Let's start with something sweet... these mini lemon meringue tarts will go down a treat with your loved ones. We made mini ones as they look very presentable and cute and there's no arguing about "why your slice of tart is bigger than mine". Lemon Meringue Tart is slightly different from a Lemon Meringue Pie as it uses lemon curd filling, and contains no cornstarch for thickening.
For the sweet pastry base, we tried out this recipe here - pretty easy to make, but I feel that there is still room for improvement. For the fresh lemon curd, I used my trusted recipe from Delia Smith which is lovely and tart. Finally, the tarts are topped with a beautiful airy layer of meringue which is then torched with a blowtorch to finish it off. Beautiful!
Mini Lemon Meringue Tarts
Recipe by Baby Sumo, adapted from here, here and here
Preparation time: 45 minutes (plus chilling and cooling time)
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Makes 12
For the sweet pastry
350g plain flour
A pinch of salt
125g unsalted butter, flattened out in between two sheets of greaseproof paper to 1cm/½in thick, chilled in the fridge
125g caster sugar
2 whole eggs + 1 egg yolk only
1 egg yolk only, beaten for egg wash
For the fresh lemon curd filling
Grated rind and juice of 2 large, juicy lemon
120g caster sugar
4 eggs, at room temperature
100g butter, cut into cubes
For the meringue topping
4 egg whites, at room temperature (pasteurised)
200g caster sugar
For the sweet pastry:
1. Preheat oven to 190°C.
2. Lightly grease and flour twelve 8cm loose-bottomed tins.
3. In a large mixing bowl, mix the flour and salt together. Add the flattened butter straight from the fridge into the flour and rub in the mixture with your fingers.
4. Next, beat the eggs and egg yolk together, then add to the mixture together with the sugar. Using a spatula, gently mix until the dough comes together in a ball.
5. Lightly flour a work surface, tip the pastry ball out onto it, and knead until you have a smooth soft dough. Shape the pastry into a square, to make it easier to roll out later.
6. Place the dough the fridge to chill for an hour minimum, preferably overnight. Remove the pastry from the fridge and lightly flour a work surface. Roll out the pastry 2-3mm thick and line the 12 tins, and trim the edges. Place some greaseproof paper over the top and fill with baking beans. Rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.
7. Once chilled, place the pastry tart cases on a baking sheet and cook for 15 minutes. Lift out the paper and beans, brush with beaten egg yolk, and place back in the oven for 8 minutes.
8. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes on a cooling rack.
For the lemon curd filling:
1. Whisk the eggs and lemon juice together in a small saucepan, then add the lemon rind and sugar. Give it a quick stir to incorporate ingredients.
2. Add butter and place the saucepan over low heat. Using a spatula, keep stirring until the mixture has thickened, to a custard consistency - approximately 5-6 minutes. Remove from heat.
3. Pour into a clean bowl and cover with a cling film, placed directly onto the lemon curd to avoid a skin from forming. The lemon curd will thicken more when cooled. Cool for at least two hours before using.
For the meringue topping:
1. Using an electric whisk, whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks, then gradually add the caster sugar and continue whisking until you get stiff peaks.
Note: As we do not cook the meringue in this recipe, it is recommended to use pasteurised eggs. If you have any leftover meringue, you can try this recipe.
To assemble:
1. Fill each shell with lemon curd and then spread meringue over the pie. Using a blowtorch, torch the meringue until it is dark brown in places. If you do not have a blowtorch, you can place under a hot grill for a few minutes (2-3 minutes) until it is slightly browned.
For the sweet pastry:
1. Preheat oven to 190°C.
2. Lightly grease and flour twelve 8cm loose-bottomed tins.
3. In a large mixing bowl, mix the flour and salt together. Add the flattened butter straight from the fridge into the flour and rub in the mixture with your fingers.
4. Next, beat the eggs and egg yolk together, then add to the mixture together with the sugar. Using a spatula, gently mix until the dough comes together in a ball.
5. Lightly flour a work surface, tip the pastry ball out onto it, and knead until you have a smooth soft dough. Shape the pastry into a square, to make it easier to roll out later.
6. Place the dough the fridge to chill for an hour minimum, preferably overnight. Remove the pastry from the fridge and lightly flour a work surface. Roll out the pastry 2-3mm thick and line the 12 tins, and trim the edges. Place some greaseproof paper over the top and fill with baking beans. Rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.
7. Once chilled, place the pastry tart cases on a baking sheet and cook for 15 minutes. Lift out the paper and beans, brush with beaten egg yolk, and place back in the oven for 8 minutes.
8. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes on a cooling rack.
For the lemon curd filling:
1. Whisk the eggs and lemon juice together in a small saucepan, then add the lemon rind and sugar. Give it a quick stir to incorporate ingredients.
2. Add butter and place the saucepan over low heat. Using a spatula, keep stirring until the mixture has thickened, to a custard consistency - approximately 5-6 minutes. Remove from heat.
3. Pour into a clean bowl and cover with a cling film, placed directly onto the lemon curd to avoid a skin from forming. The lemon curd will thicken more when cooled. Cool for at least two hours before using.
For the meringue topping:
1. Using an electric whisk, whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks, then gradually add the caster sugar and continue whisking until you get stiff peaks.
Note: As we do not cook the meringue in this recipe, it is recommended to use pasteurised eggs. If you have any leftover meringue, you can try this recipe.
To assemble:
1. Fill each shell with lemon curd and then spread meringue over the pie. Using a blowtorch, torch the meringue until it is dark brown in places. If you do not have a blowtorch, you can place under a hot grill for a few minutes (2-3 minutes) until it is slightly browned.
I am submitting this to the "Cook & Celebrate: Christmas 2015" event which I am co-hosting with Zoe of Bake for Happy Kids and Diana of The Domestic Goddess Wannabe. To join, simply cook or bake any Christmas recipes for the whole month of December 2015.
Your post must be a current post i.e. posted in December 2015 - please do not link older posts.Please mention our "Cook & Celebrate: Christmas 2015" event in your post and link back to Zoe of Bake for Happy Kids, Diana of The Domestic Goddess Wannabe and Baby Sumo of GoodyFoodies.
Happy cooking! Do check out the other bloggers recipe below:
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Had one not very nice one the other day...but no, I don't think I'd want to make my own. Lazy. Hehehehehe!!!!
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh! That's so yummy! How I wish that I have an oven at home...
ReplyDeleteHi Yen,
ReplyDeleteI like my tarts to be miniature too!!! Portion controlled... ha ha!
Your little lemon meringue tarts are perfect to kick start your Christmas celebration :D
Zoe
HI Yen I super super love lemon meringue tarts especially if the lemon is still quite sng sng (sour)! Here's to a good month of hosting with you and Zoe!
ReplyDeleteLovely tarts & they look so inviting ;)
ReplyDelete