Meyer Lemon Meringue Tartlets Recipe 435

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.

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.

RUSTIC MEYER LEMON TART

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Make the crust: Whisk together flour, sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and the lemon zest in a large bowl. Cut in butter with a pastry cutter or your fingers until dough begins to hold together.
• Stir together 1 tablespoon water and vanilla, then mix into dough. Shape dough into a disk, and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Using your fingers, press dough evenly into bottom and up sides of a 9-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. Freeze for 30 minutes.
• Bake tart shell until golden, about 25 minutes. Let cool completely.
• Meanwhile, make the lemon curd: Whisk together eggs, egg yolks, sugar, and cornstarch in a medium saucepan. Whisk in lemon zest and juice. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon, about 7 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in butter, 1 piece at a time.
• Pour filling into cooled tart shell. Bake until filling is browned, slightly puffed, and set, about 30 minutes. Let cool completely.

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.

MEYER LEMON MERINGUE TARTLETS

Steps:

• Combine flour, sugar and salt into a food processor and pulse together. Add cold diced butter and pulse again until butter is broken down into very small pieces and the mixture resembles the texture of bread crumbs.
• Combine egg yolk + 1 TBS water in a small bowl. Add to the flour/butter mixture and pulse to incorporate. Continue pulsing until the dough starts to clump together and form a ball (adding more water needed, 1 tsp at a time).
• Place dough on a lightly floured surface and knead a few times to make it into a smooth round ball. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Roll out dough again onto a lightly floured work surface until it is about 1/8 inch thick. For mini tarts made in a standard muffin tin, cut out twelve 3 1/2″ circles.
• Line muffin tin with twelve paper or silicon liners. Gently ease each circle of dough into a muffin liner. Prick the bottom of tart dough with a fork a few times. Line each mini tart with a small portion of parchment paper and fill each with a few pie weights (or dried beans/rice).
• Bake for 10 min with the weights. Remove from oven and carefully remove the pie weights. Bake for an additional 5-7 min, until the pastry is light golden brown and dry.
• Place lemon juice, zest, yolks, sugar and salt into a medium sized saucepan and whisk to combine. Cook mixture over medium heat until it is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon. Do not let the mixture come to a boil as this will cause the eggs to curdle. Remove from heat and stir in the butter until melted.
• Strain the curd into a bowl and place plastic wrap directly on top, touching the curd so a skin doesn't form. Place in the fridge to cool for several hours or until it is set.
• Combine egg whites and sugar in a heat proof bowl and whisk to combine. Place bowl over a pot of simmering water, making sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water. Heat the egg/sugar mixture, stirring occasionally until the sugar is dissolved. Check the mixture by rubbing a small amount between your fingers. If it feels gritty then continue heating for another few minutes. Once it is smooth and you no longer feel granules of sugar the mixture is ready.
• Place the mixture into a bowl of a stand mixer and, using the whisk attachment, whip until stiff peaks form.
• Once the mini tart shells are cooled and the curd is set you can start assembling. Use a spoon to fill each tartlet with the curd and smooth the top.
• Dollop the swiss meringue on top of the curd using either a clean spoon or a pastry bag fitted with a decorative tip. You will have extra meringue.
• (Optional: lightly toast the meringue using a kitchen torch).

CLASSIC MEYER LEMON MERINGUE TART RECIPE BY TASTY

Steps:

• Make the Meyer lemon curd: Fill a small pot halfway with water and bring to a boil. Place a medium heatproof bowl over the pot, making sure the bottom of the bowl is not touching the water. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Add the Meyer lemon juice, sugar, salt, eggs, and egg yolks to the bowl and cook, whisking constantly, for 10 minutes, until the mixture is smooth and foamy. Add the butter, a cube at a time, whisking continuously until melted and incorporated and the curd thickens. If the mixture has curdled, strain through a fine-mesh strainer into a clean bowl.
• Make the meringue. In a small pot, combine the water and sugar and boil over medium-high heat until the temperature reaches 180°F (82°C), about 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites on medium speed until foamy.
• Increase the mixer speed to high and slowly pour in the hot sugar syrup. Whip until stiff peaks form, 6-8 minutes.
• Add the Meyer lemon curd to the tart shell and spread in an even layer. Dollop the meringue on top of the curd. Use a kitchen torch to toast the meringue until light golden brown. Chill the tart in the refrigerator for one hour until ready to serve.
• Slice and serve.
• Enjoy!