Swiss Meringue For Red Currant And Lemon Tartlets Recipes

RED CURRANT AND LEMON TARTLETS

Steps:

• On a lightly floured surface, roll out pastry 1/8 inch thick. Cut into 10 rounds with a 4-inch cutter. Fit into 3 1/2-inch round tart pans. Using scissors or a sharp paring knife, trim pastry even with edge of tart pans. Transfer to refrigerator to chill for 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prick pastry all over with the tines of a fork. Line pastry with parchment rounds; fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake until pastry begins to color around the edges 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the parchment paper and weights, and continue to bake just until the pastry dries out and turns golden, 10 to 20 minutes more. Cool completely on a wire rack before filling.
• Fill half of each tart shell with lemon curd, and the other side with currant curd. Smooth the top flush with edge of tart shell.
• Pipe meringue onto tarts using a 3/8-inch star tip to completely cover. Preheat broiler. Place tarts under broiler and broil until golden brown, alternatively, you can use a hand-held propane torch.
• Place each tart on a serving plate. Serve with raspberry sauce, and garnish with a few pomegranate seeds.

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.

SWISS MERINGUE SHELLS

Steps:

• Place egg whites in a small bowl; let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Add vanilla and cream of tartar; beat on medium speed until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, on high until stiff glossy peaks form and sugar is dissolved., Drop 8 mounds onto parchment-lined baking sheet. Shape into 3-in. cups with the back of a spoon. Bake at 225° until set and dry, 1 to 1-1/2 hours. Turn oven off; leave meringues in oven for 1 hour. , Cool on wire racks. Store in an airtight container. Fill shells with berries; garnish with whipped cream or ice cream if desired.

MERINGUE SHELLS WITH LEMON CURD

Steps:

• Place egg whites in a large bowl; let stand at room temperature 30 minutes., Preheat oven to 225°. Add vinegar, vanilla, salt and cream of tartar to egg whites; beat on medium speed until foamy. Gradually add sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating on high after each addition until sugar is dissolved. Continue beating until stiff glossy peaks form., Cut a small hole in the tip of a pastry bag or in a corner of a food-safe plastic bag; insert a large star tip. Transfer meringue to bag. On a parchment-lined baking sheet, pipe meringue into twelve 3-in. round disks, building up the sides with meringue to form shells. Bake 45-50 minutes or until set and dry. Turn off oven (do not open door); leave meringues in oven 1 hour. Remove from oven; cool completely on baking sheet. , Meanwhile, in a small heavy saucepan, mix sugar and potato starch. Whisk in water and 1/2 cup lemon juice until smooth. Cook and stir over medium-high heat until thickened and bubbly. Reduce heat to low; cook and stir 2 minutes longer., Remove from heat. Stir a small amount of hot mixture into eggs; return all to pan, stirring constantly. Bring to a gentle boil; cook and stir 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Gently stir in lemon zest and remaining lemon juice. Transfer to a small bowl; cool without stirring. Refrigerate, covered, until cold., Spoon curd into meringue shells. If desired, top with whipped topping and berries.

SWISS MERINGUE FOR RED CURRANT AND LEMON TARTLETS

Steps:

• In the heatproof bowl of an electric mixer, combine egg whites, sugar, and vanilla. Set the bowl over a pan of simmering water. Whisk constantly until the sugar has dissolved and whites are hot to the touch, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Transfer the bowl to the electric mixer. Using the whisk attachment, mix on low speed, gradually increasing to high speed, until stiff, glossy peaks form, about 10 minutes. Use immediately.

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.

LEMON TARTLETS WITH MERINGUE CAPS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°F. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter and confectioners' sugar until pale and fluffy. Mix in 2 egg whites, 1 at a time. Mix in flour and vanilla.
• Spoon 1 scant teaspoon batter onto a rimmed baking sheet lined with a nonstick baking mat. Using the back of a spoon, spread into a 3-inch circle. Repeat 3 times. Bake until golden, 10 to 12 minutes. Immediately transfer cookies, 1 at a time, to inverted small brioche molds; gently press to shape. Let set, about 30 seconds. Repeat with remaining batter, baking 4 at a time. If cookies become too cool to shape, return them to oven for 20 seconds. Shells can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days. Reduce heat to 200°F.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer set over (not in) a pan of simmering water, whisk remaining 3 egg whites and the granulated sugar until whites are warm to the touch and sugar has dissolved. Attach bowl to mixer; beat on medium until foamy, then raise speed to high and beat until stiff peaks form and meringue is cool, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a 7/16-inch star tip (such as Ateco #825). Pipe twenty 1 1/4-inch diameter, 2-inch high spirals onto parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing about 1 inch apart. Bake 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 150°F. Bake until dry but not brown, about 2 hours more. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool completely. Meringue caps can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days.
• To serve, spoon 2 teaspoons lemon curd into each shell. Top each with a meringue cap.