Lemon Curd Tart with Vanilla Chantilly Cream

For Easter brunch at home with my family, our menu is mostly savory with scrambled eggs, hash browns, sausage and a giant, cheesy Dutch baby for sharing. To finish, I like having something bright and refreshing, which brings me to this lemon tart. I always have a variety of C&H® Sugars in my pantry to play with and I use two for this showstopping dessert.

This post is sponsored by C&H® Sugar. All opinions are my own.

The base is typically a buttery sablée crust, but I switched it up for a graham cracker crust, made with C&H® Golden Brown Sugar, which adds warmth and a subtle spiced note. The lemon curd filling and chantilly cream are both sweetened with C&H® Confectioners Sugar. It dissolves beautifully and helps thicken the curd. In the chantilly cream, it provides stability, which is helpful when piping the spiraling circle pattern on top.

If you have a lot to prepare for your Easter meal, you can make both the crust and the lemon curd a day in advance, leaving just the chantilly cream and assembly for the day of. Enjoy and happy Easter!

Lemon Curd Tart with Chantilly Cream

Ingredients:

Crust:
12 whole graham crackers
2 tablespoons C&H® Golden Brown Sugar, lightly packed
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Filling:
3 large eggs
3 large egg yolks
1 cup C&H® Confectioners Sugar
2/3 cup lemon juice, from about 4 lemons
2 tablespoons lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cubed

Topping:
1 cup cold heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup C&H® Confectioners Sugar, plus more for dusting
1 teaspoon vanilla paste or extract

Directions:

Crust:
Preheat the oven to 375°F.

In a food processor, add the graham crackers and C&H® Golden Brown Sugar. Process until finely ground, like cornmeal. Add the melted butter and pulse until crumbs are moistened. Empty into a 9” round tart pan. Use a straight-sided glass or measuring cup to help press the graham crumbs all along the edge about 1/4” thick. Then put the remainder of the crumbs on the bottom and pat evenly.

Bake for 10-12 min. Let cool on a cooling rack while you prepare filling.

Filling:
In medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and eggs yolks. Sift in the C&H® Confectioners Sugar and whisk till incorporated. Add the lemon juice, zest and salt, and whisk until combined. Pour into a medium, heavy-bottomed, non-reactive pot. 

Over medium heat, cook the curd, constantly whisking until it reaches 175°F, about 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve, into a medium bowl. Add a couple of cubes of butter at a time and whisk till the butter has completely melted. Then pour into slightly cooled crust.

Bake for about 10 min, just till the edge begins to set and look matte. It will still be wobbly in the middle. Place on a cooling rack and let cool in the pan to room temperature.

Topping:
Refrigerate the tart for 30 minutes before topping with whipped cream.

In a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, add the heavy cream, C&H® Confectioners Sugar and vanilla. Whip till medium-stiff peaks. Fit a large piping bag with a 1/2” round tip and fill with the sweetened whipped cream. Pipe onto the tart covering the whole surface. Just before serving, dust the top with a bit of C&H® Confectioners Sugar for a textured look.

The tart is best eaten the same day, otherwise the crust will get soggy. You can keep the tart in the fridge until ready to serve.

Serves 8.

If you make this recipe, I’d love to see. Share with me on Instagram @pastrywithjenn.

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