Classic French Lemon Tart (Tarte Au Citron)
Ingredients
For the crust (pâte sucrée):
- 120 g butter
- 80 g powdered sugar
- 1 vanilla pod
- 25 g almond powder
- 1 egg
- 225 g flour
For the lemon filling:
- 3 eggs
- 120 g sugar
- 10 g cornstarch
- 3 organic lemons
- 80 g butter
Instructions
For the crust (pâte sucrée)
- In a large bowl, mix the butter and powdered sugar. Cut the vanilla pod in half, collect the seeds and add them to the mixture along with the almond powder. Add the egg and mix until homogeneous. Add the flour and mix until you have a smooth dough. Wrap in a plastic film and place in the fridge for 1 hour, minimum.
- Preheat your oven to 175C (347F) or thermostat 5-6. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to 3mm thick and place it in a non-stick pie pan. Line the top of the crust with parchment paper and place pie weights or dried beans to keep the pie crust from puffing when baking. Bake for 15 minutes at 175C. Then, remove the parchment paper filled with weights and bake for 15 more minutes until the crust is golden.
For the lemon filling
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and the sugar. Add the cornstarch and mix again. In a medium saucepan, heat the juice of three organic lemons and take the zest of one. Slowly add the hot lemon mixture to eggs and whisk vigorously. Return mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium heat until thickened. Continue whisking steadily for several minutes until the mixture thickens to a thin custard consistency.
- Add the cubed butter and mix the preparation until the butter is all melted. Pour the lemon filling into the tart shell. Using the back of a large spoon, smooth out the top of the filling. Cool to room temperature before serving (at least 30 minutes). Grate the zest of lime for the decoration.