French Lemon Tart Recipe

Combine dry ingredients

Whisk together the flour, powdered sugar and salt in a bowl until evenly mixed.

Cut in butter

Add the cold cubed butter to the flour mixture. Using a pastry cutter or your fingertips, work the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some pea-sized pieces remaining.

Add egg yolk and bind

Stir in the egg yolk and vanilla. Add the ice water 1 tablespoon at a time and gently mix until the dough just comes together when pressed. Avoid overworking.

Chill and roll

Form the dough into a disc, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (up to 2 hours). On a lightly floured surface, roll the chilled dough to about 1/8 inch thickness and line a 9-inch tart pan with removable bottom. Trim and crimp edges. Refrigerate the lined tart shell for 15 minutes.

Blind bake

Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Line the tart shell with parchment and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake for 15 minutes, remove weights and parchment, then bake another 8–10 minutes until edges are lightly golden. Let cool slightly. Reduce oven temperature to 325°F (160°C) for filling bake.

Prepare rosemary-infused lemon juice (optional)

If using rosemary, gently bruise the rosemary sprig and warm it with the lemon juice in a small saucepan over low heat for 3–4 minutes (do not boil) to infuse. Remove from heat and let steep for 10 minutes, then strain to remove the herb. You should end up with about 3/4 cup lemon juice. Discard rosemary solids.

Whisk eggs and sugar

In a medium heatproof bowl, whisk together the whole eggs, extra egg yolk and granulated sugar until smooth and slightly pale.

Temper and cook

Place the bowl over a saucepan of gently simmering water (double boiler). Slowly whisk in the lemon juice (tempering gradually if desired) and lemon zest. Cook the mixture, stirring constantly, until it thickens and reaches about 170–175°F (77–80°C) and coats the back of a spoon, about 8–10 minutes. Do not let it boil or the eggs may curdle.

Finish with butter

Remove from heat. Whisk in the cold cubed butter a few pieces at a time until fully incorporated and the curd is glossy and smooth. If you infused juice with rosemary, you will have a light herbal note; taste and strain if you notice any herb pieces. If needed, pass curd through a fine mesh sieve for extra smoothness.

Fill tart and bake gently

Pour the warm lemon curd into the prebaked tart shell, smoothing the top. Bake at 325°F (160°C) for 12–15 minutes just to set the filling; it should still have a slight jiggle in the center. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack for 1 hour, then chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours (or overnight) until fully set.

Final touches

Once chilled and set, remove the tart from the pan to a serving plate. Dust the top lightly with confectioners' sugar. Arrange candied or thin lemon slices and rosemary sprigs decoratively on top.

Serve

Slice with a sharp knife wiped clean between cuts. Serve chilled or at cool room temperature. Keeps refrigerated, covered, up to 3 days.