recipes can be found in this recipe collection.
Sugar – Caster / superfine white sugar is best, for ease of dissolving. However ordinary white sugar will work just fine here.
How to make the Lemon Tart filling
It’s dead simple: put it all in a saucepan and whisk over low heat until it thickens!
Combine ingredients: Put ingredients in a saucepan and whisk together. Turn the stove to a low to medium-low heat. Don’t fret about scrambling the eggs – the lemon juice and sugar dilutes the eggs enough that they’re won’t easily set!
Whisk over low heat: Once the butter melts, it will become a fairly thin and smooth mixture. Whisk constantly so the base doesn’t catch, until the mixture thickens in a pourable custard – about 5 minutes;
Check thickness: The above and below photos illustrate the thickness you are aiming for. Use a spoon or spatula to dollop some custard onto the mixture’s surface. It should hold shape briefly before disappearing. You could thicken it further on the stove but there’s no need. We are going to bake the tart briefly to set it so we can cut neat slices;
Strain: Pour the custard into a fine mesh strainer set over a bowl, and use a rubber spatula to push it through. This makes the filling completely smooth, and strains out the zest plus any rogue lemon seeds, as well as any bits of the filling that might’ve solidified on the base of the saucepan.
Filling and baking
Next, we fill and bake the tart.
Fill pastry case: Fill the tart crust you’re using (here’s the French Sweet Tart Crust pictured). Shortcrust is also an excellent option, else buy one (a single large or 12 to 15 small individual tart cases);
Smooth the surface: This is easiest to do using a small offset spatula;
Bake: Bake for just 5 minutes. Nothing needs cooking here, it’s just to finish setting the custard without getting any colour on the surface. We don’t want to bake it any longer because otherwise the filling will overcook and become curdled and dry, rather than soft and custardy;
Decorate as desired! I’ve used lemon slices, raspberries and mint leaves. I’ve listed some more decorating options below.
Lemon Tart decoration suggestions
A naked Lemon Tart is a bit plain, so I think it’s nice to add a finishing touch, even if it’s just a dusting of icing sugar / powdered sugar. But here are some other ideas – feel free to mix and match!
Lemon slices
Raspberries, strawberry slices or other berries – for lovely pops of colour!
Mint leaves and edible flowers
Cream – pipe blobs around the edge
Melted chocolate – a thin squiggle of melted dark chocolate artfully (casually!) drizzled across the surface. Channel your inner Jackson Pollock! Or, a handwritten message if that’s what’s called for … 😂
What to serve with Lemon Tart
This tart is terrific eaten plain (2 seconds after snapping the above photos I was buzzing around the shoot room, cleaning up with one hand and devouring the pictured slice with the other!) When serving people, I think it’s nice to add a dollop of something on the side to complete the plate.
Here’s what goes well with this Lemon Tart:
Creme fraiche – Pictured in post. The uber-rich cream plays delightfully against the zippy tartness of the lemon;
Whipped cream – Lightly sweetened with a touch of sugar and vanilla (use restraint, the lemon tart is the star here!); or
Vanilla ice cream
And with that, French Bistro Week is done! 🇫🇷 I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did creating, photographing, filming and writing about the dishes. And, of course, EATING them!!
Got a request for the next theme week?? Pop it in the comments below! – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
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French Lemon Tart – Tarte au Citron
Ingredients
- 1 sweet tart crust (or homemade pie crust, or store bought 23cm / 9" sweet pie or tart crust)
Lemon Tart filling:
- 1 tbsp lemon zest (1 lemon's worth)
- 1/2 cup lemon juice (from 1 – 2 lemons)
- 3/4 cup white sugar
- 12 tbsp / 170g unsalted butter , cut in 1cm (1/2") cubes
- 3 whole eggs large, (Note 1)
- 3 egg yolks (from large-size eggs, Note 1)
Instructions
Tart crust:
- Make tart crust per linked recipe, including blind baking the empty tart crust. Allow to fully cool before filling (to ensure it won't go soggy).
Lemon Tart filling:
- Preheat oven: Preheat oven to 180℃/350℉ (160℃ fan)
- Whisk ingredients together: Put all ingredients in a medium saucepan and whisk to combine.
- Thicken on stove: Place the saucepan on the stove over low / medium low heat. Whisk constantly, especially as the butter is melting, to ensure it doesn't split. Keeping stirring until the mixture thickens enough to visibly mound (ie. holds its shape briefly) on the surface when dolloped – about 5 minutes, though it might take longer depending on stove strength, saucepan heat retention etc. See video and photos for thickness guide. Don't take it off the stove until it's thick enough otherwise the Filling won't set.
- Strain into a bowl using a fine mesh strainer.
- Fill tart: Pour into tart shell and smooth the filling surface using an offset spatula or similar.
- Bake: Bake for 5 minutes. It will still be a soft custard when you touch it but not liquidity. It will set more when cooled so it's sliceable.
- Cool: Cool tart fully to allow it to set before slicing to serve. Pictured with a dollop of creme fraiche (a thick, rich cream that has a slight tartness, and goes very well with the lemon tart) or whipped cream and even vanilla ice cream.
- Decorate if desired with lemon slices, edible flowers, raspberries. Else pipe on dollops of whipped cream or dust with icing sugar!
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Life of Dozer
Looking très chic, Dozer!
Any chance I can use ginger cookies as a base for the lemon curd ? If so, do I bake the crust & then pour the lemon curd?
Hello, just wanted to provide some feedback on the recipe!! In step 1, it doesn’t mention whisking them over a stove top
I know it has it in the video, and in the preamble to the recipe above, but thought to mention it in case it’s helpful 🙂
I have made this several times Always delicious
Today I made individual tarts using store brought cases Recipe made 24
Very happy with them
The birthday girl requested a lemon tart and recipe tin eats to the rescue yet again, she loved it! The other guests also complimented it and gave me the ultimate Asian compliment ‘it’s not too sweet’. Was very easy, straightforward to follow, even sweet tart crust worked out.. my custard did take 15mins to get to the right consistency but I was cautious and went low and slow so it wouldn’t split or curdle. Thanks Nagi!!
this set (eventually)…. had it on the stove for AGES, with it thickening slightly, but not as much as the video. i think it had it on so long that the butter split. put in oven for 15 mins (5 mins not enough), and took out then left to cool. has seemed to set ok, but as the butter has split the top has gone a bit oily, and there is a crazed pattern on the tart where it has cracked (maybe over cooked??)
I decorated this with berries and served with cream for a friend’s birthday. Looked amazing. Tasted delicious and tangy. Filling so smooth and professional.
Hey from Sweden! Im over here as I am visiting my grandkids and daughter who live here. She asked me to make her my Lemon tart for a party she was hosting but I didnt have the recipe so I googled yours as everything I’ve ever cooked using one of your recipes has been amazing. I got so many compliments and had to give everyone your instagram. It was the best one I have ever made and eaten and so much easier than my past recipe. ( a French lady at the party also Said it was the best she had ever tasted 👍) anyway just wanted to say thankyou again ❤️
Nagi, you’ve done it again! I made this with a mixture of lemons and limes (what I had in the fridge) and it was perfect! Tangy but sweet and the custard still had just enough ‘wobble’ to be luscious. Huge hit at dinner party – making it again tonight! (Only barrier is the projected price hike and shortage of eggs in Oz, due to the bird flu outbreak – won’t be paying $15 for a carton of eggs 😱!)
When making lemon curd or if you prefer lemon butter (the pie filling) my recipie calls for 3 whole eggs, when I double this I just add 6whole eggs it works fine and tastes fine, (I may try it your way to see if theres any difference then I’ll have an excuse for lemon meringue pue😄.)and on its own is great as cake filling or my neighbours take theirs and has it on toast. It’s a great way to make an impressive dessert/spread with really very little effort. Just don’t tell my neighbours how easy it is or they’ll make it themselves and have no reason to visit😄. Im lucky I have chooks that are laying like champs such good girls. Again thanks for sharing
Beautiful lemon tart
Fab recipe very easy to make and delicious
Can limes be substituted for the lemons ? I have an over abundance of them !
Yes! I used limes and it was delish 🙂 I have a tree full too, am making lime marmalade this week
Not a fan of lemon desserts or custard but made this to try and use up some lemons. Little brother loves it though, as expected. Very easy to make and I put some little pieces of lemon peel on top as decoration. Might make it again for a birthday
No egg whites in the recipie.
The recipe calls for 3 whole eggs and 3 egg yolks. The 3 leftover egg whites can be frozen to use in meringue or in frangipane (or any of Nagi’s other suggestions – click on her link in the recipe)
I made this recipe for a summer family luncheon and it was an big hit! The tart crust recipe is so easy and works really well with the lemon tart filling. I even decorated it the same as the photo! Will definitely make this my go to lemon tart plus use the crust for other tart fillings. Many thanks Nagi and a pat to lovely Dozer x
The lemon tart is a realy good recipe. I give it 10 out of 10 for the pastry and 10 out of 10 for the compleated tart.
Followed the recipient to the book and it came out wonderfully, the lemon filling did take longer than 10 min on the stove but set well. Used a slightly bigger dish so a bit thinner but a good ratio of pastry to filling
Perfection as usual!
I made this lemon topping today, but made a digestive biscuit base and added toasted coconut and lemon zest to the base ingredients. This is the single best lemon tasting slice I have ever made. The local RSl diners will love it.
This has fast become a family favourite. Took me a while to figure out the right temp to thicken. I’m using an induction hotpate on 5/10 for 10 minutes.
Great tasting lemon tart! I’ve made it many times. Only one problem, how do I stop the egg whites scrambling? Thanks