whole lemon tart
But I do have a favorite, and it is so ridiculously simple that when I made it last week I actually kicked myself for waiting so long since the last time I gave it a spin. Where are my priorities? Seriously. I won’t slip up again.
This is such a great one to have in your files because it doesn’t demand a lot of your grocery list: just one whole lemon. That right, peel, pith and all. And because you only have to buy one, you can go ahead and splurge on the gorgeous Meyers around right now (but fortunately, this works with any kind of lemon). Everything else comes from common ingredients: butter, sugar, eggs and a parbaked tart shell that promises not to shrink up on you but when it all comes together… you won’t believe how much came from so little. Or how quickly an entire tart can disappear. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
Updated 2/12/09 If you scroll down in the comments, you’ll see some disparity between my results and the results of a few commenters. I’ve tested this recipe three times and never ended up with anything but a flawless tart, but want to give you a fair warning that not everyone has been so successful, and that I only wish I could get to the bottom of the issues!
Update 1/24/10 I get it! It happened to me. For years now, I’ve made this tart and adored it. It was a delight (see pictures above), the most perfect lemon tart I’d ever eaten. But about half the people who made this at home complained of butter separation, bubbling up and over the pan and the tart never setting and I did. not. get. it. I pulled my hairs out, I really did. And tonight, I had a Meyer lemon around and I went to make my favorite lemon tart and it separated, nearly erupted all over the oven and never ever set. The only difference? I’m in a different kitchen than the other times I’d made this and I know for certain that my previous oven ran cool and my newer oven absolutely runs hot. My diagnosis? The curd is curdling in a too-hot oven. The solution? Well, baking at a lower temperature. What temperature? I will test this again soon and let you know.
One year ago: Matzo Ball Soup
Whole Lemon Tart
Adapted from Rollet-Pradier via Dorie Greenspan’s Paris Sweets
[Please read the notes above before proceeding -- there is some wonkiness in this recipe!]
1 partially baked 9-inch (24-cm) Great Unshrinkable Tart Shell, or your favorite sweet tart shell
1 average-sized lemon (about 4 1/2 ounces; 130 grams), rinsed and dried (a regular lemon will make a sharper, more bitter tart; a Meyer lemon, however, will really make this tart sing)
1 1/2 cups (300 grams) sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 1/2 tablespoons (12 grams) cornstarch
1 stick (4 ounces; 115 grams) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven 325°F (165°C). Line a trimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and put the tart shell on the sheet.
Slice the lemon into thin wedges, remove the seeds, and toss the lemon and sugar into the container of a blender or food processor. Blend or process, scraping down the sides of the container as needed, until the lemon is thoroughly pureed and blended with the sugar, 1 to 2 minutes. Turn the mixture into a bowl and, using a whisk, gently stir in the whole egg and the yolk, followed by the cornstarch and melted butter. [I actually just use the food processor for this whole mixing part, beating the other ingredients in until smooth.] Pour the filling into the crust but be sure to leave 1/4 inch between the top of your filling and the top edge of your crust.
Slide the baking sheet into the oven and bake the tart for 20 minutes. Increase the oven temperature to 350°F (180°C) and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes, or until the filling is bubbling, lightly browned and set. Don’t take the tart out until it is clearly set, however — you’re looking for a slight jiggliness with no suggestion of liquid underneath. Transfer the tart, still on the baking sheet, to a cooling rack and allow it to cool for at least 20 minutes before removing it from the pan. The tart is ready to be served when it reaches room temperature.
(Greenspan says the tart is best served the day it is made, but, if necessary, it can be kept in the refrigerator overnight; bring to cool room temperature before serving. I, however, love it cold, and have kept it in the fridge for up to a four days, after which, it was no more but certainly hadn’t gone bad yet.)
Here it is….the recipe to transition us out of the insane amounts of your rice pudding that has been made in our house during these last few crazy cold months! I can almost smell spring now….
I adore lemon tart and have been wanting to make this since the first time you mentioned it. I consider the coincidence of having four fresh lemons and your post as all the fate I need. Thank you in advance for what will be tomorrows wonderful dessert!
oh my. oh my. That’s about all I can say. This looks so good and I love that it’s so simple!
this may be dessert this evening.
You make me want to buy a tart pan.
You have outdone yourself again! This will be perfect for a weekend get together we’re having. Thanks for the great recipe – I agree with the first commenter – a great reminder of spring that’s right around the corner!
Just one lemon? Sold. Now I have to go buy a tart pan that is more than three inches across (but the tiny ones are so CUTE!).
This is absolutely gorgeous and on my “to do list” soon. I’ve actually been eyeing this particular recipe for some time now.
I will make this for my mother’s bday tomorrow! My tart pan is ready and I have exactly ONE LEMON!
Thank you!
Stacey
This looks so ridiculously easy and yummy. I swear I need to move back to NYC so that I can feed my family and friends again. Cooking all this good stuff for two people’s nuts on our waistlines.
looks amazing…I love lemon-anything, and need to get a tart pan now!
Did you say butter??? I ‘m in as I consider lemon curd a food group. Love the whole lemon thing; supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!!!
I agree with a previous poster and say this says SPRING! I love lemons and will have to give this one a try. I just have yet to find a lemon tart that I like. I am sure this one will be it though – you’ve never steered me wrong :)
I love anything that continas lemon. YUM YUM.
I just bought a bunch of lemons, so this will do nicely! Sounds like dessert for our dinner guests tomorrow. I LOVE lemon!
I crave lemony desserts when I’ve been over-chocolated for too long (doesn’t sound possible, I know, but, it always happens in February (and then again in mid-summer, for some reason…)). Now I have a reason to see if I can master that tart shell….
Oh, lovely! I bet all the pectin in the lemon helps it set up w/only 1 egg and that wee amount of corn starch. Very cool recipe! And, by the way, who needs a tart crust when you could just use vanilla wafers to dip this stuff up like salsa?! :D
Awesome! A recipe to christen the food processor I just purchased last night!
Is the tart really bitter? I can stand a mild bitterness, but things of say, the bitter melon level, I cannot partake.
So refreshing! Thank you!
i like tart lemon tarts. is this a tart one or should i cut down on the sugar a bit?
ps: when i read the post title ‘whole lemon tart’ i thought: well yeah… who would make half a tart?
it’s been a long day.
Oh this is just gorgeous, Deb! Wow… just beautiful.. well done!
Thanks so much for sharing a good thing!
Amy
Oh, I love lemon and will definitely have to try this! Thanks for the recipe!
and LOL at beyond’s comments above… too funny
Looks delightful!
And yes, poor beyond. That is rather funny.
Beyond (who’s wants it less sweet) and Cameron (who is concerned about bitter) — Basically, if you use a standard lemon it is slightly more bitter/sour (thicker peel, sharper lemon). A Meyer one makes for a mellower, sweeter tart. Cameron, you should use a Meyer and Beyond, if you use a Meyer, dial back the sugar by a tablespoon or two — but you’d probably prefer a regular lemon.
I love that crust, thick & beautiful. I love lemons in anything & would eat this with a dollop of whipped cream.
Yes, I do have my favorite lemon tart, but this one looks like it should definitely be tried. I am, however, partial to meringue.
Oh WOW! I just made a lemon tart half an hour ago! It’s cooling as we speak! I added some lime zest – and used Stephanie Alexander’s recipe from The Cook’s Companion! What lovely photos, as usual!
I have never made a lemon tart. I don’t even know why not, come to think of it, since I LOVE them. Finally, a recipe that dares me to try. Thank You!!
Sara in Salt Lake City
I have exactly ONE meyer lemon left on my tree…fate or not? It will be picked and baked and eaten tomorrow. Thanks for the post – it sounds simple enough to just slap together.
Oh, I wish DH liked lemon….then again, more for me! I’ll have to go buy a tart pan. (Oh darn! Shopping for kitchen stuff?!) And my neighbor DOES have that big ol lemon tree that hangs over into my yard, heavy with fat yellow globes. She did say we could have whatever we can reach. :D
This looks amazing. And it looks like it’s just me, but frankly give me a regular lemon over a Meyer any day. The Meyer isn’t lemony enough to go by “lemon”. They should call it something else…But with a regular lemon? All about it.
Swooning over here.
I’m with Half Assed Kitchen on this one…
I love the vibrant yellow of this dish!
Amazing. Too amazing. I want this now!
I love that this uses the whole lemon. I wonder if I could make it with an immersion blender…
I’m really taken with the unshrinkable crust. It happens to me every time. Now I’ve got a defense – your recipe. thanks
deb,
do we whisk the eggs ahead of time? also, if i wanted to use key limes, how many should i use?
thank you.
I have been making this tart ever since you posted it the last time and OMG it gets rave reviews each time. I also love eating it cold, and it never makes it past the second day!
Normally you add eggs one at a time in a cake. However, this is just 1.5 eggs, or an egg and a yolk. You can add them together. Just whisk them well.
I haven’t tested this with key limes though I am sure it would be great — especially if you get tiny, yellowish ones. I’d just weigh out 4.5 ounces of lime and maybe up the sugar by a tablespoon.
Count me as a huge lemon tart fan also. I don’t know why I’ve never made one–maybe this will inspire me to try…
wow, that is ridiculously gorgeous. i’ve never used whole lemons! incredible.
i want one of those tart/pie pans so badly!!
I realized last year that I never go for the lemon flavored desserts. I think it’s because I don’t have much experience with them and so I don’t pick them to make or eat. I’ll have to give this a whirl and see if I like it.
I think I’m making this tomorrow… I craved it as soon as I saw it.
So fun! I am totally making this tomorrow. Do you think it would taste good with an almond crust? I’m on a gluten-free diet and if you think a good wheat crust is hard to find (and oh! It is! Your unshrinkable crust is ah-MAZE-ing!), a good gluten-free crust is a whole ‘nother WORLD of difficult! I have this almond crust recipe that I use to replace graham cracker crusts, do you think the tastes would go? Or do I need something plainer that doesn’t distract from the lemony part? Advice from someone who’s made this would be super helpful! Thankyou again!
Thanks for this recipe – can’t wait to try it!
This tart works best (at least, my friends beg for it) when it’s balanced between sweet, tart, and bitter. Meyer lemons don’t have the same bitter note to them, so if I use one, I balance it with a chunk of grapefruit.
The filling is thicker than lemon curd, so it doesn’t work as well for dipping cookies or fruit. It does, however, make a damned fine tart! I sometimes sub in almond or hazelnut meal for some of the flour, so I imagine an almond crust would be delicious.
That looks fantastic!
And I just noticed that you’ve put in the metric/celcius measurements for everything, thanks! Much appreciated.
This looks amazing, I can’t wait to make it.
I have a gluten-free cake on my website that uses whole oranges and have been wanting to make a dish with whole lemons for a while now. I think this tart will be fantastic.
Thanks for your great recipes, I love your site!
Thank you for including the measures in metric – you have an international audience and it’s very helpful to the readers to show quantities in both systems. This detail has made your site even better!!
I am impressed with the crust. I would be happy with just that… but then there is the lemon rind… swoon. I made a wedding cake earlier this year where I made rasberry curd, and I can foresee a good place for it in this tart. Ahh, now the wheel are turning in my head. Yippee!
Nothing is more classic than a good old lemon tart — you can’t go wrong with this recipe :) Looks delicious!
ooooooooooo lemon tart!! there’s nothing like a really tart lemon tart!! YUM!
I like mine showered with long chocolate curls on top. I love the whole-lemon concept though. Will have to try it this way. Thanks!
it looks great. I love lemon tart and I usually complete this dessert spreading soma toasted pine nuts on top…delicious
Oh Deb, I have been making this tart of yours with every citrus fruit I can lay my hands on (blood orange being favorite and grapefruit least – too bitter) and was planning to blog it. Now you have buried it out again. No Meyer lemons here (Rome, Italy) and I was weary of regular lemons till now. I just might try!
This torte looks so delicious! Yum Yum:)!
I’ve never had a lemon tart, but this looks like a great place to start. Thanks for sharing!
Oh my God! Now I know what I’m doing this weekend. I had plans for this quince and goat cheese tart, but I guess I’ll be changing that plan. I splurged on one of those cream whippers, so it’s going to be topped with fabulous lemon zest whipped cream!
yum!!! this looks so tasty
I made this pie last week and loved it. The fact you have to put in a whole lemon was so interesting. I am having a bunch of my girlfriends over for a valentines party and plan to make the pie again!! I am new to the whole blogging thing, and yet I think I have read almost all your posts!
Me thinks this is a good candidate for Ontario residents to make on Pie Day (otherwise known as Family Day if you read government propaganda!).
looks delicious. the perfect antidote to a frigid winter that really needs to hurry along to spring.
Shocking admission: I don’t love lemon tarts!! I know, I know. I love lemon cake, lemon cookies, and even lemon cheesecake but lemon tart leaves me cold.
That said, that looks really nice, and I am tempted to make it … well make four smaller ones that I can share with my friends who ADORE lemon. I think I smell a weekend project! Or, is it lemon? :)
So, I love your website. I think it’s great and I share it with pretty much everyone I talk to. And I think it’s great that people will pay you to advertise on your blog. But TEETH WHITENING?!!! No offense, but it’s SO gross to see a picture of someone’s nasty yellow teeth as I’m scrolling down the page reading about lemon tarts.
Oh wow. It is only 7:30 in the morning, I haven’t even managed coffee yet, yet I am salivating over your lemon tart. I actually don’t think I’ve ever had one. I need to rectify that situation.
Ah such beauty…and I totally agree. The difference between a good and great lemon tart is pretty vast. If you’re looking for other versions, the one in the River Cafe Cookbook totally blew my mind.
I’m with Christine #34, I like the Eureka lemons best. The Meyers just don’t have the the same bright lemon flavor to me. However, grinding the whole fruit, a Meyer might be better since the fruit has less pith. I wonder how a few Kalamunsi’s might taste for this tart? You’d probably have to scale back the sugar if those were used.
MMmmmm This looks delicious!!!!!!!!!!! I can’t wait to try it! I stayed in the Liguria region of Italy a few years ago during their Lemon Festival and they had so many beautiful lemon-oriented foods available. I also just happen to have a batch of gorgeous Meyer Lemons begging for this tart! :) thank you
Lemon, so much better than chocolate! :-)
This looks so delicious! But, why does every tasty recipe require at least 1 stick of butter?
How long should it take to parbake the tart shell?
I usually avoid making desserts with lemon because my husband thinks lemons are too tart…but he walked by when I had this post on the screen and said it looked really good — I’m running to the store before he changes his mind!
Seeing that you only need one really nice lemon, this would also be a good time to splurge on an organic lemon, as pesticides are concentrated in the peel and pith of citrus fruits. Looking forward to making such a nice, simple treat!
This looks great – and I’ve never seen a recipe like it that uses the whole lemon. And I love the nigella clementine cake, so definitely trying it.
You have reminded me todust off my lemon ricotta tart recipe–it sings spring to me and I am aching to lose the snow and cold.
Kate — I hate those teeth ads — so gross! They’ve been running since yesterday and unfortunately, there isn’t an obvious way to get rid of them (they’re from Google, not my usual ad providers where I can nix stuff that doesn’t fit); you have my sympathy. [Update: I think I found a way to block them. Let's see how long it takes to work...]
Amanda — Depends on the recipe. For mine (linked to in the recipe and entry), you would bake from the freezer lined with foil for 20 to 25 minutes, then another 5 minutes empty. But most tart shell recipes will give you parbaking instructions.
There’s something about the combo of bright, lemony yellow paired with a silken texture that is just so fabulous!
Hi! I’ve just stumbled across your blog and can’t, for some reason, stop drooling! (: Amazing pictures! The food looks fab!
I’ve tagged you in my blog, take a peek at my post “Tagged” for the rules! Hope you can take part!
Do you think I could use a rectangular tart pan for this with the same measurements/amounts?
I can’t believe it only takes ONE lemon!
I am really excited about the crust; I missed that crust post in November and I have been going mad with falling tart crusts lately! And I hate weighing the crusts down with perfectly good beans. This is almost jumping up and down excitement here!
I have Meyer lemons left. This will be fun. I’ll make it tomorrow; I have to go work in the garden today.
I just made this last week from your other post on it! Mine wasn’t nearly as combined.. guess my food processor sucks. It cost $6, hahaha. I used meyers though, and forgot to cut back the sugar. So I just added an extra. It was quite delish. I want to try another that is more silky/custardy, though.
I actually have lemons in the fridge because I was going to try a lemon bar recipe. I think the lemons are too old now, but I will definitely try this recipe this weekend.
looks delicious. I love lemon tart. Thanks for sharing the recipe
I think this is going to be my boyfriend’s new favorite lemon recipe. He’s very partial to lemon bars– I have to make them with the cook’s illustrated filling recipe and a graham-cracker-y crust from scratch, though. This one is so much easier and I bet it tastes just as fab!
There is legitimately nothing I love more than lemon bars and I consider the tart to be an elegant equivalent. Beautifully done, filled with my beloved lemon curd and, in my house, served with fresh raspberries both for flavor and for aesthetics. Because it’s February in Chicago and the whole house needs a dose of of golden yellow and rougey pink that tastes like that “higher calling.”
I made this when the recipe was first posted. So incredibly easy, and delicious. It was gone within two days!
Oh.my.gosh….. i love it! now i’m jonesing for one….
Donna — It depends on what kind of rectangle. I have one of those long thin (13 x 4) ones… I find it uses about 80 to 90 percent of the filling for a standard tart pan (which makes sense because it’s volume is 52 square inches versus a 63.5 inches for a 9-inch round), so yes, but you’ll have to leave a little out. I know there are wider ones… they might additional filling/crust, depending on their size.
The last time I made this (from your first recipe), it turned out phenomenally well– beautiful color, great flavor.. but it was also extremely greasy! I suspect it was all the butter, but still, it freaked me out.
I’m mad for citrus of course, but the color of the batter alone drives me batty with desire. It’s really the perfect sunny antidote to dark, drab February.
This is so good. I’ve made it several times. My friend and I decided to use half of a Meyer and half of a regular lemon and that worked out really well.
If my b/f ever sees this………. :D
I’ll have to make a dozen of these and share them with all my friends – so many lemons on my lemon tree! Thanks for the recipe.
Made it. Ate it. Wrote about it.
Thank you!
-JJ
renaissancetrophywife – I want your lemon bar recipe with graham cracker crust! jessica (dot) diettrich (at) gmail (dot) com.
Oh wow, you are my goddess! The first thing I bake when I get my oven is a lemon pie. :D
I’m not a pie person but that looks stunning. All it needs now are a few raspberries scattered (rather than studded) lazily on top.
Made this last night and am so sad! I love your recipes, but this was not a hit. Came out beautifully, smelled heavenly. Even eating it is delicious. Problem is once you swallow. My fiance compared it to that horrible dry, bitter taste in your mouth after you throw up. Don’t use regular lemons! I did and I’m regretting not hunting longer for Meyers. But, as always, gorgeous photos and I adore your site.
Yum!
Next to chocolate, lemon is my fav dessert ingredient!
I’m neverrrrr able to find meyer lemons anywhere. Any clues on where to get them? Does Whole Foods usually have them? Because my usual Kroger and Ukrop’s definitely don’t.
Whole Foods has Meyer lemons right now.
I used a regular lemon (as far as I know). I cut off the ends (all the extra fleshiness), so the pith, rind, and juice would be balanced. It turned out fine.
-JJ
Oh where oh where are the meyer lemons this season? Haven’t found any yet! And it’s killing me because I want to make things like THIS! :)
It just so happens that I have not one, but five Meyer lemons in my fridge. There’s nothing wrong with making five tarts, is there? I could even share one…
oh, my gosh, how yummi, I love lemon cakes!
and because it’s always that yummi over here: You just received an award! Come over to my blog and pick it up!
Um…I think this is my NEW favorite lemon tart! That crust looks amazing (I’m def. a crust person! Not crusty, but into crust!).
One question, when you state to partially bake the crust, how long should it bake for?
Here’s the thing: Just had an OK lemon tart a couple of weeks ago. Not bad, but not great. Now we want to test out one of our own. Like this one!
Deb, I recently made the bittersweet chocolate tart with gingersnap crust and loved it. could I use that crust for this do you think? (I am scared of real pastry crust but my husband loves lemon desserts) I would love to make this for valentines!
Just a note to say that I just recently found your blog and I like your work! I love lemon tarts. My question to you is how do you keep the filling from “cracking” down the middle? I have this problem often. Thanks.
Yes, lemon tart is great, I love it. And it’s healthy too.
Hi Valerie — That should not be an issue with this tart. Any time you bake a “custard” — cheesecake, eggy fillings, pumpkin pie — there’s a risk of it cracking. It can be avoided by baking the pan in a water bath. Yet for whatever reason, this tart is shallow enough that it doesn’t split.
Shannon — I don’t see why it wouldn’t work. You could also make a graham cracker crust.
Graciela — I mentioned this in comment 79… It will depend on the recipe. For mine (linked to in the recipe and entry), you would bake from the freezer lined with foil for 20 to 25 minutes, then another 5 minutes empty. But most tart shell recipes will give you parbaking instructions.
Hi-
So I made this tart for some friends tonight.
I’m in Germany with very few baking supplies- thus I did not have a food processor.
I highly recommend the sans-food processor method!
I sliced the lemon up into bite-sized pieces that exploded with flavor in the mouth!
Guten Appetit!
I made it tonight with the Meyer’s lemon, and you’re right, it was amazing. Thanks so much for this simple but really tasty recipe.
You puree the lemon with the skin and everything? Won’t that taste kind of iffy?
I find it delicious. But don’t believe me, read the comments from those who have already made it. If you’re wary about the flavor, however, definitely hold out for a Meyer lemon, which will make it milder.
It’s cooling now. All I can say is wow!. I had to stop a fight over who could lick the batter bowl clean.
To counter potential bitterness from the pith, I did remove rind with vegetable peeler, cut off most of rind and then used fruit. I compensated by thinly slicing ~ 1/2 lemon which I placed on top of tart before I placed in oven. I figure that slices should give me just the right balance of bitterness.
Deb, this is an incredible recipe. I love the crust (SOOOO easy and fast, especially rolled out between sheets of parchment) and the whole-lemon thing.
I have one question, though. When I baked it, after the 20 min at 325, I cranked the heat up to 350 and after about 10 minutes, the filling bubbled so much that it overflowed the tart pan (good thing it was on the baking sheet!) and looked quite brown and bubbly on top. I turned the heat back down and gave it another 5 min (total 15 min) but now the filling refuses to set. It stayed a bit goopy in the middle (but DELICIOUS!!) even after refrigeration. What can I do next time to make this work better?
BTW, hubby and I are eating the tart anyway because it is so incredible tasting. I just want to know for next time (when I serve it to guests).
Oh, and Hande… tell me about the blood-orange version of this recipe… just 4.5oz of blood orange with peel and all? Do you scale back the sugar?
Hi Aurora — You know, I had meant to add a note about baking until “set” but it looks like I forgot to. I actually found our tart underbaked too (but my oven takes significantly longer to bake everything) and baked it longer until it was set. Not sure why it bubbled over… I’ve never had any bubbling. Were you using a 9-inch tart pan and did the crust shrink at all? Perhaps your lemon was bigger and you ended up with more filling…
I don’t think it was a particularly large Meyer… but maybe. 9-inch pan and no shirking at all (love that recipe! Thanks!) In retrospect, I think I may have over-whisked the lemon curd, or possibly (can’t be verified now, of course) may have cranked it up to 375 instead of 350. Frick. Oh well. So next time bake at 350 until less giggly in the center, eh?
Think the tart would stand to be popped back in the oven for a few more minutes after cooling, to finish setting up? (I see disaster looming…)
shrinking… not shirking… haha!
look at that lovely lemon!! I LOVE lemon!
I must try this soon!
One whole lemon?! I love this concept.
Wanted to let you know that I finally tried the chocolate peanut butter cake and it was amazing (why did I wait so long to bake this?) all the ladies at the scrapbooking party gave it rave reviews and I have sent them all to your blog. :)
My beautiful and talented chef-of-a-spouse made this tonight. Bitter-bomb. Looked beautiful. Came out beautifully. Except that it was waaaay too bitter. Even my wife rejected it as way too bitter, and she said the filling was fine going into the oven. The baking must concentrate the bitterness, because it was super ultra disappointing bitter. Maybe it was the lemon, but bitter haters beware.
dh… I’m assuming it was a normal lemon? I tried it with a Meyer and it was SO sweet and not bitter at all… Hmmmm.
Deb — This recipe has more character than a typical lemon tart filling. I like the extra texture that comes from processing the whole lemon. If tartness was a concern I’d serve smaller pieces or add a dollop of whipped cream or a small scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side. But I find the tartness to be a feature, not a bug.
Your brown butter shortbread cookie recipe makes an excellent tart crust, reducing the flour by 2 T so it’s easy to work with, sandwiching it between layers of plastic wrap to press and roll it out, and pressing scrap pieces as needed into the tart pan, since it’s much more delicate than a pie crust dough:
http://smittenkitchen.com/2008/12/brown-butter-brown-sugar-shorties/#more-1430
About a third of the cookie recipe is excess, which I just throw on another pan and bake as cookies along with the tart crust.
@Aurora — nope, not a Meyer. Suggested it to the wife and she said she’d consider trying it again with a Meyer. Wish she would have read the comments more closely before hand — most comments rave about the idea of the recipe, but haven’t actually made it! There should be a checkbox for comments — [] Actually Made This Recipe [] All Other Comments
Hi dh — Sorry it was such a disaster! I think you will definitely enjoy it more with a Meyer. And yes, a comment filing system would be wonderful — perhaps one day, the technology will catch up.
So simple, so elegant, and looking so tasty! Thank you very much for this recipe :)
How about if we type REVIEW in front of a comment that is actually a review of the recipe? Doesn’t break netiquette rules by typing the entire post in all-caps, as some have suggested, and might make it easier to scan the longer entries. Just a thought–I think it might catch on, as regular readers/commnters can set the tone.
I made this last night and I’ve decided this recipe is seriously dangerous–because I have to resist the urge to eat all of this myself, straight out of the pan. I’m taking all of my slices so I can’t eat it alone!
I also had some bubbling over when I baked, but the final product still tasted great.
thank you so much for sharing!
It was fabulous and recieved rave reviews. Thank you.
I however am my own greatest critic. I’m not sure if I undercooked it, needed to refrigerate first, or add extra cornstarch to compensate for the lemon slices because the tart was runny. Also, I found the filling a little grainy from the sugar. Is this normal?
I am thinking about trying confectioners sugar next time. Any thoughts?
( BTW- Lemon slices were a big hit– tasted just like candied lemon rinds.)
Hi Deb. I made the tart today and it looks beautiful (dinner party dessert – taste to be determined) but when I lifted it out of the tart pan it was dripping with excess butter. Did I do something wrong? I’m thinking perhaps I didn’t cook the shell long enough. Thoughts?
My tart did exactly the same thing as Aurora’s – bubbled up at the sides (I was using small Meyer lemons and weighed them to be sure I had the right amount, so it wasn’t too much filling). I took it out of the oven when this started happening (after 15 mins at 350) but it was a bit underbaked – the filling was softer/runnier than I would have liked. It was a big hit nonetheless but next time I think I’ll bake it at a slightly lower temp to try and keep it in for longer.
I suspect I could have overwhisked the filling too so will try adjusting that.
Thanks so much Deb for another great recipe!
Bummed to hear that so many are coming out underbaked and or overflowing. I’ll update the recipe to note that people should definitely not use all of the filling if it brings it up to the brim (with my no-shrink tart shell, I never had an issue with having too much volume…) and to bake it until it is clearly set.
Deb I made this for an engagement party for my college roommate last night (okay one thing of many things) and it was very well received. Thanks! I paired it with some pureed raspberries that were a nice tart contrast. It was tasty and pretty!
Deb, your tart looks great. I fell in love with this tart the instant I tasted it in Paris and was thrilled to discover that it was so easy to make at home and, as you point out, so easy to make on the spur of the moment because the ingredients are basic.
absolutely fabulous! good Lawd.
@Aurora: I used one blood orange whole (everything), it was around 10 oz and I didn’t change the sugar amount. It worked perfect. The one time I used a small grapefruit it was definitely too bitter, blood organge (as is regular orange) was perfect.
I didn’t have any underbaking or overflowing problems, btw.
I made this. It was oh-so-easy and oh-so-amazing. My husband and I fought over it like greedy little children, and we just couldn’t believe that so much delicious, tart lemon flavor came from just that one little lemon. The tart shell was also perfect… I didn’t use a bit of tin foil and it still lived up to its unshrinkable title. AND while I’m gushing… as as 2st time commentor I should also say I’ve really enjoyed a number of your other recipes, but your PB Brownies with Choco Ganache and Peach Hand Pies really knocked my socks off. The Hand Pies in particular (although I used a different filling) had such perfect crust that I am unable to finds the words necessary to properly thank you.
This was fabulous. So easy (though a bit more of a time commitment if you make the tart shell the same day). A little bit grainy, but maybe I just didn’t process enough. I did have to bake it for about another 5 minutes or so beyond the recipe to avoid it being undercooked. The only change I’d make next time is to use a bit less sugar. Regardless, it was delicious. Great recipe, as usual – thanks!
this was a great tart!
i read all the reviews and held out for a meyer lemon, which i found at whole foods.
i think next time i’ll use my blender instead of the food processor. all the lemon bits weren’t broken down enough and i had hunks of lemon in my tart. also, it was a tad sweet for me, so next time i’ll scale back on the sugar. I used the tart recipe suggested and it was absolutely delicious! half way through making the tart i had to run an emergency errand and left the tart mixture out on the counter. by the time i got back, a good half an hour later, i put the mixture in tart and baked it. no problem with bubbles or boiling over. i wonder if letting it sit out for awhile had anything to do with it. also, when i brought the tart out it was kinda greasy..but i guess that’s expected when you use that much butter..
have I told you latley that you are a pregnant womans best friend?! I swear most of my cravings come off this site lol. I am totally diggin this as a dip or topping on nilla waffers during some good TV…or for a 3am snack when the hubbs is asleep lol. he bought me two lemons yesterday, one for me and one to share :)
Man, I just made this tart and is was a DISASTER! It was sickeningly sweet, and ALL the butter came to the top until I had a big butter lake. Then the tart bubbled like mad, burnt on top, and then overflowed and set the fire alarm off. I’m usually a good cook. My husband says no-one can have a 100% success rate :(
Um… I guess I was trying to make do with what I had, but here’s what I did: I used a GF graham cracker type crust in a smaller pastry shell (7″?). I had a bowl of egg yolks left over from making an angel food cake, so I used 1tbs egg yolks in place of the second yolk. I substituted sweet rice flour for corn starch (ran out, figured sweet rice does the same thing, might work?), and I was in too much of a hurry to let the butter cool so I put it right in warm.
I’m planning in trying again after I get some corn-starch from the store. I really like the whole lemon idea, but I feel like this recipe could be improved. A lot of people seem to have remarked that their tarts didn’t set, and in pics from other blogs many tarts that “turned out” look a lot browner than Deb’s. Do you think maybe it should be cooked at a different temperature/time combo? Or is there a better way to get the tart to set so it doesn’t have to be cooked so long?
Bravo on the crust recipe! It is completely fool-proof, as evidenced by mine turning out wonderfully despite the fact that I am crust-challenged!
I had a couple problems with the tart filling:
-I had to bake it for 35 min. after turning up the heat to set it, at which poing the top was getting darker than ideal.
-I couldn’t find a meyer lemon at our local grocer, so used a regular lemon. While the flavor was good, there were small bitter bits throughout. Would this be solved by processing the lemon and sugar longer? I don’t mind the bitter, but think it would be better spread throughout. If I use the recipe again (because I love the simplicity and elegance of it!) I may zest the lemon, then remove the white part of the peel, the pith, and the seeds before adding the rest. Any other suggestions?
I haven’t made this yet, but am wondering if those who found it too bitter could get around that problem by zesting the lemon, cutting off all the bitter white pith, and then putting the zest and lemon ‘meat’ into the processor with the sugar.
Or does the white pith make some contribution to the jelling process when it bakes? I know the pith has a lot of pectin in it….
I had a similar problem with this recipe, but I can’t blame anyone but myself. I made this in 4 5″ tart pans, and forgot to accordingly decrease the time. They were very brown, though not burned. They lacked the creaminess of a tart, but I think they were the best meyer lemon cookies I’ve ever had. The top bubbled over and carmelized, and the filling ran over the crust, creating a sandwich of meyer lemon with tart crust in between. They were fabulous with a little vanilla whipped cream!
Well, darn me! I have read almost ALL of these comments on your amazingly easy Lemon Tart and almost without exception the respondents are saying, “Ooh! Wonderful recipe! Must try it! Ooh-ooh-ooh!”. And Becks, who DID try it – er, hello!? Did anyone ever tell you that recipes are to be FOLLOWED?
Well, I am a bloke (yeah! that’s right!) and I tried it. Simple to bake, easy to take! I may well get lucky tonight as a result! SHE loved it too!
Once I saw Meyer lemons in my grocery store, I was so looking forward to this tart. Unfortunately, it just didn’t work out for me at all.
I followed the recipe exactly, but I had problems: 1) the tart shell shrank. The dough had rested for hours, the 9″ shell was frozen and had double-thick walls, I used the foil as directed, but when it came out of the oven the walls had slouched down almost half an inch, leaving almost no room for filling. 2) the filling didn’t cook up properly. As it cooked, all the butter rose to the surface. In the tart itself it ended up working out, since the filling was so shallow (couldn’t fill the tart very high because the sides shrank) that the butter spread out, but in the little ramekin of leftover filling the butter was at least 1/4″ deep on top. No idea what happened, but it looked awful. And again, I followed the instructions religiously, no changes or substitutions.
Someone tell me what happened to ruin my tart!
hahaha! I read your update a little too late! Though gooey this tart is certainly delious, and you tart crust is my far my favourite crust recipe ever.
My filling bubbled over too. I used a 4.5 oz Meyer lemon and my crust didn’t shrink, so the volume wasn’t an issue. It also browned too much before really setting, which leads me to think it was a temperature problem with my oven and not the recipe.
I have a convection oven which self-corrects temperatures by automatically lowering your temp input by 25 degrees, and it usually bakes beautifully, but maybe with a filling with this much sugar content that adjustment isn’t enough?
Mine also failed, and I was careful to not overfill, per the updated instructions. This tart is great in theory, but all the butter rose to the top and even after an additional ten minutes of baking, it just looked like butter simmering on the top of the tart. I finally took it out just to see what would happen, and the next day it looked ok, but had a terrible aftertaste. Maybe a Meyer lemon would have fixed this, but I was careful to remove the ends of the regular lemon I used. I chaulked my problems up to altitude (I live in Denver) but it looks like I’m not the only one with these problems. Bummer.
Mine failed, as well, and I haven’t had a recipe belly flop like that in years.
So sad to hear it is not working out for people! I’ve made the three times, and as you can see from the pictures, find it to be a delight, and easy to make.
It turned out GREAT for me; it was absolutely delicious, and I loved the texture of the filling. It poofed up as it cooked, and it did take longer than I thought, but no pools of butter, and no overflowing. I made it in a smaller tin (8 inches?), so now have leftover (as yet uncooked) filling in the fridge. Any way I could bake it, or should I just let it go?
I made this last weekend. SOOOOOOO good! I used two meyer lemons (they were kind of small), and it was perfect. However, I cooked the tart for 13 minutes before checking it, and the crust was pretty dark. Should I have “partially” baked it for a shorter time? Or should I just check it earlier and cover it with foil?
Sorry to be a bummer, but this recipe was an epic failure for me, and I am a decent cook who has always had good luck with pastries and such. I followed the recipe to a T. After I prebaked the crust, it looked just fine, and I was really looking forward to the final result (I *adore* lemon tart). Unfortunately, after cranking the oven up and cooking for the final stretch, I found that the top was a greasy swimming pool of butter and had begun to turn brown, but was not close to be being set. I left it in for another 10 minutes (checking every 3 minutes or so) and it was still not even close to being set. After yet another five minutes, I had a blackened, charred crust, and an oily, unset, yet brown filling. It went right in the trash. Thanks anyway- the pictures were lovely, but I wish I’d done my due diligence and read through the comments before wasting ingredients.
I also had similar problems. Crust and filling alike. But at it made a tasty, butter- separated mess. Maybe I should have used a tart pan instead or a pie plate? How much of a difference does that make?
I wish I’d read the latest comments before making this, as this recipe was rife with problems. I had to bake the tart twice as long to get the filling to set, and by then the crust sides were dark and the filling was an unattractive browinsh-yellow color. Moreover, the butter had separated and pooled on the top (yuck). Finally, the flavor was unpleasantly bitter, most likely a result of using the whole lemon (unlike the rest of the food blogging world, I have never seen a Meyer lemon and have no idea where I would find one). I tried the filling before it went in the oven and it tasted fine, so some heat-induced process must have caused the bitterness to come out.I would have thrown it out but one of my roommates liked it.
I’m sorry to join the parade of disappointed bakers, but the tart’s failed me twice now, too. Both times the crust has held its shape but turns out dense and too dry. I found the filling too bitter with a regular lemon on attempt #1 so the second time I used a Meyer, which did help (my Whole Foods was out, but Trader Joe’s carries them, too). I’ve had the same issues as many writers with the butter lake and taking at least an hour for the filling to set. There has to be some explanation for why so many good bakers are having such similarly poor outcomes with this recipe…right?
Hey all — Such a bummer so many of you are having trouble. I added a warning at the end of the recipe. For the life of me, I cannot understand why something I’ve made three times, precisely as it is written here is turning out so differently for so many people, but at least future readers will be warned that not everyone is having a successful run with this. And it comes from such a great restaurant via such a well-tested Dorie Greenspan book! Le sigh…
I’m actually here saying that while I didn’t follow the recipe precisely (since I did a little fiddling and used grapefruit instead of lemon) the tart crust turned out perfectly and my tart filling (which was pretty close to what was here) turned out beautifully. It did take a while to set, but I wasn’t in a hurry and didn’t even check it for two hours. By that time it was perfect. And I agree that it is wonderful served cold. So very good.
Is it possible that it’s just a problem with variety in ovens and variety in ingredients? No two lemons are alike, right? :-)
I just wanted to update to say that I attempted the tart crust again today with the “citrus tart” filling recipe from epicurious. The crust was truly wonderful, and I had no problems at all with shrinking. It was tasty, crunchy, and a perfect golden brown color. Your tart crust recipe will definitely go in my bookmarks- thanks! If anyone is looking for an alternative filling, try the one on epicurious- it was divine!
Sounds terrific. Here on Maui we have guests coming, a meyer tree, and I have two pink lilikoi (passion fruit)in the fridge. I’m going to try the tart with a hint of passion fruit….
Could all the variations in the lemon tart results be due to the fact that lemons come in different sizes, some with more pulp and others with more rind? Just a thought…
One question about the crust. I have been making Dorie’s almond-cream filling and topping it with fruit (red raspberries once, nectarines today), but it is this unshrinkable crust recipe that is giving me fits. It’s delicious, but I have a horrific time with the edges burning. I have set the springform pan (I don’t have a tart pan—could this be the problem?) on a cookie sheet and also wrapped the springform pan in foil. Still, it continues to turn out too dark. Any ideas???
Thanks!
-JJ
Hello,
Wanted to take a moment and say that I made “your” tart on Monday & it only lasted until Tuesday afternoon because it wasn’t done until after the kids had gone to bed. I used a meyer lemon for the filling. I did find the tart shell recipe confusing but it didn’t shrink, I also overfilled it but luckily it didn’t overflow. My crust was also a bit too thick but that’s because I didn’t roll it out, I patted it into my 14×5 rectangular tart pan and then popped it into the freezer before filling it. Overall I’m very happy with my first time at making a tart & a homemade crust.
Thank you!
~ingrid
It worked for me! The filling does have a touch of bitterness to it, but I thought it was pretty delicious. I did make mine in an 11-in tart pan, and I did not up the filling at all. I love the unshrinkable tart crust! I multiplied the ingredients by 1.5 for my 11-in tin, and it created a tasty, substantial crust that pair nicely with the tart/bitter filling.
Hmm. Count me as another disaster. It’s quite unfortunate, too, because I had to restrain myself from licking the bowl of the food processor (it tasted just like a lemon drop. Yum! Lemon + Sugar = delish!). Unfortunately, it started to brown evenly in the center, but then bit by bit, the liquidy-bubbly part around the edge grew inward until I was left with an inch of liquid mixed with brown flecks on top, and a soggy curdled mess below. So sad! I love lemon tarts!
I think I was very careful to follow the directions exactly, but I may have to try again, just to make sure I didn’t mess anything up. I kind of wonder if maybe the temp needs to be adjusted, because it seems that it was just before the 2nd 15-minute mark that it was looking closest to what I would have expected it to look like. The longer it went after that, the worse it got. So maybe it needs to be lower and slower? Or maybe higher/faster? I don’t know, but I think the flavor profile of the bitter lemon and sweet sugar was almost exactly right for me, so I will be trying again.
I MADE THE TART FOR VDAY AND IT WAS DELICIOUS! Deb, I’m new to your site and so happy to have found it. My crust didn’t shrink–what a find! And I was lazy and just just pressed it into the pan.
I did have a little butter leakage but I think I figured out why–I didn’t carefully read the tart recipe and failed to notice that even for the partially baked version, you’re supposed to put it back in the oven for 5 minutes. So I think I leaked because the bottom of the tart wasn’t as crispy as it should have been. Also, my crust was cooled but due to time constraints not totally completely room temp.
Also I couldn’t find a Meyer lemon but to avoid bitterness I didn’t use the end slices of a regular lemon that had a lot of pith. I replaced them with center slices from another lemon and my filling wasn’t bitter at all. If anything, I’d cut down on the sugar next time.
I also really love this recipe because you get great lemon flavor without lemon curd–which my husband isn’t too crazy about (he’s not keen on the egginess of it). Thanks again!
Also, I should add that my tart took about 35 minutes at the higher temp to set up.
this crust is incredible — my first ever sweet tart crust (as compared to a pie crust). made this with a regular lemon, instead of a meyer, and the tartness balanced the sweet crust perfectly. i may have eaten the last few slices of this as breakfasts last week…
This was my first attempt at pastry (I made the dough from scratch b/c I couldn’t find a pre-baked shell), and it came out just fine–I might cut the butter a little, but great overall. Thanks for the recipe!
Great recipe! Looks so nice… and you made it look so simple and fab! One step closer to my road of being a domestic goddess! ;o)
I made this yesterday and it was fantastic to say the least! I loved the tangy flavor of the lemon peel which is normally missing when using lemon juice alone. Now I want to experiment with this “whole lemon” process in a cake and icing. I’ve tried so many of your recipes since I discovered your blog and have yet to be disappointed. I don’t know how you find the time to do all that you do, but keep it up!
I just noticed from looking at the pictures of your tart shell that I forgot to pierce the crust with a fork before baking and it still came out perfect. The recipe for the tart crust is definitely a keeper.
I made this over the weekend, and had no problems. I used a meyer lemon, and it was a little sweet, but I like a stronger lemon tart. I checked on it after 35 minutes in the oven, and it looked like the butter had come to the top. Another 10 minutes and it was perfect. That said, I much prefer either Inas lemon bars, her lemon curd tart, or Dorie’s lemon cream tart. Just a matter of consistency and personal preference. I wonder if the posters who had a problem with the butter coming to the top needed to bake the tart longer, or if they used melted but not cooled butter. Just a theory
I made vegan mini-tart versions of this with Meyer lemon and they came out amazing! You weren’t kidding about that tart dough—it was my first time making a tart of any kind and I was absolutely thrilled with this, warm out of the oven, as the end of our Valentine’s Day meal.
For Valentines, I made this scrumptious lemon tart for my boyfriend, using lemons from my eureka lemon tree, we both loved it! I doubled the recipe and made a few little tarts along with one large. I was a little nervous about cook times for the little tarts, but I kept my eye’s on them. The regular cooking time worked just fine. BTW, this was my first attempt at tart making.
I prefer eating the tart chilled the next day. Feeling just a little, the texture of the whole lemon was unique . So far though, the lemon bar recipe Deb published (Jan 7, 2008) is my favorite.
Hello, made it last night and it took a lot longer go bake. It was really easy tho. But used a ‘normal’ lemon and I think that is a mistake. I got a bitter aftertaste as well. If Meyer lemons aren’t around, I wonder if a peeled lemon or two peeled ones would do the trick? That can’t be hard. I may make that and post my results.
I hate to add to the naysayers, and I hope you know, Deb, that one non-perfect recipe doesn’t mean that this isn’t my absolute favorite food site on all the internets (really really), but this one is going in the no pile, unfortunately.
I used a regular, smallish lemon but trimmed out some of the pith and added an extra tsp of sugar just for good measure. Bitter, major bad aftertaste like other posters have mentioned. It had a texture that was chewy in some places and like a sour creme brulee in others.
BUT! All is not lost. This was my first time making the Great Unshrinkable Tart Shell and it came out great. Will definitely make it again and fill it with other kinds of yumminess.
I made this, gluten-free and its DELICIOUS. I used a lime and a quarter lemon, less butter, and some vanilla. Thanks! I will be using this recipe from now on as a lazy version of lemon bars.
http://www.heythattastesgood.com/2009/02/lemon-lime-tart.html
I had posted yesterday with questions about making shell at high altitude. Where did my post go??
Sorry! Just realized I posted the Q on the page with the tart shell recipe. If anyone on here knows how to adapt tart shell for high altitude, I would appreciate it.
I had bought a meyer lemon with the sole purpose of making this tart, life got away from me and next thing I knew the lemon was going soft and I had the stomach flu :( However, being the martyr that I am, I made it anyway, and somehow, between under-baking the crust, cutting myself while slicing the lemon and my boyfriend not having the right sized baking sheet and therefore my spilling 1/3 of the filling onto the bottom of the oven, it turned out fabulously. and it was the only thing I could keep down yesterday! So thank you Deb, for the miraculous stomach-flu proof lemon tart :)
This tart looks great, but I’m a little confused by one thing. If I wanted to use a Meyer lemon, wouldn’t I need more than one because they’re smaller than a normal lemon?
I was not happy with my results. I had to cook it longer at the higher temp and it still didn’t not set up properly. There was butter on top, but not huge pools of it. It did set a bit more as it cooled.
I didn’t care for the taste, it was sweet when you first put a bit in your mouth and then I was left with a bitter aftertaste after each bite.
I had brought 6 meyer lemons back from my recent trip to San Francisco and have been searching for the best recipes to make with my bounty. I am glad I only used 1 here. It wasn’t the lemons, because I made a pasta with Meyer Lemon sauce also and it was excellent.
The crust was very tasty, will try it with a different filling.
Emily — There is a weight suggestion for your lemon — 4.5 ounces. Whatever kind of lemon you use, you’re looking for that weight. If one is bigger, it can be trimmed down.
I made this yesterday and it worked like a dream first time – I had no issues. It tastes devine and was snapped up by my colleagues.
I made this on Saturday and I too had some problems with the filling. I have a question – the picture you have above of your food processor – is that just the lemon and the sugar? Because my mixture was pretty granulated. Less juicy lemon perhaps? I’m wondering if because my mixture was thicker I had a problem with the bubbling as and the overflow – due to the sugar fully dissolving in the oven versus in the mixing bowl? Or something?
It tasted fantastic though. Yum. And I’ll definitely be using the tart shell again.
I don’t remember, but I believe it was all of the filling ingredients. I get the lemon and sugar as smooth as possible before — I may have used it to beat in the egg and butter as well. I wonder if this is why I have never had a separation issue, and others have, as I am still perplexed as to why others are getting entirely different results from my perfect ones. [I will update.]
I updated a few weeks ago with a note to make sure you leave room on the top for bubbling, though once again, this has never been a major issue for me.
I finally made this, and was a bit worried about the outcome because I had to make some changes to make this gluten free. I used Pamela’s GF lemon shortbread + butter as my crust. (It tastes like a graham cracker crust after it’s baked.) Just pulsed in the food proc until doughy and smashed into the pie plate. Baked about 25 – 30 min…until pretty crispy.
Everything else, meyer lemon, sugar, cornstarch, egg + yolk and melted butter into food proc. It whirled around in there a good while, once as I was mixing it up and then again before I put it into the crust. (Crust took a while to cool.) Baked exactly as directed. 20 min at 325, then 20 at 350. worked perfectly, even with modifications. The top of the pie / tart made a beautiful crispy / sugary, almost caramelized sugar-type crust on the top. OMG…so good.
Boys will be home from school in 30 minutes….let’s see how long this lasts. My bet…gone before tomorrow.
Deb, this tart was delish!
Key word being was.
And it only came out of the oven, well, lets just say less than 4 hours ago.
And in hind-sight I did all sorts of things wrong.
I’ll be trying this again.
My tart certainly wasn’t as good lookin as yours, but for my first attempt we all ate it up. Thanks for posting this recipe.
I noticed a comment from someone about the “pink grapefruit idea”. Could you tell me what that is? Can this tart be made with a pink grapefruit?
My attempt chronicled here: http://miloandnutella.blogspot.com/2009/02/whole-lemon-tart-la-smitten-kitchen.html. Preview: the butter did me in.
Hi Georgia — It looks quite soft and a little underbaked. (Unless you sliced it while it was still warm, but still — it is much softer than mine comes out.) Some earlier commenters noted that when they baked it longer, the butter separation issue disappeared.
I made this today and was very pleased with the results. Mine did bubble, but did not overflow my tart pan. I probably could have baked it 5 more minutes but it was nicely set up by the time it was room temp. This is the first time I’ve made a tart, and am happy it was a success. (So are the friends who helped me eat it!)
I tried both the tart crust and the lemon filling. The crust was wonderful and the filling was bitter. I am sorry I did not peel (regular California lemon) some of the lemon skin away and add some bottled zest.
I am going to try the tart with other fruit fillings and some glazes that I have on file.
Nothing ventured nothing learned.
BTW, I used 1 1/2 meyer lemons in mine.
I made this with a regular lemon and it turned out perfectly, and oh-so-delicious, tart and sweet and so welcome in gray February. I especially enjoyed heating up the second day’s slices in the microwave: warm summery delight! I’ll be making it again this week with a Meyer lemon.
I made this yesterday, using about 1.5 Meyer lemons, and it’s the most delicious thing ever! Thank you for giving the expected weight of a medium lemon, because that let me weigh mine and use that to decide how much to use. That filling is so, so good–I was tempted to just eat it plain instead of putting it in the tart shell.
I made this yesterday, also, and it turned out very very well. I have an 11″ tart pan, so I used that, and I had a little leftover filling which I cooked up in a ramekin. Don’t get Meyer lemons here in rural Nova Scotia, so I used a regular lemon. The only thing I’d alter for next time (& yes indeedy there will be more of these tarts made!) is to roll out the dough instead of just pressing it in.
The perfect dessert for a cold sleety winter’s night (and now, day).
i got a huge stock of kumquats. Maybe i can use them in the recipe? this oughta solve the peel problem? does it need juice? i can add 1 lemon worth of juice… what do you’all think???
I am planning to use pre-baked tart shells with this lemon recipe. But my tart shells are rather small.. how much time should I reduce from the original recipe?
Mine’s in the oven right now… I’m so excited!
Mmm – I quite liked this – it’s like a really good lemon square. I used a Meyer, and I would probably use less sugar next time, and maybe two whole eggs. But it’s pretty wonderful.
What a disaster. My great unshrinkable crust shrunk badly, so I overfilled my tiny crust. Of course, it overflowed. I could have lived with all of that. But the pie has a foul bitter aftertaste from the lemon rind. It ruins the whole thing and leaves you with an awful taste in your mouth for a long time, similar to the taste Lunesta gives you, if anyone has ever taken that. I’m so disappointed.
I just made this lemon tart today for the second time. It’s wonderful! Be careful if mixing in the egg, cornstarch and butter with the food processor or blender. My tart overflowed a little this time because beating it with the food processor added too much air. It just billowed over the sides this time. But the good news is that it still tastes marvelous!
Ohhhhhh I made this last night and it was fairly disastrous. I could have cried. I’ve just bought a set of American measuring cups, which open up a whole new world of US-origin recipes to me (I live in the UK), and this looked like a lovely place to start. It was, however, weirdly greasy and the filling just wasn’t quite right, but I’ll persevere. I only found your beautiful website yesterday and have since read pretty much every recipe and am not going to let the lemon-meltdown put me off…
Yummm, I have made two of these in the last week. The filling was perfect. Such a great balance of sweet and tart. My crust recipe needs some work . The second crust was better. The whole parbaked thing is new to me. I think next time (how long can I wait?!? ) I will try the crust recipe you recommend on your site and then a graham cracker crust. I have a new favorite dessert…right up there with lemon merigue pie…I should just buy a lemon tree…maybe a dwarf tree…
The first time I tried it, it came out near-perfect. I didn’t cook it quite long enough to set, and so it was a bit runny, and yes, a little buttery too. Sadly, my second attempt hasn’t gone as well – the filling puffed up and the top caramelized into a thin, brown crust. Tasty, but not a beautiful lemon yellow! What went wrong? This is what I did:
1) I used a mix of regular granulated sugar (3/4 c) , Powder sugar (1/4 c), and 1/2 c raw can sugar.
2) I mixed the cornstarch, eggs and softened butter with the lemon-sugar mixture in the food processor. I did notice that the mixture this time looked a paler lemon-yellow and seemed stiffer, but I attributed that to using a Meyer instead of the regular.
Was it the not-melted but softened butter? mixing with a food processor? or the multiple types of sugar?
Made 24 mini lemon tarts with this recipe and while the taste is fantastic – I used one whole meyer lemon and made up the rest of the weight with a regular lemon – the results were very inconsistent. Even within the same batch, 3 would come out perfectly, puffed and pale yellow while 3 would be absolute disasters, having the appearance of sunken craters. BUT… nothing a healthy dose of icing sugar didn’t cure:)
My question is now that I have a lot of filling left over, could I use this to make lemon bars or do you think the filling is too soft to hold up to being crustless on the sides?
This is Kate from #213. I made it again. Twice. The latest one, I forgot to turn up the oven from 325 to 350. It looked beautiful going into the oven, but the butter floated up to the top during baking. When I took it out I used a spoon to stir the filling and it cooled just fine. It was still separated near the crust where I didn’t stir…but it tasted wonderful. FYI…if you’ve had problems with separating, I would suggest turning up your oven just a tad…
I just finished eating a piece of this, and it was great. I used a regular lemon and actually found it a bit on the sweet side – no trace of bitterness at all. I baked it for 20 minutes after turning the temperature up to 350, and when I took it out I panicked a little because it appeared that the butter had floated to the top and I wasn’t really sure if it was set. I would say it looked as set as cheesecake is supposed to be when you take it out, i.e. still a bit jiggly, but there was a more liquid-y top layer that freaked me out a bit. I made myself leave it alone on the counter for 10 minutes, and when I came back, it had set perfectly. Oh, and this was my third time with this tart shell recipe, and the first time I have worked up the courage to roll it out instead of patting it and to bake it without weights… and guess what, it rolled out perfectly and didn’t shrink! Amazing!! I probably had around 1/2 cup of extra filling despite my tart shell not shrinking, but maybe it was because I was scared to fill the shell all the way after reading about other people’s tarts bubbling over.
This was SO GOOD and super easy. I’m a little afraid of baking pie crusts and tart shells from scratch but this was very easy. I used the nonshrinking tart shell (mind did a little bit and it cracked but I don’t think I made the sides thick enough) and it was awesome, even though it cracked. The tart itself is very tart, which I like since I think desserts are too frequently sickly sweet. I made it for Easter and my whole family loved it. I did have to cook the tart longer than 20 minutes (about 35-40 minutes) but my oven has a mind of its own when it comes to baking. Will DEFINITELY make again and I’m trying to perfect the tart shell again soon. EXCELLENT recipe!
I just made it, and oh my GAH was it bitter! However, the tart shell came out lovely, and didn’t shrink at all. And best of all, I just coated a 9-inch cake pan with aluminum foil, and baked the crust in that, so the whole thing came out super-easy and i didn’t even have to buy a tart pan! Also, my filling didn’t bubble over but it did take at least 15 minutes longer to bake, and even still it was reeeally wiggly. I cut out about 2 tablespoons of butter from the filling so i didn’t have any floating on top like some of the other commenters. If anyone out there doesn’t like bitter or, like me, is used to sweet stuff, definitely hold out for a meyer lemon because this tart… oh my GAH!
Please excuse the geeking…
I made this 2 days ago using 1 Meyer (~135 gm) with a different tart crust and filling worked out fine. It had a mild but lovely floral/orangey flavor and set up without issues. Yummy!
But the point of this entry is that it wasn’t until AFTER I made mine did I read all the comments and noticed all the sad cases of oozing butter.
So I did a little research in O’Corriher’s book “Cookwise” and found some reasons why the butter might separate. It sounds a bit like the butter is separating because the proteins in the eggs are coagulating too much and squeezing out the butter. This jives with at least one comment where the longer they cooked it, the more butter pooled out. Things that make the proteins coagulate faster are: acid, heat. Things that make the proteins coagulate SLOWER are (most) starches, including flour, cornstarch, arrowroot, tapioca, potato starch. So if you made this with a regular lemon *and* your oven ran a teeny bit hot, that might be the reason that your tart filling oozes butter. Or if you skipped the cornstarch that could be the problem too.
Other factors: this recipe seems to have much more butter than my normal lemon bars recipe. This might taste better but maybe the issue is that there’s not enough eggs to coagulate the butter. The book says at least 1 egg per cup of milk (or 2 egg yolks) is the minimum and that makes a very soft gel. So maybe for this recipe it would be more reliable with an extra yolk or even a whole egg.
I just made this and it turned out beautifully!
I did follow your lead and use the food processor for the entire mixing process. I added the butter in a slow continuous stream (almost like making a mayonnaise) and I had absolutely no problems with separation.
I wonder if using the food processor for everything vs. mixing the butter in by hand makes a difference?
Made this today and it tastes divine! But looks pretty bad. Ended up with charred crust. Could that be because I used a pie pan instead of tart?
Deb,
I have been reading this site for quite a while now, and have had a lot of success with previous recipes. I tried making a test tart before making it for a birthday treat this weekend, and while the Great Unshrinkable Tart Shell worked amazingly, the filling did not. I was prepared for this outcome (based on some of the comments), but what I wasn’t prepared for was what specifically went wrong.
It was way, way too sweet. I used a plain, organic lemon (meyer was not available) weighed out to 4 oz, and a slice of an orange to make up the extra .5 oz. I thought that it would help keep it from being too bitter, but boy was I wrong! I weighed out all the ingredients on a digital scale, but the final result was extremely sugary. I did the entire process in a food processor as well.
I have never thought to comment before, as the recipes have always, always yielded wonderful results, but just in case anyone else was thinking of tinkering with the recipe, I thought I’d issue a warning!
Stacey
p.s. – Again, I love the tart shell, it’s fantastic!
First off- Deb, thank you for a beautiful, first-rate site. I’ll be a frequent visitor from now on!
I made the lemon tart today for my Dad’s birthday- lemon is his favorite. I had great success with the unshrinkable crust (fab!). The filling was not quite as wonderful. I am a pretty decent baker, and still can’t figure out why only 1 (I like butter) stick of butter would have caused SO MUCH pooling, but it did. I did nothing quirky with the filling, just a nice whisk, and BAM– am a veteran butter user in most all recipes- and have never seen such a lake of butter atop a crust. I left it in the oven (covered in foil so as not to char!!) , and nothing came of it. Thankfully, I found a meyer lemon at Whole Foods, and am hoping that the butter debacle will only be a visual distraction and not affect the taste of the finished product.
Why oh why the many butter-pooling problems??
Thank you though, for such a beautifully presented lemon tart recipe.
When I saw meyer lemons last week at the store I couldn’t wait to try this tart. With all the mised reviews….I was up for the challenge…..but prepared if it was less then stellar. Well…let me tell you….Wonderful!!! is all I can say. The crust was amazing and the tart so easy….cannot believe all that deliciousness was from one …..one….meyer lemon….and a lot of butter. I followed your recommendation and just mixed everything in the food processor. Wonderfully easy, delicious tart. Thank you….I am throughly enjoying your website.
I have 3 lemons sitting in my fridge (but no corn starch). I was thinking of making lemon tart to bring to work on Friday. This looks brilliant. Thanks!
couldn’t find meyer lemons down under in australia at the moment…
but tried the tart anyway with a regular lemon..
i also used less sugar as i like the tart and bitterness..
although my tart didn’t boil over.. (i made sure i didnt overfill it.. :) )
the tart turned out ugly!! – all lumpy and full of pimples all over the surface!!
everyone thought the tart base was too greasy and i thought the filling itself was also too greasy..
mm..think i’d stick with your awesome lemon bars instead next time for my citrus fix…
Mine is in the oven on its last 3 mins run…. so far… no bubbling over and looking good… but the crust did shrink more on one end than the other… hence… that explains why i am tilting the whole pan to one side… lol… First timer with crust, pie, lemon filling and all….. lets see how it goes from here..
My crust also shrank a little on one side, but I barely left it in the freezer for the 30 minutes so I’m figuring that’s why.
After all the failed tarts, I was so curious to see if this would turn out for me and it did! No explosions, no butter lakes (although I did cut back on the butter by a tablespoon just in case). It jelled up perfectly within the given cooking time. I used a regular lemon but it *barely* had any pith – I probably should have cut back the sugar a little but I didn’t and my mom said it was too sweet (it tasted like a lollipop – how could that be bad?!). I loved the bright flavor that came with using the whole lemon, and it’s wonderful to have a recipe that calls for ingredients I already have at home. Thank you!
Thanks!…this Tart brought back some nice memories…I made it last night it was a big hit…I agree with the über-sweetness..I was glad I only used 1/2 cup of sugar and since the meyer lemon was very sweet I could have used even less… also the pastry shell in itself is very sweet already..
regarding the problem with the butter “lake” on the tart (not me)… are people using a bottom removable pan? (like the one pictured above) I think it’s essential to do so since I noticed a lot of butter leaking out of the pan ..glad I had alu and a baking sheet under it…I will try with less butter next time…
Has anyone had any luck adapting this tart to be a little dairy-er, i.e. adding cream or creme fraiche or using the whole-lemon technique but beating the resulting pulp into a custard? I know I could go and find a recipe for a specifically creamy lemon tart filling, but I love the simplicity of blitzing this in the blender and think it could work well with a slightly creamier filling. Any input much appreciated!
I tried this last week and it came out ok. Definitely not the knock-my-socks off experience that I usually have with recipes on this site. My tart dough shrunk (probably my fault), which meant that I only ended up able to use about half the filling. After baking, I didn’t get the pool of butter that a lot of people described, but I think this may have been just because I didn’t use all the filling. The tart was greasy — not gross, but off-putting enough that I don’t want to make it again. The flavor was excellent, though (I used a Meyer lemon).
I tried to make this recipe recently for a large dinner party — and it turned out to be a big BITTER disappointment. Almost unedible. I followed the instructions exactly, and used beautiful Meyer lemons, fresh local farm eggs, organic ingredients. But it was completely BITTER. Not just tart. I like tart, I even like many bitter foods. But this was over bitter. Unfortunately, all that hard work and fine ingredients went to waste.
I suspect it was because the pith is included in this recipe. Next time, I’ll stick to those that use only the juice, peel, or both. But no pith.
Bummer. I usually really enjoy the recipes on this website, and find that your opinions are usually spot on.
Thanks anyways :-(
Kristin — I have the shrinking problem with the tart dough — try making the walls of the tart extra tall before baking.
I made this today and it turned out almost as well as yours! I blended everything in the food processor and used a Myer lemon. For those having trouble, I really think not filling up the tart shell all the way and allowing the tart to set are key in getting a good tart. It was great and my parents loved it, so I will be making it again.
I just took a bite of mine . . . still making up my mind about it . . . it has a (small) sea of butter on top, and bubbled over while cooking so the edges are weirdly chewy/caramelized. The lemon filling is also a much deeper yellow, almost brown. (Maybe because I baked it at a lower temperature, 305 to start and then 335, thinking this would prevent said bubbling/lakeing.) And it took almost an hour before I dared take it out of the oven. Any event, doesn’t sound like the heavenly tart you made.