Lemon Lavender Tarts Recipe + Bouchon Pâte Sucrée (2024)

Ingredients

Scale

Ingredients for Bouchon Bakery Pate Sucrée:

• 375 g flour
• 46 g + 94 g powdered sugar, divided
• 47 g almond flour or meal
• 225 g unsalted butter, at room temp
• 1/2 vanilla bean, sliced lengthwise and seeds scraped
• 56 g eggs
• Dried beans, for baking

Ingredients for Lemon Curd

• 2/3 cup lemon juice, about 4 lemons
• 4 large eggs
• 2 egg yolk
• 1 cup sugar
• 4 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 2 tablespoon heavy cream
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• pinch table salt
• 4–5 drops of lavender oil

Ingredients for Honey Meringue:

• 150 g good quality honey
• 100 g egg whites

Special Equipment:

• Mini Tart Pans
• Icing Piping Bags

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Make the pâte sucrée:

1. Sift the flour and 46 grams of powdered sugar into a medium bowl. Add the almond flour, breaking up any lumps. Whisk to combine.
2. Place the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer and cream on medium-low speed with the paddle attachment until it is pale and holds peaks.
3. Sift in the remaining 94 grams of powdered sugar and mix on medium-low for about 1 minute, until fluffy. Scrape the sides of the bowl and mix in the vanilla bean seeds, about 30 seconds.
4. Add the flour mixture in 2 additions, scraping the bowl between and mixing until just combined. Add the eggs and mix on low speed until just combined.
5. Bring the dough together into a ball and transfer to a flour covered surface. Work it together by kneading it a few times. Divide the dough in half and form each half into a 3/4 inch thick rectangle. Wrap each piece in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours. The dough will be good in the fridge for up to 2 days or frozen for up to one month.

Make the lemon curd:

1. Heat lemon juice over medium heat until hot but not boiling.
2. Meanwhile, whisk the eggs and yolk in a medium bowl. Gradually whisk in the sugar. While whisking, slowly pour hot lemon juice into the eggs. Return to saucepan and cook over medium heat. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon until mixture registers 170 degrees and coats the back of a spoon.
3. Remove pan from heat and stir in butter. Once melted, stir in cream, vanilla, salt, and lavender oil.
4. If there are any lumps, you can strain the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer (optional). Curd is able to be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two weeks, just cover with plastic wrap to prevent it from drying out.

Make the honey meringue:

1. Heat the honey in a saucepan on medium-low. At the same time, place the egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whip them on medium speed to medium peaks.
2. When the honey reaches 248F, drizzle it into the eqq whites. The meringue will deflate. Increase the speed to medium and whip for 5-10 minutes until the whites hold stiff, glossy peaks. The meringue should be room temperature when you are finished.

Assemble the lemon lavender tarts:

1. Roll out the tart dough to 1/8 inch thick. Line tart pans and trim the excess. Freeze for 30 minutes.
2. Crumple a piece of parchment paper and use it to line the chilled tart shells. Fill the shells with dried beans and bake at 325 F for 16 minutes. If your oven is prone to uneven heat, rotate them once at the halfway point. Remove the parchment paper and the weights and bake for another 12-14 minutes. Let cool in the tart pans for a few minutes, then unmold and let cool completely on a wire rack.
3. Spoon the lemon curd into the cooled tart shells. Pipe the meringue onto the curd. To make the pattern you see in the photos I cut a 3/4 inch hole into my piping bag and piped a large dollop onto the tart. I then created the peaks with the back of a spoon. Sprinkle the meringue with a few lavender flowers to finish.

Tart Dough from Bouchon Bakery, Lemon Curd by Kelly Egan