Homemade lemon tarts are a refreshing dessert that is perfect for spring and summer. These tarts are sweet and tart, making them a great dessert for serving after a BBQ meal.
Bite-sized lemon tarts are great for serving as a dessert, because the cool and creamy lemon curd filling makes them a refreshing end to a savoury meal. And, they also make a great afternoon pick-me-up.
Ingredients For Lemon Tarts
Homemade lemon tarts are easy to make with these ingredients:
- Lemons. Fresh lemons are used for the zest and the juice.
- Sugar.
- Eggs.
- Butter.
- Tart Shells. These can be homemade or frozen.
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Toppings For Lemon Tarts
There are many ways to top these little tarts, depending on the occasion and the level of effort you want to put into the dessert.
Sometimes, we don’t top the tarts at all. We eat them just as they are, and they are delicious as just they are.
A small dollop of whipped cream on top of the tarts adds a touch of sweetness to cut the tartness of the lemons.
Meringue is also great on top of these lemon tarts. Since the lemon tarts aren’t baked, when adding meringue, we simply toast the meringue with a kitchen torch.
Add a 2-3 fresh berries on top of the lemon curd to make a simple dessert. Raspberries, blackberries and blueberries pair well with the tartness in the lemon curd.
Tips For Making Lemon Curd
Making lemon curd is easy to do, and these tips will ensure success when making it.
When adding the eggs to to the mixture, it is important to add the hot liquid gradually and a little at a time, while whisking the eggs. This prevents cooking the eggs. If you add the hot lemon juice all at once, the heat will cook the eggs and you will need to start over.
After adding the eggs, the mixture will need to be cooked again. Whisking it constantly will help thicken the mixture to create the curd. It also prevents the curd from burning on the bottom.
A piece of plastic wrap over the curd when chilling is essential to making sure the curd doesn’t form a crust on the top. The plastic wrap should be placed right on top of the curd, touching the top to prevent the crust forming.
Serving Homemade Lemon Tarts
The tarts should be served cold, with or without toppings. We prefer to add the toppings just before serving.
These tarts pair well with coffee or tea, making them a great afternoon snack.
Looking for another great tart recipe? Check out our BBQ Bourbon Peach Tarts.
Homemade Lemon Tarts
Ingredients
- 1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
- ¼ cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
- ½ cup white sugar, divided
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup cold butter, cubed
- 12 tart shells
Instructions
- In a saucepan over medium heat, stir the zest and juice with ½ the sugar, until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat.
- In a heatproof bowl, whisk the remaining sugar with the eggs until well blended.
- Gradually whisk the hot mixture into the eggs and sugar, whisking constantly until blended.
- Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and heat over medium heat, whisking constantly until thickened, about 2-3 minutes.
- Remove from heat and whisk in cubed butter, a couple of cubes at a time until smooth.
- Pour into a bowl, place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the lemon curd, and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
- After 3 hours, preheat oven to 400℉.
- Pierce bottoms of tart shells with a fork.
- Bake tart shells in preheated oven for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes.
- Remove lemon curd from the fridge and gently stir.
- Fill each cooled tart shell evenly with the lemon curd.
- Place in fridge, covered, for 30 minutes before serving.
- Top with whipped cream just before serving if desired.
