Ingredients
- 1 blind-baked 23 cm sweet pastry shell
- 4 large eggs
- 180 ml Québec maple syrup
- 120 ml fresh lemon juice
- Finely grated zest of 2 lemons
- 100 ml heavy cream
- 15 g all-purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp salt
Method
- Heat the oven to 165 °C and place the baked pastry shell on a tray.
- Whisk eggs, maple syrup, lemon juice, zest, cream, flour, and salt until smooth.
- Pour the filling into the shell and bake 25–30 minutes, until just set in the centre.
- Cool at room temperature, then refrigerate for 2 hours before slicing.
Conversion and rationale
Original sweetener (classic version): 200 g white sugar
Conversion used: Replace 200 g sugar with 180 ml maple syrup, reduce the traditional cream quantity by about 50 ml, and add 15 g flour; bake 15 °C below the usual 180 °C.
Why Quebec maple syrup: Maple softens lemon’s sharpness with a rounded caramel note. Its flavour makes a simple citrus tart more distinctive without obscuring the classic lemon custard.
General rule: 1 cup (250 ml) sugar ≈ 3/4 cup (180 ml) maple syrup; reduce liquids by 45–60 ml per cup of syrup and lower oven by 15 °C. Substitution calculator →