Cream Earl Grey Lemon Curd Tarts
Buttery shortcrust tartlets filled with Cream Earl Grey-infused lemon curd—bergamot, vanilla, and lemon, all in one perfect bite.
Lemon curd tarts are an afternoon-tea classic, and infusing the curd with Cream Earl Grey takes them into a different league. The tea steeps in the lemon juice and butter, giving the curd a deep bergamot-vanilla undertone that turns each bite three-dimensional.
The shortcrust is a basic sweet pastry, lightly sweetened so it doesn't compete with the curd. Blind-bake the shells fully so they stay crisp under the filling—soggy bottoms are the death of a good tart.
When making the curd, steep the tea in warm lemon juice and melted butter for 8–10 minutes, then strain before whisking in the eggs and sugar. Cook gently over low heat, stirring constantly, until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
Cool the filled tarts and dust with powdered sugar, or finish with a tiny curl of lemon zest and a single fresh raspberry. Serve with a pot of the same Cream Earl Grey—two cups of bergamot, two ways.
Ingredients
- For the pastry: 200g all-purpose flour
- 30g powdered sugar
- Pinch of salt
- 100g cold unsalted butter, cubed
- 1 egg yolk
- 2–3 tbsp ice water
- For the curd: 3 tbsp loose Cream Earl Grey tea (or 4 tea bags)
- 100 ml fresh lemon juice (about 3 lemons)
- Zest of 2 lemons
- 100g unsalted butter, cubed
- 3 large eggs + 1 yolk
- 150g granulated sugar
- Powdered sugar, for dusting
How to make it
- 1Make the pastry: in a food processor, pulse flour, powdered sugar, and salt. Add cold butter and pulse to coarse crumbs. Add egg yolk and 2 tbsp ice water; pulse until the dough just comes together. Wrap and chill 30 minutes.
- 2Roll the dough out 3 mm thick on a lightly floured surface. Cut rounds and press into a 12-hole tartlet tin. Prick bases with a fork. Chill 15 minutes.
- 3Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F). Line each shell with parchment and baking beans. Blind-bake 12 minutes, remove paper and beans, and bake another 6–8 minutes until pale golden. Cool fully.
- 4Make the curd: gently warm lemon juice, lemon zest, and butter in a saucepan until butter melts. Off the heat, add tea, cover, and steep 8 minutes. Strain through a fine sieve, pressing tea well, and discard leaves.
- 5Whisk eggs, yolk, and sugar in a heatproof bowl. Slowly whisk in the warm lemon-tea mixture.
- 6Return mixture to the saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until thickened enough to coat the back of the spoon (about 8–10 minutes). Do not boil.
- 7Strain the curd through a fine sieve into a clean bowl. Let cool 10 minutes, then spoon into the cooled tart shells, filling each to the top.
- 8Chill at least 2 hours until set. Dust with powdered sugar before serving with a pot of Cream Earl Grey.
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