Strawberry Lemon Meringue Tartlets Recipes

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.

STRAWBERRY-LEMON TARTLETS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F. Roll out crust on lightly floured surface to 16-inch round (scant 1/8 inch thick). Cut out 3-inch rounds. Gather and re-roll dough scraps. Cut out enough rounds to make 16 total. Line 3-inch-diameter fluted tartlet pans with -inch-high sides with dough rounds. Freeze crusts 15 minutes.
• Arrange tartlet pans on large baking sheets. Bake crusts until pale golden, piercing bottoms with toothpick if crusts bubble, about 13 minutes. Cool crusts completely. Turn crusts out of pans; arrange on platter.
• For filling:
• Whisk lemon curd and lemon peel in medium bowl until smooth. Whip cream in another medium bowl until soft peaks form. Fold cream into lemon curd in 2 additions. Divide filling among crusts. Cut each strawberry as desired and place 1 atop each tartlet.
• For glaze:
• Stir preserves and brandy in small saucepan over medium heat until mixture comes to boil. Strain into small bowl. Brush each berry with glaze. Garnish tartlets with lemon peel, if desired. (Can be prepared 6 hours ahead. Cover loosely and refrigerate.)

LEMON MERINGUE TARTLETS

Steps:

• Spoon a little of the lemon curd into each pastry shell. Pipe a swirl of meringue on top and serve.
• To make lemon curd:
• Combine all of the ingredients, except butter, and whip over a double boiler. Whisk the mixture until thickened. Strain the curd into a mixing bowl and mix with paddle to cool.
• Once the mixture is 140 degrees F add the butter and mix until cool. Store refrigerated, well wrapped, until ready to use.
• To make meringue:
• In a double boiler heat the egg white and sugar until all the graininess of the sugar has dissolved.
• Whip the mixture until cooled and thickened into a shiny meringue, about 4 to 7 minutes.

FROZEN STRAWBERRY LEMON MERINGUE TORTE

Steps:

• Make the meringue layers:
• Line 2 buttered baking sheets with parchment paper or foil and on them trace 3 circles using the bottom of an 8 1/2-inch springform pan as a guide. In a large bowl with an electric mixer beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until they hold soft peaks, add the sugar gradually, beating, and beat the whites until they hold stiff glossy peaks. Transfer the meringue to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain tip, beginning in the middle of each parchment circle pipe the meringue in a tight spiral to fill in each circle, and smooth the tops. Bake the meringues on 2 racks in a preheated 250°F. oven, switching the baking sheets from one rack to the other every 30 minutes, for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until they are firm when touched and very pale golden. Remove the parchment with the meringue from the baking sheets, let the meringue cool on it, and peel off the parchment carefully. The meringue layers may be made 1 day in advance and kept, wrapped well in plastic wrap, at room temperature. With a serrated knife trim the meringue layers so that they will just fit inside the 3 1/2-inch springform pan.
• Oil the pan, line it with plastic wrap, leaving on overhang, and arrange 1 of the meringue layers, smooth side down, in the bottom.
• Make the lemon filling
• In heavy saucepan sprinkle the gelatin over the water, let it soften for 1 minute, and heat the mixture over low heat, stirring, until the gelatin is dissolved. Whisk in the lemon juice, the sugar, the egg yolks, and zest and cook the mixture over moderately low heat, whisking constantly, until it registers 170°F. on a candy thermometer. Transfer the mixture to a metal bowl set in a larger bowl of ice and cold water and stir it occasionally until it is very thick but not set. In a bowl beat the cream until it holds soft peaks and fold it into the lemon mixture.
• Pour the lemon filling over the meringue layer in the springform pan, top it with 1 of the remaining meringue layers, and freeze the torte for 1 hour, or until the lemon filling is firm.
• Make the strawberry filling:
• In a heavy saucepan sprinkle the gelatin over the water, let it soften for 1 minute, and heat the mixture over low heat, stirring, until the gelatin is dissolved. In a food processor or blender purée the strawberries with the preserves and the sugar, whisk the purée and the egg yolks into the gelatin mixture, and cook the mixture over moderately low heat, whisking constantly, until it registers 170°F. on a candy thermometer. Transfer the mixture to a metal bowl set in a larger bowl of ice and cold water and stir it occasionally until it is very thick but not set. In a bowl beat the cream until it holds soft peaks and fold it into the strawberry mixture.
• Pour the strawberry filling over the meringue layer in the springform pan, top it with the remaining meringue layer, smooth side up, and fold the plastic wrap overhang over the top. Freeze the torte for 2 hours, or until it is frozen. The torte may be prepared up to this point 2 days in advance and dept wrapped well and frozen.
• Make the frosting:
• In a small saucepan sprinkle the gelatin over the water, let it soften for 1 minute, and heat the mixture over low heat, stirring, until the gelatin is dissolved. In a bowl beat the heavy cram and the sour cream with the confectioners' sugar until the mixture just holds stiff peaks, add the gelatin mixture in a stream, beating, and beat the frosting until it holds stiff peaks.
• Remove the side of the pan and transfer the torte to a serving plate, discarding the plastic wrap. Spread a thin layer of the frosting on the top and side of the torte and freeze the torte for 10 minutes, or until the frosting is firm. Transfer the remaining frosting to a pastry bag fitted with a decorative tip (such as a basket-weave tip), pipe it over the torte, and freeze the torte for at least 30 minutes and up to 4 hours. Let the torte stand in the refrigerator for 30 minutes before serving and garnish it with the strawberries.

STRAWBERRY LEMON MERINGUE TARTLETS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 274*F.
• LIne a cookie sheet with parchment paper or foil.
• In large bowl, beat egg whites and cream of tartar at medium speed until soft peaks form.
• Add sugar 2 TBS at a time, beating at high speed until stiff glossy peaks form and sugar is almost dissolved.
• Fill large decorating bag with large star tip.
• Pipe meringue onto paler lined cookie sheet in spirals to form 6 round bases about 3 inches in diameter.
• Pipe a border of rosettes around each base.
• (This forms the raised edge to hold the filling).
• Bake at 275*F for 35 minutes.
• For softer meringues, remove pan from oven immediately.
• Cool on wire rack.
• For dry crisp meringues, turn oven off and leave meringues in oven with door closed for 2 hours or overnight.
• Carefully remove meringues from paper; place on serving plates.
• Just before serving, spoon yoghurt into center of each meringue; top with strawberries.
• Store in refrigerator.