Lemon Meringue Tartlets

It's been a little bit too long since we've seen our extended family because of the pandemic so over the weekend, we did a small gathering at my cousin's house. I had a couple ingredients leftover in the fridge so I quickly whipped up these tarts for dessert.

Lemon Meringue Tartlets

Yield: 6 x 3" tarts

Shortbread pastry

Ingredients

Butter 76g

Pastry flour, sifted 148g

Icing sugar, sifted 46g

Ground almonds 16g

Eggs 32g

Pinch of salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 165C/329F.

2. Place the butter, flour, icing sugar, ground almonds, and salt into a stand mixer. Mix until a sandy texture.

3. Add in the eggs and combine well.

4. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

5. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to 2-3mm thick. Cut out 4" circles using a round cutter, and place them back in the fridge to chill for 5 minutes.

6. Line the tart moulds with the cut out rounds of dough. Dock the bottoms of the tarts with a fork to ensure an even bake.

7. Bake for approximately 12-14 minutes, or until golden brown.

8. Set aside to cool completely.

Lemon Cream

Ingredients

Honey 23g

Lemon juice 60g

Lime juice 10g

Lemon zest 3g

Lime zest 3g

Eggs 84g

Sugar 70g

Gelatine leaf 3g

Butter 120g

Directions

1. Place the honey, lemon and lime juice, and zests in a pot. Bring to a light simmer. As soon as it simmers, take it off the heat.

2. In a bowl, whisk the eggs and sugar together, and temper the hot liquid into the eggs.

3. Strain back into the pot and continue to cook the mixture until thick. Make sure to whisk constantly or lumps will form. Take it off the heat once it has thickened.

4. Add in the gelatine and cool down the mixture to 40C.

5. Using an immersion blender, emulsify the butter into the cooled mixture.

6. Pour into the cooled tarts, and set in the fridge for an hour.

Italian Meringue

Ingredients

Egg whites 45g

Sugar 112g

Water 45g

Directions

1. Place the water and sugar into a pot. Begin to heat on medium heat. Once all the sugar has melted, increase to high heat and bring to a boil.

2. In the meantime, place the egg whites into a clean heatproof bowl. Begin to whisk with a hand mixer and bring to a foamy texture. Continue to whisk on low speed, while waiting for the sugar mixture to come to a temperature of 114C/237F.

3. Once the sugar has reached the required temperature, slowly stream it into the foamy egg whites, while whisking on high. Continue to whisk until the meringue has cooled down completely.

4. Using a piping bag fitted with a star tip, pipe onto the tarts as desired. Also torch the outsides if desired.

*optional: decorate with seasonal fruits, chocolate decor, etc.*

#baking #classic #lemontart #meringue