- Serves 6 (20 cm tart pan)
- Preparation 1 Hour
- Cooking time 20 minutes
- Wait 1 hour
- Total time 2 hours and 20 minutes
Lemon meringue tart, also known as meringue lemon tart, is a truly amazing dessert. Sweet and tart, two perfectly balanced flavors, easy to make and perfect for any occasion.
This lemon and meringue tart will delight even the most demanding palates. It's truly a pantry dessert. The only ingredients that aren't included are butter and lemons, even though my grandmother kept them in the pantry.
How to make the perfect lemon meringue tart:
To make this lemon meringue pie, it's important to follow a few important rules. There are three steps:
- the shortcrust pastry base, thanks to this recipe the result will be perfect
- LEMON CREAM which is a LEMON CURD
- MERINGUE which you can make both in the Italian and French way, here I propose it to you cold
The shortcrust pastry:
I've created the perfect shortcrust pastry recipe: incredibly quick and excellent for all your preparations. You can knead it in a stand mixer or in a Thermomix. The secret is to work it sparingly, but that's a well-known fact. The result is a soft dough that should be chilled in the refrigerator or blast chiller before using it and baking it.
The lemon cream:
Lemon curd has always been one of my favorite spreads. It's perfect for everything. It's quick to make and lasts for several days in the refrigerator. It's certainly not light, but it's incredibly delicious. Use organic lemons because you'll be using both the zest and the juice. For the zest, it's best to use a zester like this one.
The meringue:
Meringue is a breeze to make because it doesn't need to be baked. Simply spoon it onto the cake and burn it with a blowtorch or under the oven rack. It's best to use a blowtorch, though; if you don't have one, I recommend this one.
You need 3 eggs for the lemon cream and the meringue: the yolks go into the lemon cream and the egg whites are used to make the meringue.
If you don't like meringue, you could also opt for a mascarpone cream, but keep in mind that it will be heavier.
Lemon meringue cake is richly sweet but never cloying. Jamie Oliver is the master of this cake. Follow my recipe for a perfect result.
Ingredients for 6 people (20 cm tart pan)
For the shortcrust pastry
- 188 g of 00 flour
- 125 g of cold butter
- 63 g of icing sugar
- 38 g whole egg
For the lemon cream
- 3 egg yolks
- 3 organic lemons
- 130 g of sugar
- qb of water
- 35 g of corn
- 50 g of butter
For the meringue
- 3 egg whites at room temperature
- 150 g of icing sugar
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
Procedure
For the shortcrust pastry
- Place the flour and cold butter in a stand mixer or Thermomix and mix until you get a uniform mixture. Then add the powdered sugar and finally the egg. At this point, mix gently.
- Wrap in cling film and place in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes (in a blast chiller for 12 minutes)
- Roll out the dough between two floured sheets of parchment paper and line a greased and floured 20 cm tart pan. Refrigerate for another 20 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 160°C (fan assisted) and bake the tart with the holes for about 20-30 minutes. It's best to leave the oven door ajar if you don't have a vent. Remove from the oven when golden brown and let cool.
For the lemon cream
- Wash the lemons, dry them, and remove and grate the zest (only the yellow part). Then squeeze them and strain the juice.
- Mix the cornstarch with the sugar and a drop of water and make everything creamy.
- Place in a saucepan with the lemon juice. Cook for about 2 minutes until the sugar dissolves.
- Add the egg yolks and mix over low heat for another minute. Remove from the heat, add the zest and butter, and melt. The consistency should be creamy, neither solid nor runny. Add water if necessary. Refrigerate for 1 hour before using.
For the meringue
- Beat the egg whites with the sugar and a teaspoon of lemon juice until stiff and glossy. This should take at least 5 minutes.
Cake composition
- Place the pastry shell on a serving plate. Fill the pastry generously with lemon cream and smooth it out. Then add spoonfuls of meringue, moving the spoon upwards to create swirls. Burn the swirls with a blowtorch. Or, quickly bake on high heat.
