Recipe for tarte au citron
Classic tarte au citron – the elegant French lemon tart with burnt meringue on top.
Tarte au citron tastes simply heavenly! That’s the best way to describe it.
My husband is completely in love with this insanely delicious, fresh, and sweet tart, so I make sure not to go too long without serving it to him – it’s not a risk I’m willing to take!
It’s also perfect for serving when we have guests, so if I get a few hours’ notice, I’m more than happy to whip up this French classic.
I certainly didn’t hold back on the meringue, and the result exceeded all expectations.
Ingredients
Shortcrust Pastry
- 150 gram Butter
- 1 Egg M/L
- 100 gram Powdered Sugar
- 265 gram Wheat Flour
- 400 gram Chickpeas dried
Lemon Cream
- 2 Egg M/L
- 85 gram Sugar
- 8 gram Vanilla Sugar
- 3 Lemon juice and zest from this
- 150 gram Cream whipping cream
- 1.5 gram Cornstarch
Meringue
- 4 egg white
- 200 gram Powdered Sugar
Instructions
Shortcrust Pastry
- Find a mixing bowl.
- Put flour, icing sugar, butter, and eggs in the bowl.
- Mix it together into a firm dough using a stand mixer (or by hand).
- Turn the dough out onto the table.
- Knead the dough together with your hands.
- Put the dough back into the bowl.
- Cover the bowl and place it in the refrigerator for about 45 minutes.
- Dust the countertop with a little flour.
- Place the dough here.
- Roll out the dough with a rolling pin.
- Find a non-stick tart tin (preferably with a loose bottom).
- Press the tart dough into the tin.
- Now pour the dried chickpeas on top of the dough to fill the tin. This ensures that the tart dough stays in place during baking.
- Preheat the oven to 170 degrees Celsius (338 degrees Fahrenheit) (conventional oven).
- Place the tart crust in the preheated oven.
- Bake for 15 minutes.
- Remove the tart from the oven and let it cool with the chickpeas in it.
- Preheat the oven to 110 degrees Celsius (230 degrees Fahrenheit) (conventional oven).
- Find a bowl.
- Add the grated lemon zest, sugar, cornstarch, and vanilla sugar.
- Whisk it together.
- Then add the eggs, cream, and lemon juice.
- Whisk everything well until there are no lumps. You can use a hand mixer to ensure it becomes a smooth mixture.
- Pour the lemon cream over the cooled tart crust.
- Place the tart in the oven.
- Let it bake for 35-45 minutes until the cream sets.
- Remove the lemon tart from the oven.
- Let it cool for at least 3 hours before removing it from the tin.
- Find a mixing bowl.
- Add egg whites and icing sugar to it.
- Whisk it stiff in a stand mixer. The bowl should be able to be turned upside down without the mixture falling out. It takes 15-20 minutes.
- Spread the finished meringue mixture over the cooled lemon tart. For instance, use a spatula or a piping bag with a nozzle.
- Find your blowtorch.
- Torch the top of the meringue, just until it gets some color.
- Serve your tarte au citron immediately or let it sit until the next day - it can easily handle that.
