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tarte au citron

Desserts & pâtisserie

Tarte au Citron

By Raymond Blanc

Raymond Blanc’s lemon tart is a dessert of contrasts: buttery, crisp pastry beneath a smooth lemon cream with a bright, sharp-sweet finish. Juice provides the tang and finely grated zest carries the fruit’s fragrance. The filling is baked until barely set, giving each slice a delicate custard texture. A light dusting of icing sugar around the edge is all the decoration this tart needs.

Prep
40 min
Cook
55 min
Total
Not stated
Serves4
Jump to recipe ↓Raymond Blanc ↗

Ingredients

Sweet pastry

Lemon cream

Finishing

Method

  1. Cream butter with icing sugar. Beat in two yolks, rub in flour, then add water and gather the pastry.
  2. Knead on a lightly floured surface for no more than 30 seconds. Flatten, wrap and refrigerate 30 minutes.
  3. Whisk eggs, caster sugar, lemon juice and zest; whisk in cream. Refrigerate.
  4. Roll pastry 3 mm / ⅛ inch thick. Line the 24 cm tin without stretching; trim, press into the base and prick. Refrigerate 30 minutes.
  5. Heat oven to 160°C / 325°F. Line the case with foil and dried beans; bake 10 minutes. Remove foil and beans; bake 20 minutes.
  6. Brush with the remaining yolk and bake one minute. Reduce oven to 140°C / 275°F.
  7. Gently warm filling in a saucepan to no more than 40°C / 104°F. Fill the case; bake 25 minutes until barely set.
  8. Cool at least one hour. Dust the edge with icing sugar, unmould and serve.

Equipment

24 cm / 9½ inch loose-bottomed tart tin; Mixing bowls; Spatula or wooden spoon; Rolling pin; Fork; Aluminium foil and dried beans for blind baking; Pastry brush; Saucepan; Food thermometer; Oven

Notes

  • Resting and cooling: allow for two separate 30-minute pastry chills and at least one hour of cooling, in addition to the preparation and baking time.
  • Pastry: knead for no more than 30 seconds and line the tin without stretching the dough. Both rests help it relax and reduce shrinkage.
  • Egg yolks: use two in the pastry and keep the third to brush over the baked shell. This seals the case before the lemon cream goes in.
  • Lemon cream: warm it gently to no more than 40°C before filling the tart. Too much heat can scramble the eggs.
  • For another day: make twice the pastry and freeze half for a future tart. This means doubling the pastry only, not the lemon filling.
  • Baking time: the published cooking time is 55 minutes; the individual baking stages add up to 56 minutes. Follow the stages in the Method and look for a barely set filling.

Photos

1 photo
tarte au citronServingLemon tart, cooled and ready to serve

Tarte au Citron

Recipe photos

About this dish

A lemon tart makes a few familiar ingredients feel special through contrast. Sweet pastry crumbles against a smooth filling; lemon juice brings acidity and its zest brings fragrance. With no elaborate topping, the quality of that balance is easy to appreciate. A small slice can give a rich meal a bright finish.

Raymond Blanc grew up near Besançon, where his mother, Maman Blanc, shaped his appreciation of good food. Entirely self-taught, he brings a professional cook’s care to familiar ingredients. This tart comes from Simple French Cookery, with the emphasis on careful pastry work and a gently set lemon cream.

The filling uses both lemon juice and finely grated zest, giving it the fruit’s tang and fragrance. Double cream brings richness, and a gentle bake leaves the centre barely set. There is no meringue or glaze, just a light dusting of icing sugar around the edge.

Recipe and cooking notes adapted from Raymond Blanc.