Lemon Tartlets
By Camila ChaparroPublished on October 14, 2020
Time
1¾ hours, plus 2 hours cooling
Yield
Serves 6
Ingredients
Crust
2 cups (10 ounces/283 grams) all-purpose flour ½ cup (3½ ounces/99 grams) granulated sugar ¾ teaspoon table salt 14 tablespoons unsalted butter, meltedFilling
3 large eggs plus 9 large yolks1 cup (7 ounces/198 grams) granulated sugar 3 tablespoons grated lemon zest plus ¾ cup juice (4 lemons)¼ teaspoon table salt 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces3 tablespoons heavy cream, chilledConfectioners' sugarInstructions
- Adjust oven racks to middle and lowest positions and heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray six 4-inch tart pans with removable bottoms with vegetable oil spray. Whisk flour, sugar, and salt together in bowl. Add melted butter and stir with wooden spoon until dough forms.
- Divide dough into 6 equal pieces. Working with 1 piece of dough at a time, press two-thirds of dough into bottom of 1 prepared pan using your fingers. Press remaining dough into fluted sides of pan. Press and smooth dough with your fingers to even thickness.
- Line tart pans with double layer of aluminum foil, covering edges to prevent burning, and fill with pie weights. Place pans on wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet and bake on lower rack until edges are beginning to turn golden, about 25 minutes. Carefully remove foil and weights, rotate sheet, and continue to bake until tart shells are golden brown and firm to touch, 10 to 15 minutes; set aside (tart shells must still be warm when filling is added).
- Whisk eggs and yolks together in medium saucepan. Whisk in sugar until combined, then whisk in lemon zest and juice and salt. Add butter and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens slightly and registers 170 degrees, about 5 minutes. Immediately pour mixture through fine-mesh strainer into bowl. Stir in cream.
- With tarts still on wire rack, divide warm lemon filling evenly among warm tart shells. Bake on upper rack until filling is shiny and opaque and centers jiggle slightly when shaken, about 10 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through baking.
- Let tartlets cool completely on wire rack in sheet, about 2 hours. Remove outer ring of tart pans, slide thin metal spatula between tartlets and pan bottoms, and carefully slide tartlets onto serving platter or individual plates. Dust with confectioners' sugar. Serve.
for the crust
for the filling
Time
1¾ hours, plus 2 hours coolingYield
Serves 6Ingredients
Crust
2 cups (10 ounces/283 grams) all-purpose flour
½ cup (3½ ounces/99 grams) granulated sugar
¾ teaspoon table salt
14 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Filling
3 large eggs plus 9 large yolks
1 cup (7 ounces/198 grams) granulated sugar
3 tablespoons grated lemon zest plus ¾ cup juice (4 lemons)
¼ teaspoon table salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces
3 tablespoons heavy cream, chilled
Confectioners' sugar
Ingredients
Crust
2 cups (10 ounces/283 grams) all-purpose flour
½ cup (3½ ounces/99 grams) granulated sugar
¾ teaspoon table salt
14 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Filling
3 large eggs plus 9 large yolks
1 cup (7 ounces/198 grams) granulated sugar
3 tablespoons grated lemon zest plus ¾ cup juice (4 lemons)
¼ teaspoon table salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces
3 tablespoons heavy cream, chilled
Confectioners' sugar
Ingredients
Crust
2 cups (10 ounces/283 grams) all-purpose flour
½ cup (3½ ounces/99 grams) granulated sugar
¾ teaspoon table salt
14 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Filling
3 large eggs plus 9 large yolks
1 cup (7 ounces/198 grams) granulated sugar
3 tablespoons grated lemon zest plus ¾ cup juice (4 lemons)
¼ teaspoon table salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces
3 tablespoons heavy cream, chilled
Confectioners' sugar
Why This Recipe Works
We didn't love the thought of rolling out six dough rounds and then carefully fitting them into small intricate pans, so we made a dough that we could easily press into the bottoms and flutes of our pans with our hands. We simply melted butter and stirred it into our dry ingredients (flour, sugar, and salt) to create a soft—but not melty or greasy—dough. We blind-baked these crusts so they wouldn't shrink and would remain crisp under the traditional lemon curd filling after baking. You will need six 4-inch tart pans with removable bottoms for this recipe. Once the lemon curd ingredients have been combined, cook the curd immediately; otherwise, its finished texture will be grainy. It is important to add the filling to the tart shells while it is still warm; if the shells have cooled, rewarm them in the oven for 5 minutes before adding the filling.
Instructions
- Adjust oven racks to middle and lowest positions and heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray six 4-inch tart pans with removable bottoms with vegetable oil spray. Whisk flour, sugar, and salt together in bowl. Add melted butter and stir with wooden spoon until dough forms.
- Divide dough into 6 equal pieces. Working with 1 piece of dough at a time, press two-thirds of dough into bottom of 1 prepared pan using your fingers. Press remaining dough into fluted sides of pan. Press and smooth dough with your fingers to even thickness.
- Line tart pans with double layer of aluminum foil, covering edges to prevent burning, and fill with pie weights. Place pans on wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet and bake on lower rack until edges are beginning to turn golden, about 25 minutes. Carefully remove foil and weights, rotate sheet, and continue to bake until tart shells are golden brown and firm to touch, 10 to 15 minutes; set aside (tart shells must still be warm when filling is added).
- Whisk eggs and yolks together in medium saucepan. Whisk in sugar until combined, then whisk in lemon zest and juice and salt. Add butter and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens slightly and registers 170 degrees, about 5 minutes. Immediately pour mixture through fine-mesh strainer into bowl. Stir in cream.
- With tarts still on wire rack, divide warm lemon filling evenly among warm tart shells. Bake on upper rack until filling is shiny and opaque and centers jiggle slightly when shaken, about 10 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through baking.
- Let tartlets cool completely on wire rack in sheet, about 2 hours. Remove outer ring of tart pans, slide thin metal spatula between tartlets and pan bottoms, and carefully slide tartlets onto serving platter or individual plates. Dust with confectioners' sugar. Serve.
for the crust
for the filling
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