Lemon Meringue Tart

I’m thinking that this is the perfect dessert. Sweet & tart with a crispy cookie like crust. If I’m comparing it to store bought LM pie or the kind our Moms and grandmas made (homemade… but in my case, was really just made at home from a box), this is lighter and the lemon curd has an almost creamy consistency rather than the gelatinous of the other. The smooth and silky Italian meringue is heaven.

Prep time: 1 hour (including baking of tart shell)

Cook time: 20 minutes

Special equipment: food processor, 9″ tart pan, pie weights ( dry beans or rice can also be used), kitchen torch (optional), parchment paper, mesh sieve

Pastry

11/4 cups all purpose flour

3 tablespoons icing sugar

1/2 cup butter chilled and cubed

1 egg yolk

4 tablespoons ice water

Pinch salt

Lemon curd

6 eggs beaten

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup lemon juice

2 teaspoons grated lemon zest

Meringue

4 egg whites

1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1/3 cup water

For the tart shell:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place all of the dry ingredients and butter into the food processor and pulse a few times until it looks like coarse crumbs. Mix the yolk and water together and pour into mixture while pulsing the machine. Keep pulsing until your dough has formed. Form the soft dough into a disk and wrap with Saran Wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Place dough between 2 pieces of parchment paper and roll it so it will fit into your pan including the sides. Gently press the dough into the pan and use a knife to cut off any excess at the sides. Poke holes on the bottom with a fork. Lay a sheet of the parchment on top of the crust and fill it with pie weights. Bake for 30-35 minutes. Let cool completely before adding your filling.

For the filling:

Add butter, sugar, zest and lemon juice to a medium sauce pan and on medium low heat melt butter until sugar is dissolved. Pour beaten eggs into a heatproof bowl ( I use a large glass measuring cup ). Whisk about 1/4 cup of the hot lemon/butter/sugar into the eggs to temper them so you don’t end up with scrambled eggs. Once incorporated, pour the rest into the eggs and whisk vigorously to combine. Pour mixture right back into the pan and cook for 4-5 minutes while whisking until it bubbles and thickens. Strain the curd through a fine mesh sieve. Place plastic wrap directly on top of the lemon curd and refrigerate until needed or up to 2 days.

For the Meringue:

In a sauce pan bring water and sugar to a boil on medium heat, then continue for about 4 minutes without stirring until it has a syrupy consistency.

Beat the egg whites and lemon juice until soft peaks start to form. Add hot sugar syrup to the egg whites and continue beating for about 2 minutes or until meringue is glossy.

To assemble and serve:

Spread lemon curd evenly in prepared crust. Top with meringue. To brown the meringue use a kitchen torch or place it under the broiler for 1-2 minutes ( make sure you keep an eye on it!). Keep tart refrigerated for up to 2 days.