And without further ado the winner of the best tarte au citron in Paris is none other than PIERRE HERME!
This was a surprise for me. I thought Gerard Mulot hands down would be the bestest, with his simple, direct, flat lake of a tarte.
I was convinced you should not desecrate a citron tarte's smooth surface. Boy was I wrong. These generous pieces of lemon zest in Pierre Herme's tarte are NOT candied, but pleasantly tart. In fact this tarte was the tartest of all the the Parisien tarts. And the most lemony. Pierre Herme titles his tarte, "TARTE CITRON AU CITRON" with good reason. 
tarte au Citron,watercolor on Etsy, 9" x 11"
Many of the tarts were just too damn sweet even if pretty... Where was the lemon? Quite a few tasted too much of the lemon curd jar? Some had almost no lemony taste at all!? This was a shocker
Here the results of Gerard Mulot vs. Pierre Herme (on the right)A picture speaks a thousand words.
BUT the tarte au citron contest is not over.Talk about pastry geometry - look at this squared lemon tart at Fauchon's. I have more work in front of me. For other Tarte au Citron obsessed fools out there: Laura Mercier Tarte au Citron Body and Bath Collection
Bonne Journee du Citron!!
Oh I see Lemon is the new chocolate! I like how you emptied the lemon filling and left the DELICIOUS PIE CRUST!! How could you! Your good!!
ReplyDeleteThe square tart is a nice twist!
Round or square...
ReplyDeleteWho cares?
Lemon tarts baked with flair
And Parisien care.
But not a bite to spare..
I'm tearing my hair :(
Hi there, i love your site, it is so pretty. thank you for visiting my blog and leaving a comment. i have been wanting to try Pierre Herme for a while, apparently his macaroons rival laduree's and have you tried his cheese chocolates?
ReplyDeleteI envy you this joyous exercise. Wish I could be tagging along with you. I think lemon tarts are simply scumptious.
ReplyDeleteThey look gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteOh, dear, sounds all so delicious, lemon-luscious.
ReplyDelete"Tarte au Citron Body and Bath",
are you going to test those for us? :-)
The NYTimes reports about Agata & Valentina's preserved Meyer lemons at 1505 First Avenue (79th Street).
Vitamin deficiency month?
Lemon is so refreshing as is your site here...But as for being the new Chocolate...Nah..I'll take both. ;-)
ReplyDeleteCris
There's no tart like a French tart.
ReplyDeleteOh mon dieu! Absolutely scrumptious looking!
ReplyDeleteLoving your dedication and sacrifice....!! I love anything with lemons and the citrus testing is on my list for the next trip. Beautiful illustration, as always.
ReplyDeletedid you travel to Paris just this week to do this research!!??....
ReplyDeleteHello carol welcome to tartaholics anon.... (grin)
Well, I see I am going to have to do some taste tests of my own. Tough job but someone has to do it. I've always loved lemon meringue pie so I'm thinking I may lean toward to sweeter tarts but I could be wrong!
ReplyDeleteI'm jealous of your taste. This must have cost you a fortune!
ReplyDeleteGreat idea.
I've had too many sweet lemon tarts also.
I'm jealous of your taste. This must have cost you a fortune!
ReplyDeleteGreat idea.
I've had too many sweet lemon tarts also.
I was at the supermarket the other day... and your current tarte aux citron kick induced me to buy a box of Bonne Maman Tartelettes aux citron! it's not the same as pierre herme, but it's close enough to feed a craving...
ReplyDeleteCarol: Thanks for performing this very valuable (and delicious) customer service!
ReplyDelete; )
I would love to have a good recipe for tarte au citron. I loved the small tarte au citron at Laduree. I want to make when that is very lemony and creamy, but the recipes I have found are without cream and have a solid lemon filling.
ReplyDeleteYour help SVP!