French · Free recipe
Sharp Lemon Tart
This is a tart for people who want lemon to taste like lemon: a thin, sandy sweet pastry holds a curd sharp with juice and zest. The filling is cooked on the stove first and then briefly baked, giving it a satiny, sliceable set without any eggy aftertaste.
- Prep
- 1 hr
- Cook
- 40 min
- Total
- 1 hr 40 min
- Serves
- 8
- Level
- Medium
Method
-
Pulse the flour, powdered sugar, and a pinch of salt, add the 1/2 cup cold butter, and pulse until sandy; add the yolk and water and pulse just until the dough clumps, then flatten into a disk and chill for 30 minutes.
-
Roll the dough to a 1/8-inch thick round, ease it into a 9-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom, trim the edges, and freeze for 15 minutes.
-
Line the shell with parchment and pie weights and bake at 375F for 15 minutes, then remove the weights and bake 8 to 10 minutes more until evenly golden; lower the oven to 325F.
-
Whisk the eggs, yolks, sugar, lemon juice, zest, and remaining salt in a saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, for 6 to 8 minutes until thick enough to coat a spoon and hold a line drawn through it.
-
Take the curd off the heat and whisk in the 6 tbsp butter a piece at a time until glossy, then strain it into the warm tart shell.
-
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, just until the surface looks set with no liquid shine, then cool completely and refrigerate for 2 hours before slicing.
Zest note from the test kitchen
Zest the lemons straight into the sugar and rub them together with your fingertips before cooking; the oils release fully and the curd tastes twice as lemony.
