The Best Lemon Tart - Cooks Illustrated

Published January 1, 2000.

We adjusted the ingredients to produce a lemon tart with a silken texture, the perfect balance of tart and sweet, and a taste that isn't too "eggy."

The Problem

Despite its apparent simplicity, there is much that can go wrong with a lemon tart. It can slip over the edge of sweet into cloying; its tartness can grab at your throat; it can be gluey or eggy or, even worse, metallic-tasting. Its crust can be too hard, too soft, too thick, or too sweet.

The Goal

With its minimal interplay of ingredients and straight forward style, the lemon tart achieves a near-transcendent simplicity of form and content. Light, refreshing, and beautiful, when it's good, it is very, very good. We wanted a proper tart, one in which the filling is baked with the shell. For us, that meant only one thing: lemon curd.

The Solution

For just enough sugar to offset the acid in the lemons, use 2 parts sugar to 1 part lemon juice, plus 4 full tablespoons of lemon zest. Use a combination of whole eggs and egg yolks for a curd that is creamy and dense with a vibrant color. Cook the curd over direct heat to 170 degrees, then whisk in cold butter. Stir in cold cream just before baking to lighten the texture.

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