Gourmet Lemon Basil Tart
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This french lemon tart is creamy, full of lemon and basil flavors, and has a delicious sugar-free meringue and lemon gel.
But you are probably wondering why we mixed the basil with the lemon? Well, basil is actually kind of sweet and goes well with many fruits like strawberries, pineapples, lemons, and even apricots.
We are in love with this gourmet lemon basil tart and can’t wait for you to try it at home!
Check out our other tasty basil recipes:
- Basil Strawberry Mousse Cake
- Flaky Pesto Babka Recipe
- Provençal Pistou
- Italian Pesto
Bon appétit!
Difficulty: 
Prep time: 1 hr 15 mins / Cook time: 2 hr / Servings: 6 individual tarts
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Sugar-Free Meringue
1 - Egg white
1 pinch - Sea salt
1 pinch - Cream of tartar
¼ cup (60g) - Xylitol
Sablé Breton
3 - Egg yolks
3 oz (90g) - Butter
¼ cup (60g) - Xylitol
1 tsp (3g) - Sea salt flakes
¾ tsp (2.5g) - Baking powder
1⅓ cup (180g) - All-purpose flour
Lemon Gel
3⅓ oz (95g) - Lemon juice
2⅓ oz (65g) - Water
½ oz (14g) - Xylitol
1 tsp (2.5g) - Agar agar
Lemon Basil Cream
3 - Eggs
3 oz (90g) - Xylitol
4.6 oz (130g) - Lemon juice
0.63 oz (18g) - Water
1 tsp (3g) - Gelatin powder
0.35 oz (10g) - Basil
6.3 oz (180g) - Butter
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We advise that you prepare all the above ingredients before starting.
You will typically need: a scale, measuring cups, mixing bowls.
Sugar-Free Meringue
1 - Preheat your oven to 280°F (115°C).
2 - To a stand mixer bowl, add the egg white, sea salt, and cream of tartar. Then, whip the egg at medium speed using the whisk attachment.
Tip: The KitchenAid Artisan Design Series and the KitchenAid Professional 600 Series are superstars among stand mixers and will look amazing in your kitchen!
For more information, check out our detailed article "The Best KitchenAid Mixers & Blenders".
3 - When the egg turns white and foamy, slowly incorporate half of the xylitol while continuously whisking. Then, whip for about 2 minutes before adding the other half of the xylitol. Finally, whip for another 3 to 5 minutes or until stiff peaks.
4 - Transfer the meringue to a piping bag with a medium round tip using a silicone spatula. Then, use a plastic scraper to remove air bubbles from the piping bag.
5 - Line a baking tray with parchment paper (or a silicone mat) and pipe little disks of meringue. Then, bake the meringue for 80 minutes into a 280°F (115°C) oven.
Tip: If you have extra meringue, don't hesitate to be creative and pipe other shapes to enjoy as snacks.
6 - After 80 minutes, the meringues should be lightly golden and soft. Place them into a turned-off oven and let them dry overnight.
Tip: You can also let them at room temperature if there is not too much humidity in the ambient air.
The next day...
Sablé Breton
1 - Prepare your dry ingredients by combining the flour, baking powder, and salt in a mixing bowl. Mix them together with a whisk and set them aside.
Tip: We store our ingredients in these mixing bowls and mini glass bowls from Duralex while cooking. We love Duralex for their quality products and low prices!
2 - Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites. Place the egg yolks in a bowl and keep the egg whites in the fridge for another recipe.
Tip: We advise you to store the egg whites in a small food container with a lid on to allow them to last longer.
3 - Pour the butter and the xylitol into a stand mixer bowl. Then, mix them using the paddle attachment and on medium speed until the butter becomes nice and creamy.
4 - While mixing, add the egg yolks into the butter. Keep mixing until fully incorporated.
5 - Stop the mixer and add all the flour mix to the butter. Then, turn the mixer back on and mix the flour on low speed.
Tip: Mix until just combined, the dough should be a little crumbly but hold together when pressing it.
6 - Place the dough on a sheet of plastic wrap. Fold one side of it over the dough and flatten it with your hands. Repeat on the opposite side. Finish folding the plastic wrap in a square shape like so.
7 - Roll out the dough with a rolling pin (marble/wood) in order to push it outwards. Next, place it in the refrigerator for 10 minutes.
Tip: This process will allow the dough to set faster and will help you roll it out later.
8 - Place the dough between 2 sheets of parchment paper and roll it out with a rolling pin until ¼ inch (5 mm) thick.
Tip: Adding flour to some types of dough results in a crumbly texture. Rolling between 2 sheets of parchment paper prevents this from happening.
9 - For the bottom of the tart, place a tart ring over the dough and press down to cut it. Then, remove the tart ring.
10 - Cut a few bands in the dough for the sides of the tarts.
Tip: We recommend you use a chef's knife for this task.
11 - Cover the dough with parchment paper and place it back in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes.
Tip: This allows the dough to firm up. That way, it will be easier for you to mold your tarts.
12 - Remove the top parchment paper.
13 - Gently start to mold your tarts. First, place the base of the tarts inside the tart rings. Then, place the bands into the sides of the tart rings and press gently.
14 - Cut the excess dough using a sharp knife. Dig small holes in the bottom of the tarts with a fork and place them back in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
15 - Preheat your oven to 340°F (170°C) and bake the tarts for about 20 minutes.
16 - For the egg wash, combine an egg yolk with the heavy cream in a small bowl and mix the two together using a small spoon.
17 - When the tarts are cooked, remove the tart rings and let them cool down enough for you to be able to touch them.
18 - Grate the irregularities with a zester to make the tarts as perfectly smooth as possible. Then, brush the inside and outside of the tarts with the egg wash using a pastry brush (boar/silicone) and put them back in the oven for about 8 minutes.
19 - When ready, set the tarts aside to allow them to cool down.
Lemon Gel
1 - Cut the lemons in half with a sharp knife, and extract the juice using a lemon squeezer (or a manual juicer) until you reach the indicated amount.
Tip: We recommend you use a paring knife for this task. Sabatier knives are excellent french blades we recommend for professional and home cooks. We also love this reversible cutting board with integrated handgrips from John Boos.
2 - Pour the juice into a saucepan (or like us a saucier pan), along with the water.
3 - Combine the xylitol and the agar-agar into a mixing bowl and mix them together using a small silicone spatula.
Tip: We store our spices and small quantities in these mini glass bowls from Duralex while cooking. We love Duralex for its quality products and low prices!
4 - Bring the water and lemon juice to a boil. Then, add the sugar and the agar-agar mix into the saucepan. Mix vigorously with the spatula and boil again while mixing.
5 - Transfer the lemon gel into a bowl and let it chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
6 - Once the gel has set, it should be very hard. Mix it with a hand blender to turn it into a creamy lemon gel.
Tip: Our must-have hand blender is the Braun Multiquick Technology.
7 - Transfer the lemon gel to a piping bag and place it in the refrigerator.
Lemon Basil Cream
1 - Crack the eggs into a mixing bowl and add in the xylitol. Then, whisk vigorously until well combined.
2 - Using a pouring jug, add the lemon juice into the egg mixture and whisk again until homogeneous.
3 - Transfer the mixture to a saucepan (or like us a saucier pan), and while continuously whisking, cook on low heat until it boils. When boiling, keep mixing and allow the lemon custard to cook for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Tip: All-Clad is the gold standard for professional quality stainless steel cookware. If you want to learn more about All-Clad, check out our detailed article "The Ultimate Buyer's Guide To All-Clad".
4 - To a small mixing bowl, combine the water and gelatin powder, mix with a spoon, and set aside.
5 - Transfer the custard to a clean bowl and add the fresh basil leaves. Then, using a hand blender, blend the custard and basil together until homogeneous.
6 - To remove the basil leaves, pass the lemon basil cream through a sieve. Use a silicone spatula to help you push down the cream.
7 - Microwave the gelatin for about 15 seconds (or until fully melted). Add it to the cream and stir until well incorporated.
8 - Finally, add the room temperature butter and blend until smooth and well combined.
9 - Cover the lemon basil cream with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
Assembling The Gourmet Lemon Basil Tarts
1 - Add the meringue to the bottom of the tart and fill the remaining space to the top with the lemon gel.
2 - Next, transfer the lemon cream to a piping bag with a pastry tip. Then, pipe long dots all around the edges and in the center of the tarts. Lastly, decorate each of them with a few basil leaves.
3 - Enjoy!
Watch our video for more details!
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Disclaimer: baking/cooking times vary according to each appliance. Make sure to always control halfway through for success.
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🎬 Everything we used for this recipe:
🍶 Kitchenware: Coming soon!
🍳 Ingredients: Coming soon!
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The information provided in this recipe is not nutritional or medical advice. Please read our disclaimer.