Description
Delightful Lemon Curd Tartlets showcase a perfect balance of tangy and sweet flavors from traditional French pastry techniques. Crisp buttery shells cradle silky lemon curd, offering you a refined dessert experience that delights the palate.
Ingredients
Scale
- 3 large eggs
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 cup (200 grams / 7.1 oz) granulated sugar
- 1 ¼ cups (160 grams / 5.6 oz) all-purpose flour
- ½ cup (120 ml / 4 fl oz) fresh lemon juice (about 3–4 lemons)
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
- 1 cup (226 grams / 8 oz) unsalted butter (half cold and cubed, half softened)
- 2 tbsps (30 ml / 1 fl oz) ice water
Instructions
- Dough Preparation: Utilize food processor to blend flour, butter, and sugar until transforming into coarse, sandy texture; pulse to integrate egg yolk, then incrementally introduce ice water until dough consolidates into cohesive mass.
- Dough Chilling: Form dough into compact disk, envelop with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes to enhance structural integrity and facilitate precise rolling.
- Shell Formation: Preheat oven to 375F (190C); roll chilled dough on flour-dusted surface to 1/8-inch thickness, strategically cutting circles matching tartlet pan dimensions and carefully pressing into molds, trimming excess edges and perforating bases with fork.
- Blind Baking: Shield pastry shells with parchment paper, weight with pie weights to prevent expansion, bake initially for 10 minutes; remove weights and continue baking 5-7 minutes until achieving delicate golden complexion.
- Cooling Phase: Allow tartlet shells to cool completely, ensuring crisp, structurally sound foundation for subsequent filling preparation.
Notes
- Chill Dough Strategically: Refrigerating the pastry for 30 minutes helps prevent shrinkage and ensures a flaky, tender crust by allowing gluten to relax and butter to solidify.
- Perfect Pastry Thickness: Roll dough precisely to 1/8-inch thickness for consistent, delicate tartlet shells that bake evenly without becoming too heavy or thick.
- Weight Management Technique: Using pie weights during initial baking prevents pastry from puffing up, creating a smooth, professional-looking base for your lemon curd filling.
- Cooling is Crucial: Allow tartlet shells to cool completely before adding filling to maintain structural integrity and prevent soggy bottoms, ensuring a crisp, elegant texture.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Desserts, Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: British
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 13
- Calories: 220
- Sugar: 14 g
- Sodium: 40 mg
- Fat: 11 g
- Saturated Fat: 7 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 30 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 85 mg