Recipe + Competition: Classic French Lemon Tart

To celebrate the launch of the new feature, we're hosting a cooking competition*. So, if you're a keen cook and a citrus connoisseur, grab your apron and get baking for your chance to win a copy of Audrey's cookbook, Rustic French Cooking Made Easy. Here are the rules:

• Bake a classic French lemon tart using Audrey's recipe
• Take a picture of the finished product and send it to us at news@connexionfrance.com, tag us in your Instagram pictures @theconnexion.france or on Facebook or Twitter
• The competition will run for 10 days starting from February 28 and ending on March 8, after which the baker behind the most delicious looking tart will win (picked by The Connexion team)
• We'll let the winner know they've won and will share the picture-perfect prize-winning dessert on social media, and the cookbook will be sent

Lemons at the ready? Here we go...

Recipe: Classic French Lemon Tart (Tarte au Citron)

Serves: 8 Prep Time: 45 minutes Cooking Time: 36 minutes

INGREDIENTS

For the « pâté sucrée » crust :

½ cup (125g) unsalted butter, cubed and at room temperature
¾ cup (95g) icing sugar
½ tsp. vanilla extract
1/3 cup + 1 ½ tbsp. (40g) almond flour (ground almond)
1 large egg
1 ¾ cup + 1 tbsp. (233g) all-purpose flour
½ tsp. salt

For the lemon filling :
1 cup (250ml) lemon juice (about 6-7 lemons)
Zest of 2 lemons (organic lemons)
3/4 cup (150g) sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
¾ cup (170g) unsalted butter, cubed
4 large eggs + 4 large egg yolks

INSTRUCTIONS

Make the « pâté sucrée » crust.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the butter and icing sugar until creamy and smooth. Add the vanilla extract, almond flour and egg, and mix until homogeneous. Add the all-purpose flour and salt, and mix until just incorporated and the dough comes together into a ball. Wrap in a plastic film and place in the fridge for 2 hours, minimum.

Pre-heat your oven to 350F (180C).

Take the pâté sucrée out of the fridge, place it between two large sheets of parchment paper and roll it out to a 12-inch (30.48cm) circle. Unpeel the top sheet of parchment paper, transfer the crust to a 9-inch (22cm) tart pan (trim the sides if needed) and poke the bottom of the crust all over with a fork. Line the top of the crust with foil or parchment paper and place pie weights or dried beans to keep the pie crust from puffing when baking.

Bake the pâté sucrée for 20 minutes. Carefully remove the parchment paper filled with weights and bake for 10 more minutes, until the edges of the crust are golden.

Set the tart shell aside to cool (still in the dish). Leave your oven on at 350F/180C.

In the meantime, make the lemon filling.

Grab a fine-mesh strainer before you start and have it ready within arm’s reach.

In a medium saucepan (no heat yet), whisk together the lemon juice, lemon zest, sugar, salt, egg yolks and eggs. Add the cubed butter and turn the heat to medium. Whisk slowly until the butter is all melted. Continue whisking steadily for several minutes until the mixture thickens to a thin custard consistency.

Immediately pass the lemon filling through the fine mesh strainer, directly into the tart shell. Using an offset spatula (or back of a large spoon), smooth out the top of the filling. Bake the tart for 5 minutes, until the filling has slightly set and turned slightly deeper in colour.

Set aside to cool for at least 30 minutes. Enjoy slightly warm or chilled.

Audrey Le Goff is a French food writer, photographer, and creator of the food blog Pardon Your French, where she shares recipes and stories from her beloved home country, France. She is the author of the cookbook “Rustic French Cooking Made Easy” (2019). She currently lives in Niagara, Canada. Follow her on Instagram @pardonyourfrench

*Entrants must be based in France