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HOW TO MAKE

Crostata al Limone

Lemon curd tart

120 MinuteS to prepare and cook
Medium Difficulty
Want to learn how to cook this authentic Italian recipe of Crostata al Limone? Sign up today for chef Riccardo Alberti’s next class.

Recipe Overview

The Lemon tart is an exquisite tart! It is composed of a crumbly shortcrust pastry shell, filled with fresh and citrusy lemon cream, covered with a sugary cloud of meringue.

This dessert is famous in many countries: in Italy, it is known as Crostata al Limone while in France as Tarte au Citron, in both cases, it is made with a shortcrust pastry base. In the United States, however, it is made with the base of pâte brisée and is very similar to the legendary Apple pie.

In Italy, this dessert is very famous in the south. In fact, along the coasts of southern Italy, there are huge crops of lemon trees. The most valuable and famous are found along the Amalfi coast, precisely in Sorrento and Amalfi, and in Sicily, in the area of Syracuse.

The beauty of this desert lies in its realization. By following the recipe step by step, you will be able to make a delicious dessert, ideal for special occasions in any season of the year!

 Ingredients

Total Served: 8

For the shortcrust pastry:

1
250 grams (1.97 cup) Soft Wheat Flour Type 00 (Cake Flour or All-Purpose Flour)
2
100 grams (7 tbsp) Butter, cut in cubes
3
100 grams (8 tbsp) Granulated sugar
4
1 Egg
5
Salt

For the lemon curd:

1
220 grams (1.1 cup) Granulated sugar
2
100 grams (7 tbsp) Butter, cut in cubes
3
30 grams (4 tbsp) Cornstarch
4
3 Lemons, juice and zest
5
3 Eggs
6
2 Yolks

For the Italian meringue:

1
100 grams (½ cup) Granulated sugar
2
50 grams Egg whites (about 2 medium eggs)
3
15 grams (1 tbsp) Water

Equipment Needed to Make Crostata al Limone

The following tools will be used to create Crostata al Limone. Not all of them are necessary and can be replaced with more manual operations, but we suggest using all of these to make the recipe as easy-to-create and yummy as possible. Click on any of the items to learn more about them and purchase them.
Stand mixer
Fluted 22 cm/9-inch tart pan with removable bottom
Pot
Whisk
Spatula
Plastic wrap
Parchment paper
Cooking weights, rice or legumes

Step-by-Step Cooking Instructions for Crostata al Limone

Let’s get started with creating Crostata al Limone. Follow the instructions in order below to create this tasty fall dish.
For the shortcrust pastry:
1
In the mixer, add the very cold diced butter and flour.
2
Operate the whisk at medium-low speed and work until a fairly uniform sandblasting is obtained.
3
With the whisk still in action, combine the sugar, the egg and the salt.
4
When the mixture appears uniform, turn the dough over onto the work surface.
5
Knead the dough quickly to obtain a ball, then cover with cling film.
6
Put the pastry in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
For the lemon curd:
1
In a saucepan, melt the butter and add the sugar.
2
Squeeze the lemons to obtain the juice and add it too in the saucepan, as soon as the sugar is dissolved.
3
Separately, in a bowl, beat the eggs and cornstarch together and, when they are a smooth batter, pour into the saucepan.
4
Add the lemon zest and let the curd thicken over low heat, stirring often to avoid the formation of lumps.
5
Leave the curd to cool off.
Cook the pastry:
1
Lightly flour the pastry board and, with a rolling pin, roll out the pastry to a thickness of about 0.5 cm.
2
Grease the mold and lay the pastry inside, making it adhere carefully.
3
Pierce the base of the tart with the tines of a fork.
4
Line the tart with baking paper and fill it with rice or legumes.
5
Bake the tart for 25 minutes in a static oven preheated to 180 ° C, then remove the weights and baking paper and continue the cooking for another 10 minutes.
6
Once cooked, let it cool completely.
7
Pour the curd inside, leveling with a spatula. Store in the fridge.
Make the italian meringue:
1
Pour the water and sugar into a saucepan and bring to a temperature of 120° C/ 250° F.
2
In the meantime, in a planetary mixer, start whipping the egg whites at medium speed.
3
When the syrup has reached the desired temperature, pour it into the planetary mixer with the egg whites and whisk until the meringue is well whipped up and cooled.
4
Place the meringue in a piping bag with a round plain tip.
Compose the tart:
1
Take the tart from the fridge and decorate the surface by forming small wisps of meringue next to each other.
Buon Appetito!
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