Skip to content
3K Shares

Not everyone thinks of citrus fruits as “winter fruits.” But that’s when oranges, grapefruits, tangerines, tangy lemons, and enticing limes are often at their peak. And that’s a good thing because there’s nothing that brightens up any season – but especially winter – better than a classic French lemon tart.

French lemon tart recipe

Any bakery in Paris will have a Tarte au citron on offer. Some are on the sweet side, others tart. I like my lemon tart, well…tart, for sure and when I search for lemons at my market, I choose the plumpest, juiciest ones I can find. Fortunately, good lemons are available just about anywhere, so anyone can make this tart. Most of us don’t even have to wait until winter!

https://www.davidlebovitz.com/2009/05/tart-au-citron-french-lemon-tart/

I juiced my lemons, cracked some eggs, and got to work on the tart.

For the base, I used Paule’s pastry dough, which is so easy to make and hasn’t failed me yet. It’s delicious and buttery, and goes particularly well with the delicious lemon topping.

https://www.davidlebovitz.com/2009/05/tart-au-citron-french-lemon-tart/

I cooked the filling, a sunny, luscious lemon curd, on the stovetop with the fragrant zest of the lemons, then poured the warm filling through a strainer to make it as smooth as possible.

https://www.davidlebovitz.com/2009/05/tart-au-citron-french-lemon-tart/ One could pipe whipped cream on it or top it with meringue. To do so, let it cool and spread or pipe whipped cream over the top or serve a dollop alongside. If you want to give a go at meringue, check out my Lime Meringue Tart recipe or the marshmallow topping that I use on my Pumpkin Pie with Marshmallow Topping.

https://www.davidlebovitz.com/2009/05/tart-au-citron-french-lemon-tart/

Both are delicious, but just as it is – or as the French say, nature – is just fine with me.

French lemon tart

Lemon Tart

I recently updated this recipe to increase the amount of filling and I dialed down the sugar a bit due to frequent questions about reducing sugar in recipes. You can taste the filling in step 3 and if you'd like it sweeter, add up to 1/4 cup (50g) more sugar If you find that you have a bit too much filling for your tart shell (they seem to vary), any remaining lemon filling that you don’t use can be spread on toast, fresh biscuits, or scones. You could substitute fresh lime juice for the lemon, and if you have Meyer lemons, reduce the sugar to 1/2 cup (100g). You can use a favorite tart dough recipe, or the one I’ve linked to.
  • 1 cup (250ml) freshly-squeezed lemon juice
  • grated zest of two lemons, preferably unsprayed
  • 3/4 cup (150g) sugar
  • 12 tablespoons (170g) butter, salted or unsalted, cut into cubes
  • 4 large eggs
  • 4 large egg yolks
  • One pre-baked 9-inch (23cm) tart shell
  • Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC).
  • In a medium-sized non-reactive saucepan, heat the lemon juice, zest, sugar, butter, eggs and egg yolks. Have a mesh strainer nearby.
  • Stir until the butter is melted, then whisk the mixture continuously until the mixture thickens and holds its shape when you lift some of it up with the whisk and it visibly mounds up when dropped back down over the rest of the mixture in the saucepan. It should just take a few minute.
  • Pour the warm lemon curd though a strainer into a bowl (or directly into the tart shell), scraping with a rubber spatula to press it through.
  • Smooth the lemon filling in the prebaked tart shell and pop it in the oven until the curd is just set. It’ll take about 5 to 6 minutes.
  • Remove from the oven and let cool before slicing and serving.

Related Links

Recipes to Use Up Leftover Egg Whites

Lemon Verbena Ice Cream

Moroccan Preserved Lemons

Tips for Freezing Eggs

What is non-reactive cookware?

French lemon tart recipe-13

3K Shares

115 comments

    • Tartelette

    Lemon tarts are in the air…still have one left from this weekend. The picture with the lemons on the “torchon” is gorgeous. No meringue or cream for me…just plenty of lemons and zest!

    • Meg

    Ooh, I think I’m going to have to make this for my birthday party at the end of the month. I am sure it will impress the local Brits, with their love of lemon curd! (Don’t suppose you want to just bring me one? ; ))

    • valisa

    I can’t believe you call it modest. It looks absolutely spectacular! And I bet it is yummy.

    • rookie cookie

    Yeah, don’t say “big pile o’ curd”.

    Lovely lemon tart. Lovely pictures.

    • Toasted Special

    Lemon tart is one of my favourites, frugal but indulgent at the same time. Nice photos.

    • FN

    Egg yolks in the freezer? Seriously? You can freeze egg yolks?

    I am ashamed – all I got are two empty ice cube trays…..

    • Barbra

    The only things in my freezer that I actually use are chicken stock and pastry dough. Everything else there in there is as likely as Walt Disney to ever see the light of day again.

    ps: I love this tart with a thin layer of almondy frangipane baked into the bottom of the shell.

    • Carissa

    Lemon must be in the air. I just made mini lemon bundt cakes over the weekend, and I normally don’t even like lemon desserts!

    • LinLaLiLa

    Umm… You had me with that first image. There’s just something about a macro shot of a tart’s edge that makes my entire mouth fill with saliva. I’m making this tonight and serving with fresh raspberries. Mmmm. Thanks. :)

    • siri

    Do tell..

    Is an ice cube in the morning one of your “perks”- or one of your “quirks”?

    After reading your site for the past half a year, I feel like I can justly classify you with the more quirky bunch. But maybe I’m wrong.

    • Arundathi

    Just taking a break from the kitchen after making lemon curd for the first time. It was so delicious, I couldn’t stop tasting it! And then I see this recipe!! Gorgeous! Thank you!

    • Emma

    It’s such a gorgeous, deep-gold color – thanks for sharing!

    • Lucy

    I think that it is quite reasonable to consider an ice cube in a drink to be a perk in this country… Tarte au Citron is one of my favorites. You have a beautiful tarte there.

    • Brigitte

    Now, I am remembering all the egg whites I threw away because they had spent too much time in my refrigerator. I did not know we could keep yolks and egg whites in the freezer for so long! So many missed meringues! How long do they keep? 4 months? 1 year?

    • Soma

    what a darling recipe with frozen egg yolks, & i didn’t even know that egg yolks could be frozen! That 1st picture is awesome.

    • pRiyA

    David, that tart looks so perfectly beautiful it is a work of art!

    • dawn

    that has to be the most picture perfect lemon tart I’ve ever laid eyes on. simply stunning!

    • rachel

    I love the colour of the lemon curd and a very beautiful tart!

    • Hélène

    I’m a sucker for anything with lemon. Love the idea of freezing egg yolks. I’ll try that. I hate to waste anything. Très belle tarte au citron. Thanks for sharing.

    • Happy Cook

    Wow that lemon tart looks so so yumm.
    I learned something new, i didn’t know we could freeze in egg yolks.

    • David

    What’s funny is that because I make so much ice cream, I always have tons of white leftover. That I had two yolks trolling around in the freezer was pretty odd. This was the perfect recipe to use them up. Whew!

    (Although a found a few other things back there that I need to figure out how to use…)

    • Haley Hogan

    I love your blog! I don’t even much like lemon desserts, but this one certainly looks luscious..

    xxo HH

    • Susan

    Your recipe is almost the identical ingredient list I used for the Lemon Sabayon I made for Paule’s tart shell that I experimented with when you presented it. The method of cooking it is different,. It was Thomas Keller’s Lemon Sabayon recipe. It used 3/4 cup of sugar though. I guess it was my neighbors Eureka lemons because, Buddy, that was one tart, Tart! I could barely eat it, until I piled on the whipped cream, that is. What’s the difference between a Sabyone and a Curd, or is it just the place of origins’ name that’s different?

    I have to tell you, that tart crust is so easy and so crisp and flakey that I’ve been all over the net searching for a variety of fillings. It was the first Tart I ever made, and I want to experiment now!

    • Malini

    Ooooh, that tart pastry looks absolutely perfect.
    And that lemon filling is pure lemon.
    Love it.

    • Sara

    What a delicious way to clean out the freezer!

    • simona

    tartE mon cher David. French difficult language, I know.
    Looks like a very tasty tarte au citron, you tarte.
    The Figaro has declared the tarte au citron de CARL MARLETTI ( 51, rue Censier) the best Tarte au citron of Paris. I’m sure your tarte au citron is at least as good as that one !!!
    Vive la tarte au citron

    Oof! Is there no end to how I abuse this lovely language I’m surrounded by? Merci, toujours…x x -dl

    • Lillianne

    “two egg yolks just trolling around” hahaha you kill me. With the door closed and the light off I can just imagine those two egg yolks hopping around inside the freezer trying to see what kind of trouble they can get into.

    • Edd

    Love Lemon tart such a nice pace of change from my normal indulgence and really easy to make too. My favorite is Dorie’s whole lemon tart so good

    • Laura

    Oooh…so beautiful! I’ve been craving exactly this dessert lately, although the version I’ve been wanting has a very very thin layer of dark chocolate underneath the curd.

    • Bernadette

    That is a lovely, just perfect tart shell! YES! Someone else that puts ice in their orange juice, yay!

    • Sarah

    GORGEOUS! You could probably sell that for 40$ in any of my local neighborhood gourmet markets.

    I want a dollop of fresh, lightly sweetened, whip cream on my slice please.

    I’ll know when I become a real cook/baker when I save everything I don’t use like your two frozen yolks from the Jurassic period. Me, I dabble, and whatever is left over or unused I toss. When I try to be creative and frugal my fridge just looks messy and then I don’t cook. I wait for something to go almost bad then throw it all out and start over again with a clean slate/fridge freezer. Perhaps it’s a bit of OCD?!?!

    Anyways, I recently read Matt’s blog with his fridge pictured in a lovely photo and article. He’s a real cook. I aspire to be like him.

    Your lemons alone looked delicious. I hate sprayed waxy coated produce. I think there are generations of Americans who don’t know what real produce is supposed to look like. Scary…..

    • Martha in KS

    David, I too put ice in my OJ, also even in milk. Love those c-o-l-d beverages. Tart looks delish!

    • David

    Bernadette: We must be Portuguese, because when I was in Lisbon, almost everyone put ice in their orange juice, too!

    Laura: Chocolate would be good, although there’s something to be said for just a clean, neat wedge of perfect lemon tart. And this was certainly it.

    Susan: I have that recipe in my files but I’ve never made it. (Although the pine nut crust sounds good.) Sabayon is whipped egg yolks over heat, beating until frothy, and this is just a custard, or a curd. I still want to give his recipe a try, but I had these two egg yolks to use up, ya know… : )

    • Lynn in Tucson

    Mmmmm…I have four yolks left behind from a Mother’s Day Pavlova!

    • Kate

    I’m glad you made this instead of the super healthy scones (isn’t that an oxymoron?)

    Your tart crust is so beautifully thin!

    That sounds like a come on, which it’s not (maybe).

    I really have to clean out my freezer.

    This comment is brought to you by the word, “disjointed”.

    • Holly

    Thanks, you answered my burning question. I was wondering if the dough froze well!

    • Christelle

    I’ll have mine with meringue on top and confit strands of lemon rind thanks ;)
    very neat result!

    • MrsLavendula

    i love orange juice in the morning! but i like mine chilled, pulpy and undiluted by ice! =)
    the lemon tart looks lovely! hooray for forgotten egg yolks! great pictures….as always!

    • Peggy

    I just discovered your blog and am loving it because it takes me back to the 80s my husband and I lived in Geneva for 2 years. I think all current and former expats can relate to eachothers experiences, no matter what country they live(d) in, and reading your entries makes me smile, laugh, and recall many wonderful (and not so wonderful) memories we have our our time overseas. It’s also amazing how little things change over there!

    • Dana Mccauley

    Looks fantastic! But, don’t scare me again by letting a precious tart hang over the edge of the counter that way. Too scary!

    • Meridith

    I want the towel the lemons are resting on

    • Susan

    Well, David, you’ll have to start from scratch. Keller’s recipe calls for 2 eggs and two egg yolks, cold! So fridge’em up before you start!

    Thanks for the explaination.

    • Stephanie

    My mouth is puckering just looking at it!!

    • EGT

    That “tarte” is absolutely gorgeous!
    And I bet it tastes incredibly good….
    mmmmm….

    • Amanda

    It looks très magnifique!

    • Su Su

    Thanks, David! Your entry made my day! It’s always great to read your blog! It’s usually the highlight of the day for me. That lemon tart looks yummy! Will have to consider whether to make it for my next baking project since I happen to have lemons in my fridge.

    • fethiye

    How do you save the egg yolks in the freezer? Once I tried, they came out “cooked” out of the freezer…

    • Annie

    Holy Mackerel! This is one incredibly delicious tarte! I made it tonight with fresh blackberries & raspberries and freshly whipped cream. I like fruit deserts that are that and intense; I’ll skip the super sugary ones. And this fits the bill. I added three drops of lemon extract (yes, I like it THAT tart) and it was such a lovely contrast with the sweet berries and fresh cream. Thank you for the lovely recipe and the very simple and delicious dough recipe as well! My dinner guests were very happy, as was I.

    • David

    Kerrin: Yes, I saw that. (I was at Jacques yesterday and he told me he was #2.) Odd that Chef Felder says to put cream in tarte au citron, but the lemon tarts in Paris that I’ve had were on the sweet side, and indeed, more creamy. I prefer them puckery-tart.

    I did go to that pastry shop mentioned and wasn’t all that wild about it. But maybe I need to re-investigate!

    Annie: Yow! More lemon? This lemon oil is pretty delicious, too. It’s pure oil from the skins–and a little goes a lo-o-o-ong way.

    fethiye: At the end of the post, I linked to a page about how to do it. They can be mixed with a small amount of sugar and frozen in a small container, or just in plastic wrap, then foil.

    Merideth: I buy those torchons whenever I see them at flea markets. I don’t want to rub it in, but they’re usually pretty inexpensive: I pay €2-€4, maximum, for one. Those beautiful linen towels are too good to use for kitchen tasks, but I have a nice stack of them that I like to admire ; )

    • june2

    I made one like this for friends topped with 65% Green and Blacks long finger curls and it was gorgeous and delicious!

    • jennifer

    David, when you say “unsprayed” lemons, do you mean bio? If not bio, what do I look for in the market? Je crois votre francais c’est meilleur de moi

    • David

    jennifer: Look for lemons that are non traité, or “not treated”

    • Katarina Johansson

    David!

    No scraping ice when defrosting.Hellooooooooooooo! lol

    Just boil water and put the pan direct in the freezer and let the ice melt above and under. If you have a big freezer, put a pan with boiling water on every shelf. And change the water with new/ hot as it cools down.

    I have been there and scraped ice in that futter mucker too..lol.there are definately more fun things to waste time on than that! :D

    • Jill

    “any filling that you don’t use can be spread on toast, fresh biscuits, or scones” You forgot to mention spreading it on a spoon or finger….

    • Eileen

    Beautiful.

    • elra

    Yummy! I love lemon tart.

    • fethiye

    Thank you for pointing out the link!

    I love saving my whites and use them for pavlova. Hmm,maybe time for it again!

    • unconfidentialcook

    Looks like a real beauty!

    • Traci- Soup of The Day

    Gorgeous! Not sure I would have been able to cut into it~ It’s too pretty.

    • Laura Flowers

    Favorite line: “big pile o’ curd”. I’m going to think about it every time I make lemon curd now. Omgosh I can’t stop laughing.

    Simple, not to sweet desserts really can’t be beat. Maybe next time you can buy two baskets of berries. :)

    • Sarah

    Martha in KS…… you too? I thought I was the only one who put ice in my milk. I can only drink and enjoy it when it is super cold. And a chocolate chip cookie without a frosty glass of ice cold milk just isn’t worth it, no matter how excellent the cookie :-)

    • Dallas from Bitchin’ Kitchen

    Perfection. Bonus points for using up something from the back of your freezer!

    • kissmyspatula

    i just recently purchased my very first tart pan with removable bottom ever and was so excited to use it. this is the tart that resulted:
    http://kissmyspatula.com/2009/05/11/mascarpone-strawberry-tart/
    now, seeing this lemon tart is sending my heart racing. oh my gosh, i can barely wait. my tart pan is 9.5 inches. will that still work for your recipe or do you think i need to adjust down the ingredients?

    • Darin

    David,
    Did you use sugar in the yolks or the corn syrup mentioned in your link? I’ve always frozen whites but not yolks. Just wondering if the corn syrup might be better.

    I once read that if you just sprinkled them with salt or sugar you could freeze but as I anticipated, that just drew the moisture out so that when they were defrosted I was left with two golden gelatinous orbs that were like soft cooked yolks.

    The phrase “big pile” might be better saved for those healthy scones!

    • Marianne

    Wow, I made this today and topped it with warm blueberry sauce….it was the perfect blend of flavors…thanks for the recipe!

    • David

    kissmyspatula: Since most tart pans are in metrics, the 9-inch measurement is not exact so you can use this recipe as is. Or if you want more filling, simple increase the recipe. As mention, no one will object to having any extra lemon curd around : )

    Marianne: I LOVE blueberries. Unfortunately they’re pretty rare here in Paris. They are available in small barquettes (plastic containers) but you only get a few, and pay a lot for them. I miss those big baskets of blueberries..

    Martha & Sarah: Ok, I can see ice in orange juice. (In fact, I see it every morning.) But ice in milk does sound funny to me. But iced coffee sounds perfectly normal. Go figure!

    Darin: I don’t add sugar, but most folks say that you should to keep them from getting grainy. To be honest, I rarely have leftover yolks…like you…I always have whites, which don’t need anything.

    I was a pastry chef in an Asian restaurant and the chefs were always giving me buckets of yolks because they used the whites for various dishes. For a pastry chef, it was heaven! Although a fairly-rich one..

    • Paula Maack

    David, I love the image of you cleaning the freezer at 7AM in your jammies! That is too precious!! You should have included THAT photo!

    Your photos are the bomb! I just keep coming back to look at them. So lovely!

    Not sure if you got my tweet about making and posting a version of your tart shell with caramelized pineapples. Gods it was so good! Just had a slice again a few minutes ago from the one I made yesterday morning, and the pastry is still holding up. Love it!!!

    Love you!!!!

    XOXOXOX,

    ~ Paula

    • David

    Hi Paula: That’s a great idea using caramelized pineapple. I could see making this with lime curd, and topping it with fresh or caramelized mangoes as well. Fabulous..although I think I’d better keep pics of me in my jammies to myself!

    Just a note to all: I do read my Tweets, Facebook comments, and stuff, but if there are questions or notes regarding recipes or posts from the site, I prefer to respond to them on the site to keep everything together. (Including my brain…)

    Often if there are questions, others might have the same ones, and it’s nice to share the answers with all. Am happy to get comments, goofy stuff, random thoughts, and passing notes on Twitter. Merci!

    : )

    • Paula Maack

    Mmmmm… caramelized mangoes…. lime curd… tarts a plenty… :D

    Oooooh… how about passion fruit…?

    Now, see what you have gone and started. It’s tart mania around here!!!

    XOXOXOX,

    ~ Paula

    • mitra

    This was my first time baking a sweet tart and you’ve helped make it a success! It looked and tasted absolutely delicious :) Thanks ever so much!
    x

    • Carey

    Off topic….David, thank you for making your new book available on E-readers!!! I just downloaded it to my kindle, and suddenly the reality of being inside all day with the flu seems entirely bearable!! I’m so excited to dig in…

    • Debbie

    I saw the tart yesterday and I just had to have it. I of course had to make the working woman/semi-homemade version. Close your eyes, but I bought a frozen pie crust, baked it and then made the filling per your recipe. I did double it so I could have one to share. It was delish!! Thanks…

    • Jenni

    Sounds lovely. My only problem with it is that, when a dessert is short like that, I figure that I can eat twice as much. Which kind of defeats the purpose. Sigh. Glad you don’t have those yolks hanging over your head anymore:)

    • ATigerintheKitchen

    J’adore lemon tarts! I love how your filling looks just about right — I, too, dislike lemon tarts that are big, thick piles of yellow. Can’t wait to try this…I’d love to hear what uses you found for the other forgotten items in your freezer!

    • Meeka

    Loved your recent post about Paule’s pie crust! Unaware of your plans, it inspired me to post my own lemon tarte recipe on my blog (On My Plate) today. The recipe is based on the one Paule taught me years ago and is very similar to yours, but slightly richer (more eggs!) and with different treatment of lemon juice and egg whites. Is this grounds for a bake off?

    • Stacey Snacks

    David,
    I just finished reading The Sweet Life……it was wonderful!!
    Such an easy and entertaining read. I thoroughly enjoyed it!
    I will be linking it on my blog!

    Maybe when we come to Paris in Sept we can have a drink together!

    Stacey

    • Zelda

    Thanks David for these great recipes!!I
    Made Paule’s pie crust and the tarte au citron today (my first one…)
    ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS!!!!! (I used sour cream though – instead of the butter for the filling) .

    • Mary in Texas

    Funny, when I first read this I had just sat down after making a cheesecake with a layer of lemon curd on top. I put a hefty tablespoon of lemon zest in the cheesecake filling, too, just in case it wasn’t lemony enough. Wow, never dreamed of the reaction it would get when served to my friends at bridge! Lemon curd is one of those terrible addictions that are made worse by how easy they are to obtain.

    • Kathy

    I’ve had the accidental frozen egg in my old frig that thawed and cooked just fine, so freezing parts seems reasonable to me. Can’t help but think of the fertility clinics and how unbelievable it is that those fertilized eggs and sperm are still viable.
    But, why the 2 cup amounts of whites? David, what recipes do you them in?

    • Sandy

    My quest for the perfect tarte au citron comes second only to my life-long search for the perfect chocolate cake; this one might be le beau idéal.

    Do you end up making a lot of meringues, David, or angel food cake, or macarons, or what?

    • amy

    Hi David,
    Made the tart today, it was great. LOVE the crust, thanks for sharing. I want to make a chocolate tart, would you recommend par baking the shell before adding choc custard to bake (bakes about 25 minutes), or baking all at same time, or can I even use this dough for baked tarts?

    Thanks, I love your blog and check it everyday.

    • David

    Kathy: I freeze them in 2 cup quantities because that’s the size of the plastic container I always store egg whites in, for some unknown reason.

    Sandy: I make a lot of my chocolate coconut macaroons. I often double the recipe and freeze half of the batter. I want to make an angel food cake soon, but I don’t have an angel food cake pan so I’ll need to improvise, but I’m going to wait until berry season is in full swing since I love berries and angel food cake!

    amy: I always pre-baked tart shells, unless they’re going to be filled with fruit filling and topped with crust, like my Easy Jam Tart.

    Carey: Glad you’re enjoying the book on the e-reader. I don’t have one, yet, but I do hope to get one in the future.

    • Christian Rhein

    I love lemon tart and it is a favourite dessert of many. Although I never made it the way you made it as lemon curd tart which looks very nice indeed. Mine are usually based on a custard type filling, although they are a bit fiddly to cook. I think the essence of a good lemon tart is that it not only has to taste good, but it should also look smooth and mirror like when it comes to the table and yours just is gorgeous in that respect. Love your site. Excellent and informative.

    • ila

    Lemon curd freezes beautifully and thawing can be hastened in lukewarm water. With one of Paule’s “noisette” shells pre-baked, one can make tarte au citron practically for breakfast.

    • Katie Johnson

    I made this tart yesterday for a dinner with 2 other couples to plan our trip to France for next Spring. It was a HUGE hit. My tart shell was not quite as golden as yours – probably b/c it wasn’t spread as evenly so some parts were darker than others but no one seemed to mind and it was gone in a flash. This recipe is in the ‘keeper’ file.

    • Susan

    Love the photography…especially shooting the tart half on and half off the counter with the furthest rim blurred. Very nice.

    • Dan Bleich

    I am not much of a baker………..but, the simplicity of the recipe piqued my interest enough to give it a try. It was quick, simple, and delicious. I even bought a tart pan so I could try it out. Have since made an apple tart (Jacque Pepin’s recipe), but using this pie crust, and it came out great. Great recipe……….and, I love the blog.

    • Sandy

    Thanks for the kind answer, David, and the pointer to the chocolate coconut macaroons. I’ll have to try those – along with the tart, which with any luck I’ll be making this weekend. I’m a new reader, but I’m really enjoying the blog. I love angel food cake with berries, too.

    @ila: Tarte au citron for breakfast! Now I know I’m among my people.

    • Julie

    This is a wonderful blog, David. Thanks for sharing your gifts with us. Would you consider exploring some recipes of those delicious French jams I have pined for over the past ten years?

    • Andrea

    I just LOVE lemon tarts. This looks wonderful!

    • Monica

    Mmm. This looks delish! I have made double the amount of lemon curd, and am pleased to know it can be frozen. It came out very light and creamy coloured, sadly not as darkly lemony as yours-any tips?
    Thanks!

    • David

    Hi Monica: The eggs in France have very dark-colored yolks, unlike supermarket eggs in the states, which are very pale. (If that’s where you live.)

    If there’s a farmer’s market or natural foods store in your area, try buying eggs from them, which often have lovely dark yolks.

    • Monica

    Thanks David. I live in London and though the eggs were free range they were from the supermarket. I used the extra curd with mascarpone and cream cheese to make mini cheesecakes.

    • Catherine Buccellato

    Thank you SO much for sharing this recipe, David. It was fantastic. I had given up on making pie crusts, and struggling with those little pea sized bits of butter, and not overworking them to avoid the crust tough, etc. etc. This recipe has resuscitated tart making in our house. It was like magic!!

    And, you are so right about the color of American supermarket eggs, very pale. I went to the local farmers market just for eggs to try out the lemon tart, and farmers market eggs make the loveliest deep yellow. You can also almost always find eureka lemons at the farmers markets as well, which to my taste, have the best lemony flavor of all.

    Thanks again – I so enjoy your blog. Catherine

    • Anne

    Lemon tarts! My favorite dessert after carrot cake. Thank you for this wonderful and simple recipe. I made it last night for guests and looked like a real hero. My only regret is that it is already gone. I may just make another for the family.

    • Anita

    I found this recipe by googling because I couldn’t find my simple French one that has been chasing around here for years. I didn’t like what happened with the egg whites – they cooked into white globs, necessitating that whole straining process very seriously to save the face of the pie! Must not have beaten my eggs well enough. I think the French one I had just used pure yolks. But it *was* good!

    • Karin

    I had a sudden urge to bake a tart for the first time when I had some leftover lemon curd. I usually use lemon curd (from Alice Water’s recipe in the “Art of Simple Cooking”) to add to vanilla ice cream or bread pudding. Unfortunately, with the tart I’ve been having problems with getting the curd to set regardless of the amount of time in the oven. Refrigerating it only helped a little. So I tried changing recipes and came upon this one when googling “tarte au citron.” I’m still having the same problem though. Yours looks so dense and smooth while mine is thick, but loose. Any suggestions? Thanks! (Thanks for the freezing yolk/white tip, too! I always felt bad about throwing away extras…)

    • David

    Hi Karin: If it’s not setting, it’s likely that the curd isn’t being cooked enough on the stovetop. Cook the filling until it appears to be almost jelly-like and starts to mound up and hold a shape.

    You could also try adding another egg yolk or egg, just to see if that works. But I’ve used both my recipe, and the Chez Panisse one, a lot and never had problems. Good luck!

    • Karin

    Thanks, David! I can’t wait to try it again. I’m glad I came upon this blog – it brings back great memories of my year in Versailles where I was inspired to start cooking.

    • Eric

    Hi David

    I have made this lemon tart many times already, and it seems I will have to make many more since everyone that tries it cannot get enough. Absolutely a great desert! (and I give you the credit each time!)

    The last tart I made the lemon curd came out slightly grainy and tasted a bit “off”. Always before the curd was silky smooth and I am just curious to know why a curd might get grainy like that? I made it on a stove unfamiliar to me that runs crazy hot, so my guess is that I either over or under cooked the thing.

    All the best

    Eric

    • David

    hi Eric: If it’s grainy, you could pass it through a mesh strainer, which usually takes care of that. You might have overcooked it. (Some folks cook fillings like this is a double-boiler, for that reason.)

    if it tastes off, it may be your lemons. Sometimes they just taste musty, so if they have any soft spots (or even green fuzzies) you can’t just cut that off–usually that taste permeates the whole fruit.

    • Nick

    Hi David,

    How do you store your tart shells in the freezer? Just wrapped in cling film? Do they keep for long?
    Love the blog!

    Thanks,
    Nic

    • David

    Hi Nick: I wrap them securely in plastic wrap, then store them in the freezer (baked or unbaked) for up to one month.

    • Edd

    Hi David

    Quick question, I have frozen a tart shell and am using it this weekend for a lemon tart but was wondering if its best to defrost in the fridge or on the counter

    Thanks

    • David

    I normally defrost on the counter.

    • Sharon

    I just found this recipe and love it. I substituted blood orange and sour orange juice for the lemon and backed off the sugar a bit (I could have backed it up a bit more.) It is delicious, but I can decide if I love or hate the salmony-pink color the curd turned out to be!

    • megh

    I used your French tart shell recipe to make the crust and the lemon curd recipe here.
    I made it for a pre-wedding party yesterday and everyone loved it. Thank you for the wonderful compliments I received thanks to your recipe. I directed everyone who asked me for a recipe to your site :)

    • Matt L.

    I made this tart for dessert today using lemons and blueberries from the farmers’ market. It was absolutely delicious; the five of us left a mere wedge on the table! I plan on trying it with lime juice soon as well.

    • Quinne D

    Just making this tart right now. I doubled the recipe but put it in for 5 min and it doesn’t seem set. I am going to leave it a bit longer – assuming that because I doubled it for more filling that it should take longer to set?

    • Serena

    This is the BEST lemon tart recipe I have ever made. The tart shell is so easy to make and wonderfully crisp. The lemon curd is creamy and tart. I have already made 2 this week and they go down a storm!

    • Joey

    i love this tart i mixed lemon and lime it was DELICIOUS

    • kayli

    i’d like to start by saying that i’m a fifteen year old girl from albany, new york who loves writing, food, and travelling. formerly a spanish student, i switched to french this year because i found my kindred spirit in a french teacher at my high school. not only do i have a sudden infatuation with all things french, but lately i’ve been totally and completely obsessing over cooking anything and everything, so when i got an english assignment to make a 4 course french meal, i was simply elated. a friend of mine recommended this site to me, and i kind of kept it as a thought in the back of my head. but looking for a tarte au citron recipe today, i rediscovered the magic of david lebovitz. thank you so much for this recipe! i also made your tarte shell recipe and the tarte looked amazing and was simply to die for. it was definitely a favorite amongst the uncultured palets of my tenth grade english class and some of the french teachers even decided it was some of the best tarte au citron they’d tasted. merci monsieur lebovitz!

    • Min

    Hi David, I made this tart today and loved it. It’s so refreshing and light. Just to be sure about the instructions… when you say “until the mixture thickens and almost begins to bubble around the edges”, does that refer to tiny foam that gathers around the side of the pot? How will I know when the mixture almost begins to bubble? Thanks for the lovely recipe. I enjoyed it very much.

A

Get David's newsletter sent right to your Inbox!

15987

Sign up for my newsletter and get my FREE guidebook to the best bakeries and pastry shops in Paris...