A crumble of still warm pastry, an ooze of tangy curd, that gentle crunch of the meringue pillow on top. When it comes to enjoyinga slice of freshly baked lemon meringue, each mouthful should havethis trifecta of taste and texture. Somesour, a little sweet, but together they’re magic. Give anhour to your kitchen devoted to nothing but the process of making these lemon meringue tarts. They will likely taste better than any, because your hand was at the helm. So, put on some mellow background music and get stuck in. Your apron is calling.
If you are short on time, you can use a roll of ready made shortcrust for the pastry cases, but if you can spare a few extra moments, making the dough from scratch is fairly simple and a truly gratifying experience. Blitzing together the wet and dry ingredients, purposefully kneading them into a neat ball full of buttery pastry potential, brings certain therapeutic release.
Ingredients:
Prep time: 30 mins |Cook time: 10 mins | Serves: 6
For the pastry
200g flour
120g butter
1 tsp salt
2 tsp castor sugar
2 Tbsp water, plus extra to mix dough into soft consistency
For the lemon curd filling
Zest and juice of 4 lemons (about 250—300ml)
1½ Tbsp cornflour
180g castor sugar
4 egg yolks
50g butter
100g mascarpone
For the meringue topping
3 egg whites
180g castor sugar
1 tsp cornflour
1 tsp vinegar
Method:
1. If you are making the pastry from scratch, blitz all of the ingredients together in a food processor to form a dough (or simply mix together by hand). Add extra water in at the end, a tablespoon at a time to ensure it forms a soft dough.
2. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
3. Roll out the pastry and then line 6 individual flan tins. Prepare to bake blind by lining each tinwith a little baking paperand baking beans.
4. Bake in the hot oven for 8—12 minutes until golden brown and cooked through.
5.Take out and leave to cool slightly so it sets before adding the curd. In the mean time increasethe oven temperature to 190°C.
6. Place all of the ingredients for the lemon curd (except the mascarpone) into a heavy-based saucepan on a medium heat. Whisk continuously, while bringing the mixture slowly to a gentle simmer (it will thicken in about 6—8 minutes).
7. Remove from the heat and allow to cool for about 15 minutes. Whisk through the mascarpone while the mixture is just slightly warm.
8. Fill each casewith velvety lemon curd(which might still be slightly warm) and allow them to stand and cool. The mixture will start to set in the pastry cases.
9. Now to start on the meringue tops. In a clean bowl, whisk the eggs until thick and glossy. Add the sugar a few tablespoons at a time, beating continuously until the mixture is shiny and thick. Finally, add the cornflour and vinegar.
10. Place the lemon filled pastry caseson a baking sheet. Top with meringue – either piped or spooned (if you use a spoon you also get to use your fingers, yum) – and place in the oven to cook the meringue for 10—15 minutes.
(Tip: If you’ve got any leftover meringue mixture, set aside and then once the meringue tarts are done baking, turn the oven down to 120°C, place dollops of the meringue mixture on a baking tray and bake them for about an hour to an hour and a half, until set but squishy inside, a nice treat just for you.)
11. Remove the lemon meringue tarts from the ovenand allow to cool before serving.
Shared withyour gran over a spot of afternoon tea or indulged with a few friends, shoes kicked off and curled up on the couch, surrounded by the ebb and flow offamiliar chatter–these vibrant tarts make the simplicity seem spectacular.
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