Lemon Meringue Tart

Directions

• Shortcrust Pastry (Pâte Sablé Tart Crust)
• Mix the flour, icing sugar, almond meal and salt, then use your fingers to rub the butter in until it resembles breadcrumbs
• The mixture should be a bit like wet sand that can run through your fingers
• Add egg and mix through with a rubber spatula until the mixture stiffens to the point you can’t really mix any more
• Now turn the dough out onto a work surface and use your hands to bring it together into a dough. You don’t need to knead it, just bring it together into a smooth ball
• Shape the dough into a ball then pat it down, wrap with cling wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes or even overnight.
• Remove the dough from the fridge and unwrap. Note: If you refrigerated overnight or much longer than 30 minutes and the pastry is rock solid, leave it out for a bit until it softens enough that it can be rolled out
• Place the dough on a lightly-floured work surface, then sprinkle the dough surface lightly with flour
• Roll out into a 32cm, 3mm thick.
• To transfer the pastry into the tart tin, roll the pastry onto the rolling pin, taking care not to stretch the pastry. Stretching the pastry causes shrinkage when it bakes.
• Use your fingers to drape it in and gently coax it into the corners to fill the tart tin, as opposed to pulling or stretching it.
• Drape the excess pastry outside the rim of the tart tin, then roll the rolling pin across the surface to cut the excess off and remove excess pastry (but keep it, in case there’s a patching-up emergency to tend to later!)
• Prick the base with a fork. This allows steam to escape which stops the base from puffing up, so you have a nice smooth and not a bubbled base.
• Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Prepare blind baking – Cover the pastry with 2 large sheets of baking / parchment paper, then fill with baking beads (or beans) to weigh it down. The purpose of these weights is to prevent the base from puffing up and the sides from collapsing inwards during this blind baking stage.
• Bake at 180°C for 15 minutes.
• Then remove the weights, fill with lemon curd, then bake for a further 5-7 minutes.
• Lemon Curd
• Place a fine-mesh strainer over a medium-sized bowl and set it near the stove.
• In a small bowl, combine the sugar with the lemon zest. Use your fingers to rub the zest into the sugar until fragrant.
• Juice the lemons and set aside.
• In a medium saucepan, whisk together the whole eggs, egg yolks, and the lemon-scented sugar until smooth and well combined.
• Stir in the lemon juice and a pinch of salt.
• Place the saucepan over medium heat and cook the mixture, whisking constantly, until it thickens and reaches 85°C.
• Remove from the heat and immediately stir in the butter until fully incorporated.
• Pour the curd through the prepared strainer into the bowl, pressing gently with a spatula to remove any solids.
• Cover the surface of the curd with plastic wrap, pressing it directly onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming.
• Refrigerate until fully chilled and set before using in your lemon meringue tart.
• Italian Meringue
• Separate the egg whites into a clean, dry mixing bowl. Ensure no yolk is present.
• Begin whisking the egg whites on medium speed until they reach soft peaks.
• In a small saucepan, combine the sugar and water.
• Heat over medium heat until the syrup reaches 116–120°C (soft ball stage), checking with a thermometer.
• With the mixer running on medium-high speed, slowly pour the hot sugar syrup in a thin stream into the whipped egg whites (Avoid pouring directly onto the whisk to prevent splattering).
• Continue whisking the mixture while it cools to room temperature.
• The meringue should become thick, glossy, and hold stiff peaks when the whisk is lifted (Do not over-whip, over-whipping can collapse the foam).
• When the tart is cooled down, pipe the meringue on top and use a kitchen torch to caramelize the surface. Hold the torch a few centimeters away from the meringue and move it in slow, sweeping motions to evenly toast the peaks. This creates a golden-brown, slightly crisp exterior while keeping the interior soft and fluffy (You can watch how it is done from Lemon Meringue Tart).