Perfect Lemon Curd Tart with the Hard-Boiled Egg Yolk Trick
If you're looking for a fresh, refined dessert with an unforgettable flavor, this lemon curd and strawberry tart is the perfect answer.
- Sifted flour 200 g
- Almond flour or almonds chopped very finely in a blender 100 g
- Cold butter 160 g
- Icing sugar 80 g
- 1 untreated lemon
- Hard-boiled egg yolk 4
- Organic lemon juice, filtered + finely grated zest, about 5 g 2
- Sugar 220 g
- Butter 65 g
- 2 large eggs
- Strawberries 250 gr
- Powdered sugar
- First, remove the yolks from hard-boiled eggs and let them cool completely. Then pass them through a fine-mesh sieve, pressing them well with the back of a spoon: you'll obtain a very fine sifted egg yolk powder, the real secret to a melt-in-your-mouth shortcrust pastry. Pour the sifted flour and powdered sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer, along with the almond flour and grated lemon zest. Add the powdered egg yolks and the cubed, cold butter from the refrigerator. Attach the paddle attachment (the K-hook) and turn the mixer on medium-low speed. Let the ingredients mix for just under two minutes, until the butter has absorbed the powdered egg yolks, creating a compact, uniform dough. Immediately turn off the mixer to avoid heating the dough and keep the pastry crumbly.
- Gather the dough with your hands, quickly form it into a flat loaf (avoid the classic ball shape: a flattened loaf cools much faster and more evenly), wrap it in plastic wrap, and let it rest in the refrigerator for an hour. Meanwhile, prepare the homemade lemon curd. Finely grate the zest of two organic lemons (about 5 grams total, being careful not to remove the bitter pith) and squeeze the juice through a sieve. Pour the juice and zest into a bowl suitable for cooking in a double boiler, then add the granulated sugar and the butter cut into pieces. Heat the saucepan with the water over low heat, stirring constantly for about 4 minutes, until the butter and sugar are completely melted. Then remove from the heat and let the syrup cool.
- In a separate bowl, lightly beat the eggs with a fork. Slowly pour them into the bowl with the warmed lemon syrup, stirring immediately with a hand whisk to thoroughly incorporate and prevent lumps from forming. Return the bowl to the saucepan to continue cooking in a double boiler. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly: the cream will gradually thicken. Avoid a strong, direct boil; about 3-4 minutes will be enough for the mixture to become smooth, thick, and velvety, capable of perfectly coating the back of a spoon. Remove the lemon curd from the heat and transfer it to a chilled bowl. Immediately cover the surface of the cream with plastic wrap to prevent a shiny skin from forming. Let it cool completely before filling the cake.
- Once removed from the refrigerator, your Ovis Mollis shortcrust pastry will be extremely crumbly and delicate due to the hard-boiled egg yolks. To best roll it out without breaking it, place the chilled dough between two sheets of parchment paper and use a rolling pin until it reaches a uniform thickness of about 4 mm. Remove the top sheet and transfer the pastry directly into a 22-24 cm loose-bottomed cake tin (previously buttered). Press very gently along the edges to seal the dough, and trim any excess by running the rolling pin along the edges of the tin. Lightly prick the base with the prongs of a fork. To blind bake, cover the base of the tart with a sheet of parchment paper and fill it with dried beans or legume weights. Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven for a moment to carefully remove the paper and weights, then bake again for another 10 minutes, until the crust is golden brown. This step is crucial: let the pastry cool completely in the pan before handling it. Since it's made with cooked egg yolks, it's extremely fragile when hot and would risk shattering. Once cooled, turn it out onto a serving plate and fill it, smoothing the chilled lemon curd with the back of a spoon.
- Wash the strawberries, pat them dry with paper towels, and cut them in half or evenly sized slices. Arrange them on the cream, starting from the outer edge and working your way to the center, recreating the splendid and classic strawberry tart decoration. A key tip: keep the dessert refrigerated and dust it with powdered sugar just before serving. This will prevent the sugar from melting when it comes into contact with the fruit's moisture, keeping the pastry and strawberries flawless and glossy.
Forget the usual, bland jam tart or classic custard tart. When you make this gorgeous lemon curd tart, you bring a perfect balance of textures and contrasts to the table. Plus, if you love rich desserts but are looking for a decidedly fresher and less cloying alternative to a creamy Nutella tart, this citrusy combination will leave you speechless from the first bite.
But what's the real secret to this recipe? The shell! We're not talking about a common base, but an exceptional almond shortcrust pastry made with the sieved egg yolk method. This is the magical pastry technique used for traditional Ovis Mollis biscuits or the crumbly Canestrelli biscuits. This choice gives the pastry a very fine texture and a unique melt-in-the-mouth feel, specifically designed to insulate the shell and prevent it from absorbing the moisture from the filling.
A thick, velvety cream completes the recipe: to avoid mistakes while baking in a bain-marie, you can follow our step-by-step guide to make the perfect lemon curd. If you love the timeless aesthetic of a strawberry tart but want a much creamier filling than a classic soft tart with cream and fruit, this innovative lemon curd tart will become your new kitchen ace. Put on your apron and let's discover how to make it together!
Doses & Ingredients
- Medium difficulty
- Low cost
- Food availability very easy
- Notes: Resting time: 1 hour and 45 minutes (Divided into: 1 hour for the pastry to rest in the fridge + 30 minutes for the lemon curd to cool completely + 15 minutes for the pastry shell to cool before assembling).
- Powdered sugar to taste
- Baking paper / Heat-resistant bowl / Fine-mesh sieve / Hand whisk / Fine-hole grater / Rolling pin / Saucepan / Ceramic cake spheres / 24cm tart tin with removable bottom.
