Jamie Oliver Lemon Curd Tart

Jamie Oliver’s lemon curd tart is a citrus-swirled puff pastry case filled with a fresh stovetop lemon curd and topped with raspberries. It’s a five-ingredient dessert that serves 6 in 30 minutes.

In 5 Ingredients Mediterranean (2023) the clever part is the pastry. You dust ready-rolled puff with icing sugar and lemon zest, roll it back into a tight spiral, then slice it into discs and press them into a pan, giving a swirled, layered case like a Portuguese custard tart shell.

The curd is made properly but simply. Lemon juice, zest, sugar and whole eggs are whisked over a pan of simmering water for about 10 minutes until thick. No butter, no cornflour, just gentle heat and constant whisking to a silky curd.

Jamie Oliver Lemon Curd Tart

Recipe by Pinch Perfect

5.0 from 1 vote

Course: DessertCuisine: BritishDifficulty: Easy

Servings

6

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

20

minutes

Calories

341

kcal

Total time

30

minutes

Jamie’s five-ingredient dessert from 5 Ingredients Mediterranean: a citrus-swirled puff pastry case filled with a fresh whisked lemon curd and scattered with raspberries. Serves six.

Ingredients

• 120g icing sugar, plus extra for dusting

• 320g sheet of ready-rolled puff pastry (cold)

• 150g raspberries

• 5 lemons (120ml juice total)

• 4 large free-range eggs

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Directions

• Swirl the pastry:Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F/gas 5. Dust a work surface with icing sugar, unroll the puff pastry and discard the paper. Dust it with icing sugar, finely grate over the zest of 2 lemons, then roll it tightly back up and slice into 1cm discs.
• Form the case:Rub a 24cm non-stick ovenproof frying pan with olive oil. Arrange the pastry discs around the sides and base, pressing them together well into one sheet. Bake on the bottom of the oven for 20 minutes, until lightly golden.
• Make the curd:Meanwhile, grate the zest from the remaining lemons into a large heatproof bowl and squeeze in all the juice (120ml). Whisk in the icing sugar and eggs, set the bowl over a pan of simmering water, and whisk continuously for about 10 minutes, until thickened. Remove from the heat.
• Fill and grill:Pour the curd into the pastry case, then finish under a hot grill for a few minutes, covering the pastry edges with foil if they darken.
• Serve:Serve at room temperature, with raspberries scattered on top and the rest on the side.

FAQs

How does rolling the pastry into discs work?

It’s the trick that makes this look far more impressive than five ingredients suggest. You dust the sheet of puff with icing sugar and lemon zest, roll it back into a tight spiral, then slice it into discs like a cinnamon roll. Each disc shows a swirl of buttery layers.

You then press those discs together into the pan to form one case, so the finished pastry has a rippled, spiralled texture, similar to a Portuguese custard tart shell. It’s a cleverer use of the same ready-rolled puff Jamie reaches for in his apple tart, where the pastry is left flat instead.

Why make the curd over simmering water?

Lemon curd is essentially a custard, and eggs scramble if they get too hot too fast. Setting the bowl over, not in, a pan of simmering water gives gentle, indirect heat, so the mixture thickens slowly into a silky curd instead of sweet scrambled egg. It’s the same principle behind the baked custard in Jamie’s mango crème brûlée.

The catch is you have to whisk continuously for the full ten minutes or so, which feels long but is essential. The moment you stop, lumps start to form on the hot base of the bowl. Keep the water at a gentle simmer, not a rolling boil, and keep that whisk moving.

Why finish it under the grill?

A few minutes under a hot grill sets the top of the curd and lightly caramelises it, giving a faint golden blush and a slightly firmer surface, a little like a crème brûlée. It takes the filling from a poured curd to a finished tart.

Watch it closely, since the sugary top colours fast, and shield the pastry edges with foil if they start to catch, as Jamie advises. You only want a light golden top, not a burnt one. Then let it cool, because the curd needs time off the heat to set properly before slicing.

Why serve it at room temperature?

The curd continues to firm up as it cools, so serving it at room temperature, rather than hot from the grill, gives clean slices and the right silky-but-set texture. Straight from the grill it’s too loose to cut neatly.

Letting it cool completely is worth the wait. You can make it a few hours ahead and leave it at cool room temperature to serve. Add the raspberries and a dusting of icing sugar just before serving so they stay fresh and bright.

Why raspberries, and can I swap them?

Sharp, fresh raspberries are the perfect foil for the sweet, rich lemon curd, cutting through it with their own acidity and a pop of colour. Scattering some on top and serving the rest on the side lets everyone add their own.

Strawberries, blackberries or blueberries all work in their place, and a mix looks lovely. If you’d rather a warm fruit pudding another day, Jamie’s pear and blackberry crumble uses that same sweet-sharp fruit idea. Keep the fruit uncooked and last-minute here, so it stays fresh against the set curd.

Do I need to make my own pastry?

Not at all, ready-rolled puff is exactly what Jamie uses, and the rolling-and-slicing trick turns that shop-bought sheet into something special. Just keep it cold until you use it, since warm puff goes limp and won’t crisp.

If you’d rather a classic biscuity tart case instead of flaky puff, Jamie’s reliable sweet shortcrust pastry makes a lovely lemon tart base, blind-baked and filled with the same curd. It’s a crisp, short texture rather than layered.