France: Tarte au citron

Ready to make the famous French tarte au citron?

Ingredients

Shortcrust Pastry

  • 200 g flour
  • 100 g confectioners sugar
  • 80 g butter
  • 1 egg
  • 1 pinch of salt

Cream

  • 150 ml LIMMI lemon juice
  • 125 g cane sugar
  • 50 g butter
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 tablespoon cornflour

Preparation

Make the shortcrust pastry dough by sifting the flour with the confectioners sugar and a pinch of salt into a bowl. Add softened butter – cut into small pieces – and the egg. Thoroughly knead the dough until it forms a smooth “ball”.  Cover it with plastic wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator for a couple of hours.

After 2 hours

Roll out the dough to a thickness of 3 mm, using a rolling pin. Butter and flour a cake tin. Lay the shortcrust in the tin, and prick it with a fork.

Bake it in the oven, pre-heated at 200° C for 10 minutes, then lower the heat to 180° C and bake it for another 15 minutes.

Once the shortcrust is ready, set it aside to cool and make the cream.

Lemon cream

In a bowl, beat the eggs with the cane sugar. Place 150 ml of LIMMI lemon juice in a pan and bring it to a boil. Add the eggs mixture to the pan, beating fast until well combined, then lower the heat, and keep stirring for another 3 minutes to let the cream thicken. Let the cream is cool a bit, then add the softened butter, cut into small pieces, and stir till thoroughly combined.

Once cool, place the lemon cream over the shortcrust, level it with a spatula, and refrigerate it for least an hour before serving.

If you wish to try the tarte au citron meringuée version, make the meringue topping a few minutes before serving the tart.
You’ll need:

  • 4 egg whites
  • 200 g caster sugar

Take the eggs out of the refrigerator 15 minutes prior to using them, and then separate the yolks from the egg whites.  Whip the egg whites till stiff, using a whip or a hand mixer, while slowly adding the sugar and a few drops of lemon juice (did you know that adding lemon juice makes egg whites whip better?).

Once the meringue is nice and firm, place it in a pastry bag and start decorating the tart. Thereafter, set the oven and broil the meringue for no longer than 2 minutes, until golden brown.

Et voilà, dessert is served!

Limmi Suggests

If you are planning a trip to France, give more taste to your journey visiting these 3 top Paris pastry shops.