First, there was the disastrous lemon tart from the New York Times, described so well by Deb of Smitten Kitchen. We had a similar inedible result. Then, there were my several attempts to make a Meyer lemon confit over pastry dough crust. Still way too tart. Finally we chanced upon a Chef Charlie Palmer recipe with a fabulous lemon filling, but his cornmeal crust tasted like baked polenta. It just didn’t work with the lemon filling.
How to Make a Perfect Lemon Tart Recipe
So, we took the fabulous filling and put it in a tried and true tart crust. Dad even made a batch of candied citrus peel (you can easily skip this step) days in advance. And voila! A truly delectable lemon tart.
Make-Ahead Tips
Prep the candied citrus zest a few days in advance. (Or skip it!)Make the tart dough up to two days in advance, and keep it well wrapped in the fridge until ready to roll it out. Or freeze it, wrapped and in a freezer bag, for up to a month and thaw in the fridge before using.Make the entire tart up to three days in advance. Keep it covered and refrigerated until ready to serve.
Love Lemon? Try These Recipes
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Why weigh down the crust before blind baking? Because the weights (or sugar or beans or rice) keep the sides from falling down and the bottom of the crust from billowing during prebaking. Here are detailed tips on How to Blind Bake a Pie Crust.
How to Prep Lemon Zest to Make Candied Peel
The recipe calls for a cup of julienned lemon zest. But how do you do that? Start with a sharp paring knife or a good vegetable peeler and peel strips of lemon zest as thin as you can. You’ll want to avoid the white pith as much as possible since it tends to be bitter.
How to Store Lemon Tart
You can refrigerate your lemon tart for up to three days. Be sure to cover it well with parchment paper and then with plastic wrap to prevent moisture from building up. For longer storage, you can freeze lemon tart, whole or in slices. Just be sure to thaw in the refrigerator at least 24 hours in advance before serving.
What to Serve With Lemon Tart
Whipped Cream Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream Chamomile-Honey Hot Toddy Orange and Vanilla Hot Buttered Rum Winter Spiced Orange Mocktail
1 cup lemon zest 1 cup granulated sugar
For the crust:
1 1/2 cups (200g) all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup (50g) powdered sugar 1/2 cup (1 stick, or 1/4 pound, 112g) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature 1 large egg, beaten 1/4 teaspoon almond extract 1 teaspoon lemon zest
For the lemon filling:
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter 1/4 cup creme fraiche (can sub sour cream) 2 large eggs 3 large egg yolks 3/4 cup fresh lemon juice 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon zest
Add water again, this time adding the sugar as well. Simmer for 30 minutes, then drain. (Tip: If you wrap the zest strands around a chopstick and let them dry wrapped, then the next day when you unwrap them, they’ll hold a curly form.) The next day, toss the zest with a little more sugar. With a wooden spoon, mix in the egg, 1/4 teaspoon almond extract, and 1 teaspoon lemon zest. Continue to mix until the dough clumps. Roll out the dough by either sprinkling the dough and rolling the surface with a little flour, or you can roll the dough out between 2 sheets of parchment paper. Roll the dough out to a circle 2 inches wider in diameter than your tart pan (about a 12-inch round). Press the dough into the tart pan. Use your rolling pin to level the dough along the edges of the pan. Freeze for 30 minutes. Bake at 350°F for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and lift the sides of the aluminum foil to remove the pie weights. Let the crust cool. In a second bowl over the double boiler, whisk the eggs and egg yolks just long enough to warm them. Remove from heat and beat in the butter mixture, then the lemon juice. Strain the mixture through a sieve into a clean bowl and place over the simmering water. Add the sugar and zest and whisk until warm to the touch, about 4 minutes.
