Lemon Cream Tart

If you thought my strawberry tart was creamy, just wait until you taste this one.

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Bonjour and welcome to recipe no. 18.

First of all, I finally gave in to my friends' wise advice and joined the world of social media. You can now follow me on Instagram here.

Here's a tart that conquered my entire neighborhood. If you want to dazzle your area with your hidden pastry talents, now's the time!

Sweet pastry or shortbread pastry?

The traditional French recipe for this lemon cream tart is made with sweet pastry. But the choice is yours. Sweet pastry will bring more balance to this already butter-rich cream, more lightness too. Shortbread pastry will give a more indulgent result, a tart melting to perfection, with ever more richness and character.

My preference goes to shortbread pastry, as does my husband's, but I couldn't tell you about my neighbors, who haven't had the chance to taste the sweet version. I share here the traditional recipe, the one with sweet pastry. However, if indulgence calls to you, you'll find the shortbread pastry recipe here.

Preparing your pastry the day before

In the original recipe, you're told to let the pastry rest two hours in the refrigerator. But I've never found this sufficient. Each time, impossible to roll it out easily. So my sister-in-law, a true chef, gave me this precious advice: "Prepare your pastry the day before and let it rest all night in the fridge. The next day, it will be much more docile, that's how all pastry chefs proceed."

“La crème de la crème” (the cream of the crop)

In the original lemon tart recipe, the proportions seemed far too timid to form that thick layer of melting cream one desires. So, to achieve the generosity and smoothness this tart deserves, I doubled all the quantities. The sole purpose: to offer you twice as much cream as in the traditional version and satisfy the most indulgent palates.

White sugar or brown sugar?

This too is a matter of choice, but in pastry, I always have a weakness for traditional white sugar, though controversial nowadays. Brown sugar certainly presents a more pronounced taste and that amber color, but I'm one of those who prefer to perpetuate old traditions, especially when it comes to French pastry - which is no longer simple cooking, but art in its own right.

Don't forget to use noble ingredients: medium-sized farm eggs, sweet butter and preferably organic, beautiful juicy lemons, and that white sugar, ideally organic as well.

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Lemon Cream Tart

Tarte à la crème de citron

Pastry ring Ø 24 cm, height 3.5 cm.
Plan to start the day before.

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Ingredients

Makes 8 generous slices:

Sweet shortcrust pastry:

• 60 g powdered sugar

• 120 g unsalted butter, softened

• 25 g almond flour

• 1 tsp¹ vanilla powder (or 1 packet of vanilla sugar)

• A pinch of fine salt

• 1 whole egg

• 200 g all-purpose flour

Lemon cream:

• 4 or 5 lemons (have 5 on hand)

• 200 ml (20 cl) fresh lemon juice

• 200 g fine white sugar

• 6 medium eggs

• 240 g butter, cut into pieces

Candied lemon for decoration:

• 1 whole lemon

• 100 g white sugar

• 200 ml water

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Step 1: Prepare the sweet shortcrust pastry (the day before)

1. In a large mixing bowl, add 120 g of softened butter cut into pieces and sift² 60 g of powdered sugar over it. Mix well using a flexible spatula or a wooden spoon.

2. Add 25 g of almond flour, 1 tsp of vanilla powder, and a pinch of fine salt. Mix again.

3. Add 1 whole egg and continue mixing until the texture is smooth and well combined.

4. Next, sift 200 g of flour into the bowl, then mix with your hands until you get a soft dough. Don’t overwork it.

5. Shape the dough into a ball, wrap it in plastic wrap, and let it rest overnight in the fridge, preferably in the crisper drawer³.

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Step 2: Roll out and line the tart pan (the next day)

(Rolling⁴ and lining⁵ the dough)

Here’s a video to show you this step, as well as the next one (lining the pan).

1. Lightly flour your work surface so the dough doesn’t stick. If needed, reshape it into a nice round ball, then gently flatten it with your hands.

2. Place your rolling pin in the center of the dough and roll it out gently toward the edges without pressing too hard. Keep your hands flat, one on each side of the pin. Don’t push the pin, just make smooth back-and-forth motions.

3. Rotate the dough a quarter turn each time, then roll again. Keep going until the dough is large enough to cover your tart pan.

4. Take a tart ring or tart pan and butter the inside thoroughly.

5. Gently place the dough inside using your hands. If it tears a little, don’t worry, you can patch it once it’s in place.

6. Using your thumbs, lightly press the dough against the sides to help it stick. Try to keep the edges slightly thicker than the base.

7. Roll the pin over the top to trim off the excess dough.

8. Prick the bottom of the tart shell all over with a fork.

9. Finally, place the tart in the freezer for 15 minutes. This helps the edges hold their shape during baking.

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Step 3: Baking the crust (same day as Step 2)

1. Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F).

2. To prevent the crust from collapsing at the edges: cover the dough with a sheet of parchment paper, then fill it with baking weights (or rice, chickpeas, dried beans...) all the way to the top. This trick keeps the edges from sinking and stops the center from puffing up.

3. Bake the tart for 10 minutes. Remove it from the oven and carefully take out the parchment paper and weights. Return it to the oven for another 5 to 10 minutes, until the crust is nicely golden.

4. Once out of the oven, let it rest at room temperature for 15 minutes. Set a timer so you don’t forget the next step.

5. After the 15 minutes, gently remove the tart shell from the pan. Be careful not to damage the edges.
   Tip: If the edges seem too fragile, brush them with a thin layer of melted butter.

6. Finally, place the tart shell in the fridge.

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Step 4: Prepare the ingredients for the lemon cream

Here’s a simple way to stay organized (because lemon cream, like pastry cream, comes together very quickly!):

1. In a mixing bowl, place 240 g of butter cut into pieces, and set a fine sieve directly on top.

2. Using a vegetable peeler, remove the zest from two whole lemons and put it in a saucepan.

3. Juice 4 or 5 lemons and pour the juice into a measuring jug. You’ll need 200 ml (or 20 cl).

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Step 5: Make the lemon cream

1. In the saucepan with the zest, add the lemon juice, 200 g of white sugar, and 6 whole eggs.

2. Heat over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the cream thickens (about 5 minutes, it goes fast once it gets hot). It should reach a light simmer⁶.

3. Pour the cream directly into the sieve placed over the bowl with the butter.

4. Use your whisk to help push the cream through the sieve.

5. Once all the cream has passed through, scrape the bottom of the sieve with a spatula so you don’t lose any.

6. Then blend the cream with an immersion blender for 2 minutes to make it smooth and silky. No blender? Whisk it vigorously by hand for 2 minutes, it’ll just be a bit denser and less smooth.

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Step 6: Assembling the tart

1. Pour the lemon cream into the fully cooled tart shell, then smooth the surface with a spatula.

2. Place the tart in the fridge for 1 hour.

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Step 7: Prepare the candied lemon

1. Slice 1 lemon into very thin rounds (2 mm thick max).

2. In a saucepan, combine 100 g of white sugar and 200 ml of water. Bring to a boil.

3. Add the lemon slices and let them simmer over medium heat for 10 to 20 minutes, until the peel becomes almost translucent.

4. Drain the slices on a sheet of paper towel, without overlapping them.

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Step 8: Decorating

1. Arrange the candied lemon slices on top of the tart, starting with one in the center.

2. Let the tart rest for at least 1 more hour before serving.

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You’ve just made a tart worthy of a bakery display, well done!

Thank you for reading, let me know what you think in the comments!

1. 1 tsp = 1 tablespoon (1 cuillère à café, in French)

2. Sift powdered sugar or flour (tamiser du sucre glace ou de la farine, in French): this means passing it through a fine mesh sieve to break up any lumps and get a smooth, airy texture. It helps blend the ingredient more evenly with the rest, without clumps.
How to do it? Hold a fine sieve over your bowl, pour in the powdered sugar, then gently shake or tap it. The sugar will fall like light snow.

3. The crisper drawer (bac à légumes, in French) is the warmest part of the fridge. It lets the dough rest gently without becoming too hard. The butter doesn’t fully solidify, which prevents the dough from turning brittle. This way, it stays soft and easy to roll out the next day.

4. Rolling out the dough (abaisser la pâte, in French): this means flattening it with a rolling pin to get the right thickness.

5. Lining the tart pan (foncer la pâte, in French): this means placing the rolled-out dough into a tart pan and gently pressing it to fit the sides perfectly.

6. Light simmer (légère ébullition, in French): the moment when a liquid heats up enough to form bubbles and turns into vapor.