This is Tarte au Citron … smooth, rich, sophisticated, this French lemon tart is a decadent and tangy treat that feels like you could be soaking up the sun in a Parisian street. Or in the historic centre of a confident city like Bordeaux. Or by the beach while soaking up the sun in Nice.
You get the picture.
In my quest to fix all my broken recipes, I recently came across these photos from 2021 of this tart and it reminded me of the time I made it, when I baked it for a family lunch held at my sister and brother-in-law’s house.
Why haven’t I posted this? I thought. Well, it must be time.
This was the first time I made this lemon tart recipe. It one of two styles that I bake from time to time and is definitely the richer of the two. The recipe is by Stephane Nguyen, a self-taught French expat cook who’s now living in Australia. You can view Stephane’s original YouTube video titled French style Lemon Tart Step by Step (With Lemon custard), which gives all the instructions you’ll need to make this, right down to the pastry. I really like his recipes and still follow his channel and website.
Now, back to that lunchtime lemon tart
In addition to this lemon tart, I took along my friend Sia’s Greek lemon roast potatoes to go with a low, slow roast lamb shoulder my brother in law had made. They blended perfectly with the rich lamb and as lemons were my theme for the day, the tart seemed fitting.
It was super rich and silky, with a filling that was cross between a lemon curd and a custard style lemon tart – and was absolutely gorgeous. So much so, I still remember eating it back at my sister’s place, overlooking the wild Tasmanian landscape with a view out to the sea.
It was a far cry from the wide boulevards of beautiful French cities, but it was a delicious taste from one of my favourite countries in the world.
So, without further ado, let’s cook.
Thanks for the recipe, Stephane – French Cooking Academy!
Fabulous French lemon tart-like Paris in the sunshine
Course: DessertCuisine: FrenchDifficulty: Skill required8-12
delicious slices20
minutes40
minutesSilky smooth, tart and fresh, this dessert will transport you to Paris on a sunny day with its sophisticated deliciousness.
You will need
300 ml freshly squeezed lemon juice (see note below)
150g caster sugar
200 ml heavy whipping cream
3 whole eggs
3 egg yolks
50g caster sugar (to mix with the eggs)
25g cornflour or custard powder
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
70 grams unsalted butter, softened
Here’s what to do
- Combine lemon juice & 150g sugar in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Set aside.
- Put cream into another saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Mix together the eggs and egg yolks with 50g sugar and whisk until light and airy. Add corn flour or custard powder and vanilla extract and whisk until smooth.
- Slowly tip the lemon syrup into the egg mixture, whisking so it doesn’t curdle. Return to the stovetop and cook, whisking until it thickens.
- Add the scalded cream and mix thoroughly.
- Let cool to room temperature and then mix the extremely soft butter into the custard until thoroughly combined.
- Spoon into prepared tart case and refrigerated until chilled.
- Finish with a light brushing of syrup and some lovely candied lemon peel.
Tips and tricks
- Stephane says: This version of the Lemon tart is a very Lemony version ( it will have a sharp lemon taste). However you can tone that down by replacing 100 ml of Lemon juice by water. ( so 200 ml of Freshly squeezed lemon juice mixed with 100 ml of water)
