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French Lemon Cream Tart

French lemon cream tart with a buttery pate sucree shell and a silky lemon curd filling cooked to a glossy, spoon-coating texture. Finish with a kitchen-torch brûlée topping that crackles at the first tap for a shatter-sweet amber crust.
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
chilling 3 hours
Total Time 4 hours
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: French
Calories: 420
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

all-purpose flour
  • 1.5 cup all-purpose flour
powdered sugar
  • 0.5 cup powdered sugar
salt
  • 0.25 tsp salt
cold butter, cubed
  • 0.5 cup cold butter, cubed
egg yolk
  • 1 egg yolk
cold water
  • 2 tbsp cold water
eggs
  • 4 eggs
granulated sugar
  • 0.75 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 tbsp granulated sugar for brûlée topping
fresh lemon juice
  • 0.5 cup fresh lemon juice about 4-5 lemons
lemon zest
  • 2 tbsp lemon zest
  • 1 lemon zest for garnish (lemon zest curls)
cold butter cubes
  • 0.5 cup cold butter cubes

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan
  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Make the tart shell
  1. Pulse all-purpose flour, powdered sugar, salt, and cold butter until the mixture looks like fine crumbs. Add egg yolk and cold water and pulse just until the dough comes together.
  2. Press the dough into a 9-inch tart pan, pressing evenly into the bottom and up the sides. Chill for 30 minutes to firm the crust.
  3. Blind bake at 375°F for 18-20 minutes, until the shell is golden. Cool completely so the filling won’t melt into the crust.
Make the lemon cream filling
  1. Whisk eggs, granulated sugar, fresh lemon juice, and lemon zest in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir constantly for 8-10 minutes until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon and the surface looks smooth.
  2. Remove from the heat and strain through a fine sieve. Whisk in cold butter cubes one at a time until fully melted, smooth, and glossy.
  3. Pour the lemon cream into the cooled tart shell and smooth the top. Refrigerate for 3 hours until set and wobble-free in the center.
Brûlée and garnish
  1. Before serving, sprinkle 2 tablespoons sugar evenly over the surface. Brûlée with a kitchen torch until amber and crackled.
  2. Garnish with lemon zest curls right after brûlée so they look bright. Slice and serve immediately while the sugar crust shatters.

Notes

Pro tip: strain the lemon custard to eliminate any bits before butter incorporation for that gleaming, ultra-smooth finish. Store the tart (without the brûlée) covered in the refrigerator up to 3 days. Freeze the unbrûléed tart up to 1 month; thaw in the fridge, then brûlée fresh. For a dietary swap, you can use unsalted butter throughout and reduce added sugar slightly (about 2-3 tbsp) while keeping the thickness cook time the same.