Lemon Curd Puff Pastry Tarts

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These sweet and tangy Lemon Curd Puff Pastry Tarts are an impressive dessert that is quite simple to make! All you need is lemons, eggs, butter, sugar, a touch of salt and pre-made puff pastry to create this incredibly delicious treat.

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, homemade is so much better…especially when used to fill these amazing Lemon Curd Tarts!

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.

More lemon dessert recipes

What you will need

• Fresh squeezed lemon juice. No you cannot use those little plastic lemons in the produce section, that juice is too bitter and will ruin your dessert.
• Granulated sugar adds the perfect amount of sweetness.
• Eggs add body, thickening, and the gorgeous yellow color.
• Butter to add richness and a velvety texture.
• Puff Pastry Shells or sheets to hold the delicious lemon curd!

Be sure to check out the detailed printable recipe card below

How to Make Lemon Curd Tarts with puff pastry

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.

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

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

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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

Bake for 15 minutes, until puffed and golden brown.

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.

Dust with sifted powdered sugar.

and fill with lemon curd.

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

Cooking with Astrology Scorpio recipes

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

More Scorpio recipes

Moroccan Butternut Squash Soup  –  Chicken Tagine with Olives & Lemons

Moroccan Orange Cake  –  Avocado & Date Smoothie

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Enjoy!!