Tarte au Citron or a Classic Lemon Tart

Of all the tastes we remember , the most intense pleasure and nostalgia is those that get rekindled from sweet old fashioned childhood favorites . A classic Lemon tart is just that memory for me from mum's kitchen . A crisp buttery crust with smooth tangy lemon custard is all you need to recreate this utterly iconic French dessert . I love the creamy, almost pudding-like consistency of the lemon filling , which when baked makes the tart stable enough to be cut into neat slices. To finish , I usually dust my lemon tart with lemon punched powdered sugar for the lingering after taste .

In order to make the dough for the shell refer this link from one of my earlier recipes https://www.thehungryboy.in/post/mini-tarts-with-bitter-chocolate-orange-custard-and-marmalade-filling

Note - Do not over knead or overmix the dough or you will melt the butter and your pastry will miss the puffiness in its layers ..

• Once you have rested the dough in the fridge for 1 hour , roll out the dough into a large base ( approximately 2 - 3 inches larger than your tart tin ) . Next , using a rolling pin as support , gently lift and unroll the pastry sheet over the tart tin .

• Using your finger gently pinch the dough onto the sides of the tart tin and ensure you cover all the corners .

• Prick the base of the tart with a fork to release air bubbles , if any.

• Cover the inside of the tart with foil paper and place some raw rice or baking weights to avoid the pastry from rising as you bake.

• Bake the pastry shell for 10 mins - then remove it from the oven , empty out the rice or baking weights and bake it for another 15 mins till crisp and done.

Allow the shell to fully cool down before trimming its edges with a sharp serrated knife . Fill with custard only once the tart shell is fully cooled to ensure it won't go soggy.

Things you will need to make the filling :

• 6 whole eggs

• 2 egg yolks

• 140 gms caster sugar

• 150 gms double cream

• 2 lemon zest

• 140 ml lemon juice

Steps to follow

• Using a hand blender gently beat all of the above ingredients ( barring the lemon zest ) together. Once well incorporated , sieve the filling into a bowl and then pour it gently into the pastry shell .

• Next , sprinkle the lemon zest on top and place the tart inside the oven.

• Bake at 180 degrees for about 20 -25 mins .

• Once done , check that the pie is cooked through but it should still have a some sort of wobble in the center.

• Once cooled , place the pie in the fridge to chill .

• Top with some more lemon zest punched powdered sugar / lime wedges - slice and serve .