Elegant Lemon Tarts

A classic lemon tart (tart au citron) is at the top of my list of favorite desserts. Whenever I visit a French bakery and see a little lemon tart on display, it’s almost impossible for me to resist. The tangy lemon curd poured inside that crisp buttery crust and topped with crème fraîche wins me over every single time.

I love this tart because not only is the curd thicky and creamy, the pâte sucrée shell stays nice and crisp even after being refrigerated for days thanks to my cocoa butter trick. This delectable lemon tart recipe from Chef Christophe Rull is a mini version of the tarte au citron which uses crème fraîche. But if you prefer, you can top your lemon tart with meringue, whipped cream, or even just a dusting of powdered sugar.

Lemon Tart Ingredients

Cocoa Butter: You may not have any cocoa butter on hand unless you’ve been watching our chocolate series with Chef Christophe Rull. If you do not have cocoa butter on hand that is totally fine! 

Instead of using cocoa butter, you can use melted white chocolate (something like a high-quality white chocolate bar like the Lindt White Chocolate Classic bars) and it will still be delicious! The cocoa butter is used to create a moisture barrier between the lemon curd and the crust so it doesn’t get soggy.

Crème Fraîche:  You can purchase crème fraîche or you can easily make it yourself with some heavy whipping cream and some buttermilk. It does take about 12-24 hours to thicken up though so make sure you plan ahead.

Creme fraiche is whipped cream with a little buttermilk added. The buttermilk has bacteria in it that thickens the cream (like making yogurt) and it also adds a wonderful tangy flavor.

Homemade Crème Fraîche Instructions

1. If you are making your own crème fraîche, then you will want to make this the day before you are preparing your lemon tarts.
2. Combine the buttermilk and heavy cream in a glass bowl and cover lightly with plastic wrap.
3. Rest at room temperature (do not refrigerate) for 2-12 hours. The longer it sits, the thicker the crème fraîche will be. The bacterial cultures in buttermilk thicken and acidify the cream, while also preventing bad bacteria from taking over so it’s safe to be at room temperature.
4. After your crème fraîche has thickened, it can be stored in the fridge for up to two weeks

Making the Pâte Sucrée Tart Shells

1. First, in the bowl of your stand mixer, mix the room temperature butter and powdered sugar with the paddle attachment. Mix until it is smooth.
2. Then, add in the almond flour and continue to mix it until it is combined.
3. Next, add in the eggs, vanilla bean seeds, and the all-purpose flour. Mix the batter until all of the ingredients are smooth and thoroughly combined.
4. Wrap the dough neatly in plastic wrap, and then place it in the refrigerator for 4 hours.
5. After the dough has chilled in the refrigerator, divide the dough into four pieces.
6. On a lightly floured surface, roll the tart dough out until it is about ⅛” thick.
7. Use a large circle cutter (about 5") to cut the dough.
8. Next, gently place the dough inside the tart ring by pressing the bottom down to the corners of the ring and while pressing gently onto the sides of the ring.
9. Then, use a paring knife to trim the excess off the top edge of the ring.
10. Check the bottom of the ring to see that the bottom edge has been pressed flush. If the dough is getting too warm and sticky to handle, place it back in the fridge to firm it up.
11. Run your finger around the edge of the tart shell to get a nice even seal on the shell.
12. After that, use a fork to gently dock the bottom of the tart shells to avoid large bubbles forming when baking.
13. Once you have finished all the shells, place them in the freezer for an hour.
14. Finally, bake the tart shells at 360ºF (182ºC) until they are dark golden brown.

How to Make the Lemon Filling

For a less tart lemon filling, replace 25% of the lemon juice with orange juice.

1. In a separate bowl, add in your egg yolks and mix them so that they are smooth.
2. Then, in a pot over medium heat, add in your sugar, lemon juice, and zest. Mix everything completely and heat it over medium heat until it is just simmering.
3. Next, add about ⅓ of the lemon mixture to the separate bowl of egg yolks while whisking together to temper the eggs.
4. After that, add the lemon/egg mixture back into the pan with the rest of the lemon juice while whisking contiously over medium heat. While whisking you can move the pot on and off the heat so it doesn't get too hot. Then, once it reaches a boil, let it continue to boil (while whisking) for about 30 seconds.
5. Finally, remove the pan from heat and add in the butter. Use an immersion blender to incorporate the butter and make the curd very smooth.
6. Cool the lemon curd to 28ºC (82ºF)

Assembling the Lemon Tart

1. Once you have baked your tart shells and let them fully cool, use a pastry brush to coat a thin layer of cocoa butter (or white chocolate) to the insides of the shells. This is the secret to keeping your lemon tart sheels nice and crisp!
2. Then, after the cocoa butter has set inside the shells, you are ready to pour the lemon curd into the tart shells.
3. Fill each shell with lemon curd almost all of the way to the top.
4. Allow the tart to cool in the fridge for 2 hours before you decorate.
5. Add fresh fruit, creme fraiche, and any garnish you like to complete your elevated lemon tart. Continue reading to learn how to make some fun edible garnish! *Pro Tip: You can brush the tops of your lemon tarts with simple syrup to keep them looking nice and shiny.

How To Make Elevated Lemon Tart Garnishes

We used a lot of different types of garnish for this simple lemon tart to show you that you can really let your creativity shine with the decor. Below you will find all the instructions for the garnishes we used but you can use just one or none at all.

More Garnish Ideas

• Gold Leaf - Apply small pieces with tweezers or a brush
• Fresh Berries - Raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, let your imagination and taste buds run wild!
• Edible Flowers - There are many flowers that are edible and look gorgeous as decor such as violas, lavender, thyme, dill, cilantro, day lily, squash blossom, Nasturtiums, chives, roses, basil and more!). 
• Meringue Kisses or Meringue Flowers - so cute and easy to customize to your design

How To Make A Quenelle

1. Prepare a glass of hot water and place a dry towel next to it. It's crucial that the water is hot to make the best quenelles. Take an oval-shaped spoon and place it in the glass of water.
2. Pull your spoon out of the water, dry it on the towel.
3. With the spoon angled, carve the spoon directly up towards the edge of the bowl or container then rotate ¼ turn to form the quenelle.
4. Gently place the quenelle onto your lemon tart. Don't worry if it doesn't look perfect, this takes practice to perfect and no matter how it looks it will taste good!

How To Make Candied Lemon Slice Garnish

1. First, in a stovetop pan, mix 8 ounces of water and 7 ounces of sugar together and bring it to a boil.
2. While the sugar water is warming up, cut up a lemon to create thin slices. Remove the seeds.
3. Once the sugar water reaches a boil, add the thin lemon slices into the pan in a single layer.
4. Then, simmer the slices for about 15 minutes.
5. Transfer lemon slices to a wire rack or parchment paper and let cool. Let them dry overnight for use the next day.

How To Make A White Chocolate Swoosh Garnish

1. Using tempered chocolate place a penny size drop onto some parchment paper.
2. Use a spoon to spread it out in a swoosh.
3. Let the chocolate set and then peel off the parchment to use on your lemon tart. 

How To Make A Chocolate Curl Garnish

I'm using the same technique Chef Christophe taught us in his easy chocolate decor episode. I used white chocolate for the lemon tarts but the photos are of when we used dark chocolate. You can use either one.

1. Using tempered chocolate, spread a thin layer onto some acetate.
2. Using a cake comb, make some lines in the chocolate.
3. Once the chocolate has gone matte but is not fully set, curl the acetate and clip it until the chocolate fully sets.
4. Unroll the acetate and use the chocolate curls as a garnish for the lemon tarts.

How To Make Isomalt Coral Garnish

1. Place some raw isomalt in a small pile on top of a silicone mat on a sheet pan.
2. Use a toothpick to add a couple small specs of food color.
3. Place a second silicone mat on top.
4. Bake the isomalt in the oven at 350ºF until the isomalt melts (about 5 minutes).
5. Remove the pan from the oven and let the isomalt cool complately.
6. Carefully remove the isomalt from silicone and put it on your lemon tart.

FAQ

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