Mini Tarte au Citron (French Lemon Tart)

Some desserts are memorable because they're elaborate. Others are memorable because every component is perfectly balanced. Tarte au Citron belongs firmly in the second category.

A crisp, buttery Pâte Sucrée shell surrounds a silky lemon filling that's rich from butter and eggs, yet bright with fresh lemon juice and lemon zest. The contrast between the delicate pastry and smooth lemon curd is what has made this classic French tart a favorite in pâtisseries around the world.

This recipe is especially meaningful because it's the first dessert in PudgeFactor's French Sweet Tart Series. These desserts will be built around my perfected Pâte Sucrée. Once you've mastered this sweet pastry dough, you'll be able to create everything from chocolate salted caramel tarts to fresh fruit tarts with confidence.

Jump to:

• Why You'll Love This Recipe
• What is Tarte au Citron?
• Ingredients - Here's What You'll Need
• Step-by-Step Instructions
• PudgeFactor's Test Kitchen Tips
• In Case You're Wondering
• Recipe

Why You'll Love This Recipe

• Perfect balance of sweet and tart with a silky smooth lemon filling
• Crisp buttery French pastry
• Perfect make-ahead dessert, ideal for entertaining
• Bakery quality presentation
• Freezer-friendly pastry shells; foundation recipe for countless French tarts

What is Tarte au Citron?

Tarte au Citron is the French version of a lemon tart. Unlike many American lemon pies, the filling is intensely flavored with fresh lemons, enriched with butter, and paired with a crisp sweet pastry rather than a flaky pie crust.

The result is elegant, refined, and perfectly balanced.

Ingredients - Here's What You'll Need

For the Pâte Sucrée

I learned to make this amazing Pâte Sucrée (sweet pastry) years ago in Paris. It's about as perfect a pastry as I can imagine, and is amazingly easy to make using a food processor!

For the Lemon Filling

The lemon filling is basically a silky lemon curd.

• European-style butter contains less water and more butterfat than standard American butter. The result - a richer, silkier lemon filling. Plugrá worked beautifully during testing.
• The mini tart shell was made using my Pâte Sucrée in a deep 4-inch tart shell.
• The lemon filling requires constant whisking. My medium saucier was the perfect pan for this because its sloped sides allowed the whisk to reach every part of the pan.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Bake Tart Shells: I started by baking the mini tart shells in a preheated 350°F oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until golden brown. I baked the shells straight from the freezer. Notice how perfectly formed the shells are with little to no slippage!

2. Lemon Sugar: I added the sugar and lemon zest directly to my medium All-Clad saucier. Using my fingertips, I rubbed the zest into the sugar for about a minute, until it became fragrant and slightly damp. This helps release the essential oils from the zest, resulting in a brighter lemon flavor.

3. Remaining Ingredients: I placed the saucier on the stovetop and added the lemon juice, cubed butter, eggs, and egg yolks.

4. Cook the Curd: I cooked the curd over medium-low to low heat, whisking continuously and scraping the bottom and corners of the pan. The butter melted first, followed by a gradual thickening of the mixture. I continued cooking and whisking until the curd coated the whisk, leaving visible trails. This took around 20 minutes, but could take more or less time depending on your pan and burner. Be sure not to rush this step; do not allow the mixture to boil.

5. Strain: I immediately poured the curd through a fine-mesh strainer into a 4-cup Pyrex measuring cup with a spout. (The spout made it easy to fill the shells!) Using a flexible silicone spoon, I gently pressed the curd through the strainer to remove the remaining zest and any coagulated egg proteins. This step is important to ensure an ultra-smooth filling.

6. Fill the Shells: I placed each baked tart shell on my digital kitchen scale and tared it (zeroed it). I poured the curd into each shell until it reached 90 grams. This ensured that each tart had identical proportions and presentation. I actually ended up with five 4-inch tarts and three 3-inch tarts!

7. Chill: I refrigerated the filled tarts, uncovered, for several hours to let them reach refrigerator temperature. This prevents condensation from forming, which can soften the crispy pastry.

7. Package: One thing I like to do is contemplate gifting options for items like these mini tarts. I ended up packaging the 4-inch tarts in 4-inch boxes with clear windows with a 4-inch doily, and the 3-inch tarts in 3-inch boxes with clear windows and a 3-inch doily.

These elegant Mini Tarte au Citron, with their buttery French Pâte Sucrée pastry shells and silky homemade lemon curd, create the perfect balance of rich and refreshing. Yum!

PudgeFactor's Test Kitchen Tips

I learned a long time ago that rubbing lemon zest into the sugar releases the lemon oils and produces a more fragrant filling. I started the lemon curd with this simple step.

Even carefully cooked curd can contain tiny bits of cooked egg white. Straining guarantees that these bits, as well as the lemon zest are removed from the silky curd.

In my normal fashion, I weighed everything, including the quantity of filling going into each tart shell. If you don't have a kitchen scale, do yourself a favor and get one. I use mine on a daily basis.

One of the advantages of the Pâte Sucrée is how beautifully it adapts to different pan sizes. During the testing, I made three different sizes:

Tart Size	Filling
2.6-inch	20 g
3-inch	40 g
4-inch	90 g

Whether you're serving afternoon tea or an elegant dinner party, there's a perfect size for every occasion.

In Case You're Wondering

Recipe