You might be asking yourself, Deb, why are you publishing a lemon tart recipe when the greatest lemon tart of all time already exists on your site? Okay, I’m embellishing a little, but I do really love the whole lemon tart and its sister recipe, the whole lemon bars in The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook every bit as much as you — the simplicity, the complexity, the surprise of it all.

But that doesn’t stop me from ever being able to resist a classic lemon curd tart (tarte au citron) in a pastry shop case. Ideally somewhere in Paris, where it’s a staple. Give me a crisp, buttery shell with a beaming puddle of silky lemon curd inside and I’m going to dive right in every time, and especially in winter when we’re crying out for more daylight and warmth.

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