Recipe: Lemon Tartlets

Impress friends and guests with individual lemon tartlets made in the French tradition; renowned pastry instructor Colette Christian shows you how. Colette shares her tried-and-true recipe for sweet pie dough that is guaranteed to become your go-to mixture for any sweet tart. This French Pate Brisee or “broken pastry” recipe creates a buttery, sweet crust using only a few ingredients and a special cut in technique. This chopping process creates a texture that is more durable for high moisture fillings like lemon curd.

Then learn how to knead your dough together using a French “fraisage” method that allows the butter to coat the flour decreasing gluten development and therefore makeing this crust very tender. This dough is also very stable and won’t shrink down in the pans as it bakes. Next, Colette demonstrates her stovetop method for making lemon curd without a double boiler. She’ll also share her favorite way to stabilize this smooth curd which makes it easier to cut, plate, serve, and enjoy. And lastly, learn how to make an Italian meringue with a hot sugar syrup and turn up the heat in the kitchen with a blow torch for a toasty topping.

This lemon tartlet is a must for everyone’s recipe box and can be found here.