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Home » Dessert » Lemon Curd Tarts

Published: Nov 5, 2014 · Modified: Jun 21, 2020 by Lisa Johnson

Lemon Curd Tarts

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Sweet and tangy Lemon Curd Tarts | cookingwithcurls.com

Well I did it, I finally made homemade lemon curd! I grew up eating lemon curd, even going to Scottish festivals in Los Angeles where lemon curd was one of the main attractions. California may be a seriously screwed up state, but there is always something fun to do! At some point in time, I started buying lemon curd in jars, and didn’t really think much of it. I will never purchase a jar again, the real deal is so much better…especially when used to fill these amazing Lemon Curd Tarts!

Sweet and tangy Lemon Curd Tarts | cookingwithcurls.com

In late 19th and early 20th century England, homemade lemon curd was traditionally served with bread or scones at afternoon tea as an alternative to jam, and as a filling for cakes, small pastries and tarts. I could not think of a better dessert to serve to this month’s Scottish imaginary date Gerard Butler.

So back to the lemon curd, and these insanely delicious Lemon Curd Tarts!! They are much easier to make than you are probably expecting, and so worth the effort…..

Lemon Curd Tarts | cookingwithcurls.com

How to Make Lemon Curd Tarts:

Bring 1-inch of water to a boil in a large pot. Place eggs, egg yolks, lemon juice, salt, and sugar in a large stainless steel bowl {or double boiler} and whisk together…..

Lemon Curd Tarts eggs cookingwithcurls.com

Place bowl on top of boiling water and cook, stirring occasionally until thickened…..

Lemon Curd Tarts boil cookingwithcurls.com

Mixture will be ready when it coats the backside of a spoon, and leaves a tunnel when you run your finger through it…..

Lemon Curd Tarts spoon cookingwithcurls.com

It takes about 5 to 7 minutes, and looks thicker in person. Remove from heat and whisk in butter…..

Lemon Curd Tarts butter cookingwithcurls.com

Continue whisking until butter is melted and mixture is smooth. Pour into a sealed container and chill in the refrigerator…..

Homemade Lemon Curd is much easier to make than you think, and so delcious | cookingwithcurls.com

While the lemon curd is chilling, preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silpat liner and set aside. Pull puff pastry shells OR 1 puff pastry sheet out of package and place on a floured work surface…..

Lemon Curd Tarts puff pastry cookingwithcurls.com

I only had puff pastry sheets, but they turn out exactly the same…trust me. 😉  Remove the separators from the puff pastry and fold dough back together on it’s self. Use a 2 and 3/4 inch round cutter to cut out circles…..

Lemon Curd Tarts circles cookingwithcurls.com

Now use a 1 and 3/4 inch cutter to “mark” the centers of each circle. You don’t want to cut all the way through, you just want to score the dough about 3/4’s of the way through…..

Lemon Curd Tarts centers cookingwithcurls.com

Prick the center’s of each circle 3 or 4 times with a knife so the dough can vent while baking…..

Lemon Curd Tarts prick cookingwithcurls.com

Repeat with the second sheet of dough and place on prepared baking sheet…..

Lemon Curd Tarts bake cookingwithcurls.com

Bake for 15 minutes, until puffed and golden brown…..

Lemon Curd Tarts baked cookingwithcurls.com

I gently pushed down that shell int the back corner so it wasn’t tilted. 🙂  The shells will shrink down slightly as they cool, so don’t worry too much about it. Place shells on a wire cooling rack and allow to cool completely.

Use a sharp paring knife to cut around the inner circle and remove the top…..

Lemon Curd Tarts cut cookingwithcurls.com

Dust with sifted powdered sugar…..

Lemon Curd Tarts dust cookingwithcurls.com

and fill with lemon curd…..

Lemon Curd Tarts | cookingwithcurls.com | #scorpio

You will have more lemon curd that you need to fill 6 shells, so keep a spoon handy to finish off the leftovers. 😉

A spoonful of delicious Homemade Lemon Curd | cookingwithcurls.com

So there you have it, another Cooking with Astrology Scorpio in the bag! Here is the entire meal:

Cooking with Astrology Meal #Scorpio 2014 cookingwithcurls.com

Rusty Nail Cocktail  –  Split Pea Soup  –  Cornish Pasties  –  Lemon Curd Tarts

Here is last year’s meal:

Cooking with Astrology #Scorpio | cookingwithcurls.com

Moroccan Butternut Squash Soup  –  Chicken Tagine with Olives & Lemons

Moroccan Orange Cake  –  Avocado & Date Smoothie

You can find your sun sign’s meal on my Cooking with Astrology Pinterest Board:

Follow Cooking with Curls’s board Cooking with Astrology on Pinterest.

Enjoy!!

Sweet and tangy Lemon Curd Tarts | cookingwithcurls.com

Lemon Curd Tarts

These sweet and tangy Lemon Curd Tarts are an impressive dessert that are quite simple to make!
3.95 from 35 votes
Print
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: British
Keyword: lemon, curd, tarts, recipe, puff, pastry, dessert
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Servings: 6 Servings
Calories: 684kcal
Author: Lisa Johnson

Ingredients

Lemon Curd

  • 1/2 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
  • 2/3 cups granulated sugar
  • 2 eggs whole
  • 2 eggs yolks only
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter
  • 1/16 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 pound Pepperidge Farms puff pastry sheets or shells 1 package

Instructions

To make the Lemon Curd:

  • Bring 1 -inch of water to a boil in a large pot.
  • Whisk together eggs, egg yolks, lemon juice, salt, and sugar in a large stainless steel bowl, or double boiler.
  • Place over boiling water and cook, stirring occasionally until mixture thicken and coats the back of a spoon.
  • Remove from heat and whisk in butter, whisking until thoroughly melted and mixture is smooth.
  • Pour lemon curd into a sealed container and place in the refrigerator until thoroughly chilled.

For the Tarts:

  • Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat liner.
  • Bake for 15 minutes, until puffed and golden brown.
  • Place on a wire cooling rack and allow to cool completely before filling.
  • Cut out the centers to make shells hollow, and dust with sifted powdered sugar.
  • Fill with lemon curd and serve.

Notes

You will have leftover Lemon Curd. You can make more tarts or use it on toast.

Nutrition

Calories: 684kcal | Carbohydrates: 57g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 46g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Cholesterol: 149mg | Sodium: 256mg | Potassium: 107mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 23g | Vitamin A: 630IU | Vitamin C: 7.8mg | Calcium: 29mg | Iron: 2.4mg
Previous Post: « Cornish Pasties
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Adam @ CorrChilled says

    November 06, 2014 at 9:54 am

    Lovely recipe, lemon tarts are one of my favourite foods!

    Reply
  2. Zainab says

    November 06, 2014 at 10:37 am

    Swooooon!! I just watched him last night on The Ugly Truth! Love this date. Any lemon curd 😉

    Reply
  3. Marcie says

    November 06, 2014 at 10:26 pm

    Love Gerard Butler — almost as much as homemade lemon curd! I make curd in all flavors under the sun — it makes everything better. And these tarts look amazing, Lisa!

    Reply
  4. andi says

    November 07, 2014 at 6:02 pm

    Ummmmm…I’m pretty sure I would love whatever is it you just talked about, but I got mesmerized by Gerard and lost all sense of….everything.

    I think there may have been an egg yolk involved.

    -andi

    Reply
  5. mday says

    November 08, 2014 at 1:38 pm

    Your recipe never says when to add the lemon juice! I am assuming at the beginning?

    Reply
    • Lisa Johnson says

      November 12, 2014 at 11:56 am

      Yikes…I’m so sorry about that! Yes, it is added at the beginning and I have fixed the recipe. Thank you so much for letting me know. 🙂

      Reply
  6. Cathy@LemonTreeDwelling says

    March 10, 2015 at 9:10 am

    You make ALL the best recipes, Lisa!

    Reply
  7. ana says

    March 22, 2015 at 4:44 pm

    I just made your lemon curd the other day and it was delicious! How long does it last in a jar in the refrigerator?

    Reply
  8. Lyuba@willcookforsmiles says

    April 17, 2015 at 7:45 pm

    Mmm, I’m not sure which one is yummier! Oh, I know, have him bring me the tart!!

    Reply
    • Lisa Johnson says

      April 20, 2015 at 5:19 pm

      Oooh, I like the way you think Lyuba!! They are both very yummy. 😉

      Reply
  9. Debbie says

    December 11, 2019 at 3:49 pm

    Can I make the tarts a day ahead and fill the next day? I’m going to garnish with sugar dusted raspberries.

    Reply
    • Lisa Johnson says

      December 17, 2019 at 9:56 am

      You sure can Debbie! Yum, sugar dusted raspberries sound delicious. 🙂

      Reply
  10. Jan Laser says

    August 16, 2020 at 7:56 pm

    Hi
    The recipe doesn’t say the step of how to make the tarts. It just says to line with parchment and next step bake but what do I do with the puff pastry?
    Thanks
    Jan

    Reply
    • Lisa Johnson says

      August 17, 2020 at 9:33 pm

      Jan, there are step by step images in the post that exactly show how to make the shells if you cannot purchase them pre-made.

      Reply

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Hi, I'm Lisa - Welcome to my kitchen! I have a passion for good food and love sharing my creations with friends, family and everyone that loves a homecooked meal. This is where I share my favorite recipes with step-by-step instructions as well as tips and tricks to help you make these delicious recipes in your home.

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