Wednesday 16 January 2013

Lemon Meringue Tart


This is an old post that is a favourite of mine, which I've brought over from the old blog. Lemons are in season right now too, so it's a great time to make this pie for a birthday (like my husband's coming up on the 24th), or just a Sunday dinner. 

Lemon Meringue Tart
-8 tablespoons butter, unsalted and cut into pieces
-3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, (~6 lemons)
-3/4 cup sugar
-zest of 2 lemons
-pinch of salt
-3 large egg yolks (save the whites for the meringue)
-3 large whole eggs


Meringue:

-3 lg. egg whites

-5 tablespoons sugar

-pinch of cream of tar tar

-a few drops vanilla extract

Crust:
-1/3 of one batch of this crust recipe, chilled 

Preheat the oven to 400˚ F.  
Roll out the dough evenly until it is large enough to line a 9-inch tart pan and is about 1/8-inch thick. Carefully transfer the dough to the tart pan, pressing it into the sides, and trim to remove the excess. It's okay if it falls apart a little, just press it back together with your hands. If it feels too warm, chill it in the fridge while you work on squeezing the lemons.
Cover the dough with foil or parchment paper and fill with baking beads or dried beans (like I used).  Bake for 20 minutes.  Remove the foil and baking beads and using a fork, gently poke holes in the bottom and sides of the crust.  Bake until the crust is golden, no more than 5 minutes. Take care to watch the crust as it can easily get too brown and crack (mine did a little, it taste just as good though it was harder to serve). Cool on wire rack until you're ready to fill it. 
Lower oven temp to 375*F.
In a medium-sized saucepan, warm the butter, lemon juice, sugar, zest and salt. When the butter has melted and the mixture is warm, gradually pour some of the warm lemon juice mixture into the eggs, whisking constantly to temper. Whisk the egg mixture into the pan. 
Cook over low heat, whisking constantly to prevent curdling. Whisk until filling thickens and it is jelly like. When you make designs in the mixture with the whisk, they should hold their shape. Do not let boil or it will curdle. Press through a fine mesh sieve to make silky smooth. Pour into tart shell and bake for 10 minutes. 
At this point, I let my tart cool and then chilled in the fridge overnight. You do not need to do this, you can skip straight to the meringue. I would just advise to not make the meringue until the day you are serving because if you put meringue in the fridge it will lose some of its volume and "weep" (cause a liquid layer between the meringue and the lemon filling). 
To make the meringue: whip the egg whites on high speed to soft peaks. Gradually add the sugar and cream of tar tar, while whipping on high speed, until the meringue is shiny and stiff. Beat in the vanilla and then spread over tart with a spoon. Put tart under broiler on high for 1 minute- watching constantly to prevent burning. Serve as is! 




Enjoy!

2 comments:

  1. That looks delicious! Great job.
    Liz
    http://liz-makes.blogspot.com/

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    Replies
    1. Thanks so much!
      I plan on making your double chocolate cookies in the near future- they look droolworthy!
      :)

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