Lanciani Lemon Tart
Most pastry chefs, at some point in their careers, find themselves on the lookout for the ultimate French lemon tart — the classic Tarte au Citron. Indeed, a great many baking books include at least one recipe for such a tart. It seemed only fitting, then, to embark on that same quest for The Friday Baking Project.
Yet, as I learned during my 2022 search for the ultimate French chocolate cake, there is really no single “ultimate†version. Instead, there are variations — each with its own subtle differences in flavor and texture. This particular tart, from my time at Greenwich Village’s Patisserie Lanciani, is a personal favorite: creamy, with a bright, distinct lemon flavor that pairs beautifully with its elegant border of crème fraîche.
The long-gone Patisserie Lanciani, once a hive of activity on Greenwich Village’s West 4th Street, was both a bustling café and the hub of a thriving wholesale business, supplying Bloomingdale’s, Macy’s, and numerous caterers and gourmet food stores. My two winter stints there were invaluable. I learned the techniques of large-scale pastry and cake production, the advantages of separating cake decorating into distinct preparation and finishing stages, and the importance of organizing a workstation for maximum efficiency.
At Seven Layers, we made these in the same three-inch individual tarts used at Lanciani, with a single crème fraîche rosette in the middle, topped with finely chopped pistachios. As a whole tart, the baked lemon filling sliced beautifully, producing neat, attractive wedges that held their shape.
For those moments when something lighter and more ethereal is called for try our Lemon Cloud Tart.
In the end, perhaps there is no single “ultimate†Tarte au Citron. Instead, there are many — each suited to a particular moment and menu. From the polished precision of the café tart to the airy elegance of the Lemon Cloud, both deserve a place in your dessert repertoire.
Lanciani Lemon Tart
| Yield: 1 10-inch tart | # of Servings: 10 |
Ingredients:
1 recipe Pâte Sucrée
5 tbl (2.5 oz / 71 g) butter, melted
5 large eggs (8 fl oz)
1 cup + 3 tbl (8.5 oz / 241 g) sugar
¼ cup + ½ tbl (2.25 oz / 64 g) sour cream
¾ cup (6 fl oz) fresh lemon juice
Grated rind from 3 lemons (organic preferred)
1 cup apricot jam, strained
1 (8 oz) container crème fraîche
3 tbl confectioners’ sugar, sifted
¼ cup shelled pistachios, roughly chopped
Special equipment needed:
- One 10-inch by 1-inch deep tart pan
- A heavy bottomed 2 to 3 qt saucepan
- Pastry brush
- Fine mesh strainer
- Large pastry bag (21â€) with medium star tip (Ateco 825 or 826)
Pre-recipe preparations:
- Wash four to six2 lemons and let them come to room temperature
- Remove Pâte Sucrée from the refrigerator to soften.
- Preheat oven to 375°F
Directions
Forming the Pâte Sucrée shell:
- Pound the dough gently with the rolling pin and roll out to a 12†circle.
- Drape over the rolling pin and fit into the tart pan. Gently press into the corner of the pan without stretching the dough. Patch any tears with dough scraps.
- Let rest and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, or overnight. After resting (to let the gluten relax) the tart pan with the dough may be placed on a 10†or 12†cardboard circle, wrapped well in plastic, and frozen. May be pre-baked directly from the freezer.
Baking the Pâte Sucrée shell:
Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Place tart shell on a heavy-bottomed baking sheet, such as a half-sheet pan. Spray pan release on a square of aluminum foil and press it onto the chilled dough, making sure to press into the corners. Line with dried beans or rice.
- Bake until the pastry dough is set, 14 to 15 minutes.
- Remove the beans and foil and bake for another 3 to 4 minutes, just until any raw dough is baked and it just begins to brown. Don’t overbake. Place on a cooling rack.
- When almost cool, carefully remove the outer ring by placing on a small bowl or can, and allow the outer ring to fall. Place tart shell, with the metal bottom, on the paper or silpat lined baking sheet.
- Let totally cool.
Making the filling and baking:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F
- Melt the butter, set aside to cool slightly
- Place eggs in a medium mixing bowl and beat with a whisk.
- Add sugar and sour cream. Beat with whisk until thoroughly combines, and there are visible clumps of sour cream. This will take a bit of whisking.
- Stir in lemon juice and melted butter. Whisk gently to combine.
- Pour mixture into saucepan and stir over medium flame with a heat-proof spatula or wooden spoon. Keep stirring until the mixture is warm, about 120°F.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon rind.
- Pour the filling into the tart shell. The filling should be ⅛ “ from the top of the pastry. Carefully, place the pan in the oven.
- Bake just until the center of the lemon filling is beginning to set, there should only be the slightest wiggle in the center, when the baking pan is gently touched, about 14 to 16 minutes. Don’t overbake, the lemon filling will continue to set as it cools.
- Remove from oven, place on a cooling rack until just warm.
- Carefully slide a thin metal spatula, or the metal bottom from another tart shell, between the crust the bottom and slide onto a flat cake plate. Let cool.
Finishing:
- Heat the apricot jam and pass through a fine mesh strainer into a small saucepan. Add a few droplets of water to thin it out and bring just to the boil.
- Gently brush the apricot over the tart. Let cool.
- Whip the crème fraîche and the sugar until just thick. It will thin out at first before thickening. Do not overwhip or it will become grainy when piped out. Place in a pastry beg with an open start tip, such as Ateco #825.
- Pipe rosettes along the border of the crust. Serve the remainder with the tart.
- Sprinkle chopped pistachios over the whipped crème fraîche.
- Store in the refrigerator. Slice with a sharp chef’s knife.
- Keep leftovers refrigerated for up to two days.
Baking Notes: Individual tarts may be made using 3†tart molds. Bake the filling for shorter time, about 10 to 12 minutes, until the filling is just set. Pipe one whipped crème fraîche rosette in the middle, and sprinkle the chopped pistachios on it.
