Tart with Lemon Curd

Here is the recipe for a delicious tart with lemon curd, a lemon variant of the classic fruit tart.

Ingredients

For the shortcrust pastry:

• 300g of type 00 flour
• 150g of cold butter, cubed
• 100g of icing sugar
• 1 whole egg and 1 yolk
• Grated zest of 1 lemon
• A pinch of salt

For the lemon curd:

• Juice of 3 large lemons (about 150 ml of juice)
• Grated zest of 2 lemons
• 200g of sugar
• 100g of butter
• 3 whole eggs and 1 yolk

Preparation

1. Start with the shortcrust pastry: mix the flour with the icing sugar and salt. Add the cold butter and start to work the mixture with your fingertips until you get a sandy consistency.
2. Make a well in the center and add the whole egg and yolk, and the grated zest of 1 lemon. Knead quickly until you form a homogenous ball. Wrap the shortcrust pastry in cling film and let it rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
3. In the meantime, prepare the lemon curd: in a saucepan, put the juice and grated zest of the lemons, sugar, and butter. Heat over medium heat until the butter has melted.
4. In a bowl, beat the whole eggs with the yolk, then add them to the lemon mixture, stirring continuously.
5. Cook over low heat, continuing to stir, until the mixture has thickened (be careful not to let it boil). Remove the lemon curd from the heat and let it cool. It should have the consistency of a spreadable cream.
6. Preheat the oven to 180 °C.
7. Roll out the pastry into a sheet about 5mm thick and use it to line a tart mold. Prick the bottom with the tines of a fork.
8. Blind bake the tart base (covered with parchment paper and weights such as dried beans or rice) in the oven for 15 minutes, then remove the paper and weights and let it brown for another 5-10 minutes. Allow to cool completely.
9. When the base is cool, fill it with the lemon curd and level the surface.
10. You can decorate with slices of candied lemon or a dusting of icing sugar before serving.

If you have time, for a final touch, you could also prepare an Italian meringue to arrange on top of the tart, then briefly caramelize it with a blowtorch, turning it into a lemon meringue tart.

Curiosity

The tart with lemon curd is a fresh and citrusy variant of the classic tart. Lemon curd is a British-origin cream commonly used not only to fill desserts but often also as an accompaniment to scones and bread.