Meyer Lemon Meringue Tart Recipes

LEMON MERINGUE TART

Steps:

• Combine the flour, 3 tablespoons of the sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a bowl and place in the freezer for 30 minutes. Put the flour mixture in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Add the butter and shortening and pulse about 10 times until the butter is in small bits. Add the ice water and process until the dough comes together. Dump on a well-floured board and form into a disk. Wrap in plastic and chill for at least 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Roll out the dough and fit into a 9-inch tart pan with removable sides. Don't stretch the dough when placing it in the pan or it will shrink during baking. Cut off the excess by rolling the pin across the top of the pan. Line the tart shell with a piece of buttered aluminum foil, butter side down, and fill it with dried beans or rice. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove the beans and foil and prick the bottom of the shell all over with a fork to allow the steam to escape. Bake for another 15 to 20 minutes, until lightly browned. Set aside to cool.
• Raise the oven temperature to 425 degrees F.
• For the meringue, whip the egg whites, cream of tartar, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment on high speed until frothy. With the mixer still running, slowly add the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar and beat until the meringue is thick and shiny, about 2 minutes.
• Immediately spread the lemon filling in the cooled tart shell and pipe the meringue over it with a large star tip. Be sure the meringue covers the entire top and touches the edges of the shell, to prevent it from shrinking. Bake for 3 to 5 minutes, until the meringue is lightly browned. Cool to room temperature.
• Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment for 1 minute. On low speed, add the eggs and egg yolks one at a time, and then add the lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt. Don't worry; it will look curdled.
• Pour the mixture into a small saucepan and cook over medium-low heat for 8 to 10 minutes, until thick, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Whisk briskly when it starts to thicken and cook over low heat for 1 to 2 minutes, whisking constantly. Don't allow it to boil! It will be 175 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer. Pour into a bowl and cool to room temperature.

MEYER LEMON MERINGUE TART

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350˚F.
• Place the Graham crackers in bowl of a food processor. Pulse until the crackers are broken down into fine crumbs. Transfer to a medium sized bowl.
• Add melted butter to the ground crackers and use a spoon to mix until everything comes together.
• Press the Graham mixture into a 9-inch removable bottom tart pan, pressing onto the sides and the bottom. Use a straight sided measuring cup to help you pack in the crust tightly. Place the tart pan on a baking sheet.
• Place the baking sheet on the middle shelf in the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let it cool completely.
• To make the filling, in a large bowl combine condensed milk, heavy cream, lemon juice, zest, egg yolks, and salt. Strain the mixture and pour the filling into the tart shell.
• Place the tart on a baking sheet, put it on the middle rack, and bake at 350˚F for 40 minutes until the edges of the tart are set and middle is still wobbly. Let the tart cool to room temperature then refrigerate it for 4 hours for the filling to set.
• To make the meringue, combine sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil and cook until the it becomes syrupy and the temperature registers 240˚F on the candy thermometer, about 5 minutes.
• In a bowl of a stand mixer with whisk attachment, whip the egg whites and cream of tartar on high speed to soft peaks. While you're whipping the eggs, carefully pour in the hot syrup down the side of the bowl in a steady stream.
• Once all the syrup has been added, continue to whisk on high speed for another 5 minutes until the mixture is glossy and stiff peaks form.
• Spoon the meringue on top of the lemon tart and use a blowtorch to gently brown it. If you don't have a torch, place the tart in your oven and broil it for 30-45 seconds until the peaks are browned, keeping a close eye on it so it doesn't burn.
• When ready to serve, slice the tart in eight and transfer each slice to a serving plate.

MEYER LEMON PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Place sugar, eggs, and lemon juice in a blender; blend until smooth, about 3 minutes.
• Pour melted butter into the blender and blend for 30 seconds more.
• Transfer lemon filling to the pastry shell.
• Bake in the preheated oven until filling is just set, 30 to 35 minutes. Allow pie to rest until completely set before serving, about 15 minutes more.

MEYER LEMON TART

Steps:

• Make the crust: in the bowl of a mixer, cream together butter and sugar. Add egg yolk and the milk, and beat to combine. In a medium bowl, combine the flour with salt. Slowly add the flour to the butter mixture, stirring until completely blended. Gather dough into two balls. Freeze one for future use, chill the other for at least 1 hour.
• Heavily butter a 10-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Press the dough into the pan and trim the edges. Prick the bottom with a fork, and place the shell in the freezer for 30 minutes.
• While shell is in freezer, prepare lemon curd. Grate zest of lemons. Squeeze lemons to extract 1 cup of juice. In a medium nonreactive saucepan, combine juice and zest. Add remaining sugar, butter and salt. Place over medium heat, stirring once or twice, until sugar is dissolved and the butter is melted.
• In bowl of a mixer, combine eggs and egg yolks until blended. Slowly add hot lemon mixture to eggs until blended. Return mixture to saucepan, and place over low heat. Whisk constantly until mixture thickens to a pudding-like consistency; do not allow it to boil. Remove from heat, and continue to stir to stop the cooking. Strain lemon curd into a bowl. Adjust sugar to taste; the curd should be tart, but may need additional sugar if the lemons were unripe. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing it right against the surface of the curd. Allow to cool.
• Heat oven to 375 degrees. Remove tart shell from freezer, and bake until lightly golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. Spoon lemon curd into tart shell, and smooth the top. Bake until filling has puffed around the edges, about 30 minutes. Cover edges with foil, if necessary, to prevent over-browning. Cool to room temperature before serving.