lemon meringue tarts

We decided to make a refreshing lemon meringue tart for the mad hot summer we were having.

We decided to use our own tried and tested recipe for the tart shell instead of the huge one that's on the recipe.

250g butter, room temperature

100g vanilla sugar

1 egg

400g all purpose flour

½ teaspoon salt

Combine the flour, sugar and salt. Cut the butter into the dry ingredients and rub it in!

Once you’ve got a crumbly mixture, make a well in the center and pour in the beaten egg. Slowly start moving the crumbles to the middle of the well and mixing until it starts to come together like cookie dough. Divide up the tart shell pastry and it makes about 18 to 20 small tart shells. 

Bake it blind for 15 minutes at 180 degrees celcius then remove the beans and bake till golden brown and set aside.

And then we realised...

We only had two lemons! And not even a single orange.

Yes, the recipe only required a single one.

Thankfully, help was always on hand and the supermarket was just across the road.

So 4013 navel oranges. That's the magic number for sweetness it seems.

That's how we managed to make lemon curd even though we had a major oversight. :p

Mix the cornflour, sugar and lemon zest in a medium saucepan. Strain and stir in the lemon juice gradually. Make orange juice up to 200ml/7fl oz with water and strain into the pan. Cook over a medium heat, stirring constantly, until thickened and smooth. Once the mixture bubbles, remove from the heat and beat in the butter until melted. Beat the egg yolks (save white for meringue) and whole egg together, stir into the pan and return to a medium heat. Keep stirring vigorously for a few minutes, until the mixture thickens and plops from the spoon. (It will bubble, but doesn't curdle.) Take off the heat and set aside while you make the meringue.

Put the egg whites in a large bowl. Whisk to soft peaks, then add half the sugar a spoonful at a time, whisking between each addition without overbeating. Whisk in the cornflour, then add the rest of the sugar as before until smooth and thick. Quickly reheat the filling and pour it into the pastry case. Immediately put spoonfuls of meringue around the edge of the filling (if you start in the middle the meringue may sink), then spread so it just touches the pastry (this will anchor it and help stop it sliding). Pile the rest into the centre, spreading so it touches the surface of the hot filling (and starts to cook), then give it all a swirl. Return to the oven for 18-20 mins until the meringue is crisp and slightly coloured. Let the pie sit in the tin for 30 mins, then remove and leave for at least another 1⁄2-1 hr before slicing. Eat the same day.

Ingredients

FOR THE PASTRY

• 175g plain flour
• 100g cold butter , cut in small pieces
• 1 tbsp icing sugar
• 1 egg yolk

FOR THE FILLING

• 2 level tbsp cornflour
• 100g golden caster sugar
• finely grated zest 2 large lemon
• 125ml fresh lemon juice (from 2-3 lemons)
• juice 1 small orange
• 85g butter , cut into pieces
• 3 egg yolks and a 1 whole egg

FOR THE MERINGUE

• 4 egg whites , room temperature
• 200g golden caster sugar
• 2 level tsp cornflour

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/3482/ultimate-lemon-meringue-pie

Now there's where we got the recipe for but it was for a large pie. So you've got to adjust the timings accordingly and WATCH your meringues. 

Those pretty meringues have tricky peaks that would turn charcoal on you if you weren't careful :p

If you aren't eating it the same day, your meringue would lose its satisfying crisp. 

You could try chilling it then reheating it in the oven though but it's never really the same.

Try it yourself and let me know how yours turned out!

We loved ours :)