Almond Meringue Tartlets Recipes

ALMOND TARTLETS RECIPE

Steps:

• Set the oven to gas mark 6 or 200°C.
• Roll out pastry on a lightly floured surface. Using cutter, cut pastry to line bun-tray holes, re-rolling pastry as necessary.
• Mix the jam in a small bowl until it's runny, and then place a very small amount in the base of each pastry case, smearing it out to cover the base.
• Beat the butter so it's really soft, then add sugar, ground almonds, egg yolk and almond extract. Beat until smooth, then divide mixture between pastry cases, spreading it out slightly. Sprinkle flaked almonds on top.
• Bake tartlets in the centre of the oven for 10 mins, then reduce oven temperature to gas mark 2 or 150°C, and cook for a further 10-15 mins, or until they are a light-golden colour.
• Remove the tartlets from the oven and transfer them to a wire rack to cool. Dust with icing sugar just before serving.

LEMON MERINGUE TARTLETS

Steps:

• Make the crusts: Pulse the flour, almonds, sugar and salt in a food processor until the nuts are finely ground. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture looks like coarse meal. Add 3 tablespoons ice water and pulse until the dough starts coming together. Turn the dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap, pat into a disk and wrap in the plastic. Refrigerate until cold but still malleable, about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Lightly butter four 4-inch tart pans with removable bottoms. Divide the prepared dough into 4 pieces, then press into the bottom and up the side of each prepared pan. Freeze until firm, about 10 minutes, then use a paring knife to trim the excess pastry.
• Place the tart shells on a baking sheet, line each with foil and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake until golden around the edges, about 20 minutes. Remove the foil and weights and continue baking until the crusts are golden brown all over, 5 to 10 more minutes. Let cool, then carefully loosen the crusts but leave in the pans on the baking sheet.
• Meanwhile, make the filling: Whisk the sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, orange juice, cornstarch and 1/4 cup water in a medium saucepan until smooth. Whisk in the whole egg and egg yolks. Cook over medium heat, whisking, until the mixture simmers, about 5 minutes. Add the butter and limoncello and continue whisking over medium heat until thick like pudding, 4 to 6 more minutes. Spoon the curd into the prepared crusts.
• Make the meringue: Beat the egg whites in a medium bowl with a mixer on medium speed until foamy, about 1 minute. Sprinkle in the cream of tartar and continue beating until soft peaks form, about 3 minutes. Gradually beat in the sugar and beat until stiff shiny peaks form, 4 to 5 more minutes. Transfer the meringue to a pastry bagfitted with a star tip and pipe onto the tarts. Bake at 375 degrees F until the meringue is set and golden, about 15 minutes. Let cool completely before unmolding.

LEMON MERINGUE TARTS

Steps:

• For the crust: Place 12 identical 3 1/4-inch brioche a tete molds in the freezer.
• Combine flour and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse to 2 to 4 times, then add butter and pulse 8 to 10 times, until texture looks mealy and no large lumps of butter remain. Pour on water and pulse 5 times. (At this point, the mixture should hold together when squeezed.) Turn the dough out onto a sheet of plastic wrap and draw the plastic up around it, squeezing and pressing the dough into a ball. Flatten into a 1-inch-thick disk and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
• Remove the dough from the refrigerator, unwrap and place on a lightly floured piece of parchment paper. Dust the top of the disk with a small amount of flour and top with a second sheet of parchment. Roll dough out into a round 1/8-inch thick. Use a 5-inch biscuit cutter and cut 6 circles out of the dough. Re-roll once if necessary.
• Remove the brioche molds from the freezer. Line 6 of the molds with the dough, being careful to press the dough into all the nooks and crannies. Gently run the rolling pin over the tops of the molds to trim the edges. Nestle each of the empty brioche molds inside the molds with the dough. Place the sandwiched molds in the freezer refrigerator for 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 300 degrees F and position a rack in the center of the oven with a second just beneath it.
• Remove the sandwiched molds from the freezer. Place them, inverted, directly on the center rack with a sheet pan on the rack below to catch any butter that might render out. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove the molds from the oven. Flip right-side up and remove the top molds.
• Turn the oven up to 400 degrees F, return the tart shells to the oven and bake until golden brown, about 10 minutes more. Remove the tart shells from the oven and let cool completely on a baking rack before removing the shells from the molds.
• For the lemon filling: Whisk egg yolks until light in color in a medium nonreactive bowl and set aside.
• Whisk cornstarch, sugar, water and salt in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Remove from heat and temper the yolks by slowly adding the hot starch mixture to them in a steady stream, whisking constantly, until a third of the starch mixture has been worked into the eggs, then return that mixture to the saucepan. Whisk in the butter and continue heating until just boiling.
• Stir in the lemon juice and zest, reduce heat to medium-low and whisk constantly until mixture returns to a boil. Cook for 1 full minute more, then transfer to a medium bowl over an ice bath. Cool, stirring occasionally, until the curd is just slightly warmer than room temperature. (Do not chill or cool completely, or the curd will become difficult to spread.) Pour or use a pastry or zip top bag with the corner cut off to pipe the mostly cooled curd into the tart shells until flush with the tops of the shells. Cool filled tarts completely on a baking rack while you make the meringue topping.
• For the meringue: Whisk together the egg whites until foamy, then add the sugar, cream of tartar and salt in the heat-proof bowl of a stand mixer. Place the bowl over a pot of simmering water and whisk constantly until the mixture reaches 165 degrees F. Then return the bowl to the base of the stand mixer and whip the egg whites on medium-high speed until medium-stiff peaks form. Increase the speed to high and whip until stiff peaks form, about 5 minutes total. Transfer the meringue to a pastry bag fitted with a star tip.
• Pipe the meringue to cover the top of the cooled tarts. Brown the meringue under a preheated low broiler, about 1 minute, or with a kitchen torch.

LEMON TART WITH ALMOND CRUST

Steps:

• Place the flour, almonds, sugar, butter, extract and salt in a food processor. Cover and pulse until blended. Gradually add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, pulsing until mixture forms a soft dough. , Press onto the bottom and up the sides of a greased 9-in. fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. Bake at 400° for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack. Reduce heat to 325°., In a small heavy saucepan over medium heat, whisk the eggs, egg yolks, sugar, lemon juice, peel and salt until blended. Add butter; cook, whisking constantly, until mixture is thickened and coats the back of a spoon. Pour into crust., Bake for 8-10 minutes or until set. Cool on a wire rack. Refrigerate leftovers.

AMARETTO MERINGUE

Steps:

• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk together egg whites and sugar until combined.
• Set bowl over (but not touching) simmering water; continue whisking until sugar is completely dissolved and mixture has reached 140 degrees on a instant-read thermometer, 6 to 8 minutes.
• Return bowl to electric mixer and beat on high speed until thick, about 3 minutes. Add cream of tartar and continue beating until stiff peaks form, about 3 minutes more. Add amaretto liqueur and beat until just combined.

ALMOND MERINGUE TARTLETS

Steps:

• Place 1/2 teaspoon jam or jelly in each tart shell and bake in hot oven at 450 until shells are half-bake about 5 minutes.
• Remove from oven.
• Combine ground almonds and icing sugar. add almond flavouring to egg and beat well. Worl beaten egg into sugar mixture.
• Place a tablespoon of filling into each tart shell.
• Bake at 350 for 7 to 10 minutes or until delicately browned.

LEMON-ALMOND MERINGUE TART

Steps:

• Preheat broiler, if using.
• Remove tart shells from tart pans and place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Divide lemon curd evenly between tart shells.
• Using a large ice cream scoop, scoop meringue and place on top of lemon curd, dividing equally. Spread meringue out toward the edges of each tart. Place tarts under broiler until meringue is just browned. Alternatively, use a kitchen torch to brown the tops of each tart.
• Sprinkle crushed cookies over the top of each tart. These are best when served within 24 hours.

ALMOND MERINGUE WITH SUMMER BERRIES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Scatter the almonds on a baking sheet and roast for 6-8 mins until golden. Very coarsely grind them in a small food processor, then set aside. Lower oven to 160C/fan 140C/gas 3. Line a baking sheet with non-stick baking parchment.
• Beat the egg whites in a scrupulously clean mixing bowl until stiff peaks have formed. Tip in half the sugar and beat again until stiff peaks are formed once more. Using a metal spoon, deftly fold in the remaining sugar a spoonful at a time, followed by most of the almonds (keep a small handful back). Tip the meringue onto the lined sheet and spread it out quite roughly to a 20cm circle. Scatter over the reserved almonds. Bake for 20 mins, reduce the temperature to 140C/120C fan/gas 1, then bake for a further 40 mins. Let meringue cool in the oven with the door ajar or on the side as you wish.
• While the meringue is baking, and if you wish to add the glamour of a raspberry ripple to the cream, make a few spoonfuls of purée by pressing 125g of the raspberries through a sieve.
• When nearing the moment for assembly, whip the cream until soft and cloudy. Lightly ripple through about half, or more, of the raspberry purée through the cream. You can serve the rest separately on the side. Place the meringue upon a handsome dish. Spoon the whipped cream liberally over the meringue. Slice the strawberries in a random manner. Heap the berries atop the cream, and offer any remaining fruit separately. Sift over the icing sugar. Take to the table and take a bow.

ALMOND TART FROM ANDRIA

Steps:

• Make the tart dough at least 6 hours before rolling it (preferably longer). Put the flour, salt, and sugar into the bowl of the food processor. Process for a few seconds to mix the dry ingredients. Drop the cut-up butter on top of the flour, and pulse the machine in a dozen or more short bursts, until the mixture is crumbly with only small bits of butter visible.
• Pour the egg yolks over the crumbs, and pulse in bursts for about 5 seconds total, to moisten the dough. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, sprinkle the 2 tablespoons of ice water on the dough, and pulse again for a few seconds. The dough should begin to clump together but won't form a solid mass.
• Scrape it all out onto a board; gather and press the clumps into a firm ball. If it's dry and crumbles apart, sprinkle more ice water over the dough and knead gently. When the dough sticks together, flatten it into a disk, wrap well in plastic, and refrigerate for 6 hours or up to a day before rolling; freeze the dough for longer keeping.
• When you're ready to roll the dough and fill the tart, preheat your oven to 350˚, with a rack set in the center. Place a baking stone on the rack if you have one.
• Cut off a third of the dough in a single piece for the lattice top; keep it chilled.
• Place the larger piece of dough between two sheets of parchment, and roll it out to an even round, 11 inches in diameter. Peel off the top sheet of parchment, invert the circle over the tart pan, and peel off the remaining sheet. Press the dough gently down into the pan so it covers the bottom and lines the sides. Trim the edges of the dough round so it is even with the pan rim. With your fingers, form an even wall all the way around. Use scraps of dough to fill cracks or thin spots on the bottom or sides. Put the lined tart pan in the refrigerator.
• Now roll the smaller piece of dough between the parchment sheets to a 10-inch round. Remove the top parchment sheet, and cut the dough in 1-inch-wide strips with a pastry cutter or sharp knife. Leave the strips in place on the parchment sheet, and refrigerate them while you make the filling.
• Put the egg whites with the pinch of salt in the bowl of the electric mixer, and start whisking at medium speed. When the whites are frothy, pour in the sugar gradually, and raise the speed as the whites expand and thicken. When all the sugar has been incorporated, drop in the lemon zest, and continue whipping until the whites are very light, smooth, and glossy. Sprinkle the sliced almonds on top, a handful at a time, and fold in gently with a spatula so they are evenly dispersed.
• Take the pastry-lined tart pan and lattice strips from the refrigerator. Scrape the filling into the pastry shell, and spread it evenly.
• To form the lattice top, lay half the strips right over the filling, parallel and spaced about an inch apart. Lay the other strips diagonally across the first set, covering the entire top of the tart in an even pattern-cutting the strips or piecing them together to make different lengths. When they're all arranged, press and pinch the ends of the strips securely into the top rim of dough in the pan.
• Bake the tart-on a stone, if you have one-for about 45 minutes, or until the filling has risen and dried and appears firm and lightly browned in the lattice. The dough strips and rim should be golden brown.
• Cool the tart on a wire rack. When the crust has contracted a bit, slip off the fluted side ring. When it is completely cool, transfer the tart to a serving plate, if you wish, by sliding a long wide spatula (or two spatulas) under the pastry bottom and lifting the tart off the metal disk. Cut it in wedges, and serve.

ALMOND-RASPBERRY MERINGUE BARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a 9x13 inch baking pan with greased aluminum foil.
• To make the Crust: In a large bowl, mix together the butter, almond paste, and brown sugar until smooth. Beat in one egg and the almond extract. Mix in the flour and stir until well blended.
• Bake 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden. Cool slightly, and spread the raspberry preserves over the crust.
• In a large glass or metal bowl, whip egg whites until they form soft peaks. Gradually beat in 1/2 cup sugar until peaks become stiff. Spread the meringue over the jam and sprinkle with coconut.
• Bake 15 to 20 minutes, or until firm. Let cool on wire racks. Lift foil from pan and cut bars with a sharp knife.

ALMOND MERINGUE TORTE WITH LEMON AND STRAWBERRY FILLING

Steps:

• Position racks in top third and bottom third of oven and preheat to 300°F. Using 9-inch tart pan bottom as guide, trace a circle on each of 2 sheets of parchment paper. Place papers, marked side down, on baking sheets.
• Blend 1/4 cup sugar, whole almonds and cornstarch in processor until nuts are finely ground. {Step One} Using electric mixer, beat egg whites and salt in large bowl until soft peaks form. Add remaining 3/4 cup sugar by tablespoonfuls, beating until meringue is stiff and glossy. Fold almond mixture into meringue.
• {Step Two} Spoon meringue into large pastry bag fitted with 1/2-inch-diameter plain tip. {Step Three} Starting in center of 1 circle marked on parchment and holding tip just above paper, pipe meringue in continuous spiral to fill circle completely. Repeat with remaining circle and meringue, forming 2 rounds.
• Bake meringues until pale golden and just firm to touch, about 30 minutes, switching position of pans after 20 minutes. Cool on pans on racks.
• Combine sugar, egg whites and salt in large stainless steel bowl. Set bowl over saucepan of barely simmering water (do not allow bottom of bowl to touch water); whisk constantly until thermometer registers 135°F, about 5 minutes; remove from over water. Using electric mixer, beat until firm peaks form and mixture is completely cool, about 6 minutes. Beat in butter, 1 piece at a time. Gradually beat in lemon juice. (If buttercream appears curdled, place bowl over low heat for several seconds. Remove from heat; beat until smooth. Repeat warming and beating as necessary.) Whisk cream to firm peaks; whisk into buttercream.
• Peel parchment off meringues. Using 9-inch tart pan bottom as guide, trim meringues. Place dabs of buttercream on tart pan bottom; top with 1 meringue. Spread 3/4 cup buttercream over meringue; top with strawberry slices. Spread 3/4 cup buttercream over berry slices. Top with second meringue. Spread remaining buttercream over top and sides of torte. Press sliced almonds into buttercream. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes before continuing.)
• Cut reserved whole strawberries into quarters. Arrange atop torte.

BERRY, ROSE WATER, ALMOND & MERINGUE TART

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Roll out the marzipan to a circle roughly 21cm in diameter - use a plate as a template to cut around. Lay the marzipan circle in the centre of the tart case, then put in the oven and bake for 5 mins. Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely.
• Tip the double cream, icing sugar and rose water into a bowl. Whisk until the cream just holds its shape, then stir through the crushed meringue. Drop some of the berries into the bottom of the tart case. Pile over the cream mixture, then top with the remaining berries and flaked almonds. Serve straight away.

ALMOND MERINGUE PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 180c. Grease pie dish.
• Beat egg whites until stiff. Add sugar and vanilla, beat again for 30 seconds.
• Fold in crushed biscuits & nuts.
• Pour into pie dish and bake for 20 - 30 minutes.
• Decorate with whipped cream, fruit or more nuts.

ALMOND MERINGUE COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease and lightly flour cookie sheets.
• In a large bowl, whip egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually sprinkle in the sugar and keep whipping until the egg whites can hold a stiff peak, this will take about 5 minutes. Set aside about 1/2 cup of the egg whites. Add the lemon zest and cinnamon to the rest of the meringue, and fold in the almonds until everything is evenly blended.
• Drop mounds by spoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheets. Top each cookie with a smaller dollop of the reserved meringue.
• Bake for 15 minutes in the preheated oven, until golden brown. Remove cookies from the baking sheets to cool on wire racks.