When I’m putting together a relatively dense holiday meal, I like to keep the dessert light and tangy whenever possible. For Christmas Eve this year, I made Sous Vide Leg of Lamb along with Roasted Harissa Carrots and Scalloped Potatoes. Heavy, heavier, and heaviest. If we were going to have dessert after all those carbs and protein, I knew it would need to be something to cut through the dense flavors of the night’s dishes.
Enter the lemon meringue pie. My biggest gripe with the traditional lemon meringue is that the meringue itself tends to “weep” while it sits out, and then the pie is watery and gross within a handful of hours. Not so great when you can’t realistically make the pie minutes before serving it. This tart is all the best parts (in my opinion) of the traditional lemon meringue pie. Plus, my neighbor’s Meyer lemon tree is currently exploding with fruit, so the choice seemed to be a relatively natural one.
When you don’t have access to free Meyer lemons (like most of the universe), they can be fairly expensive to buy at the store. If you don’t want to shell out a few extra bucks, feel free to make the switch to regular lemons for this recipe. Just add 2 tbsp more sugar to the curd to balance out the additional acid.
Makes one 9″ tart.
Ingredients:
for the crust:
- 1 cup flour
- 6 tbsp butter
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 2-3 tbsp water
- 3 tbsp meyer lemon zest
for the lemon curd:
- 6 egg yolks
- 4 eggs
- ½ tsp corn starch
- ½ cup sugar
- 4 tbsp Meyer lemon zest
- 1 ½ cups butter, cut and cubed
for the meringue:
- 2 large egg whites
- 1/8 tsp cream of tartar
- pinch of salt
- 6 tbsp caster sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
Kitchen Tools: saucepan, whisk, microplane, fluted tart pan, electric mixer with whisk attachment, piping bag with star nozzle, plastic wrap, parchment paper, pie weights or dried beans, food processor (optional)
Prep Work:
Drop all crust ingredients except the water into your food processor and pulse until the little bits of butter are smaller than a pea. Set to low speed and slowly add water one tbsp at a time. Crust is at the right consistency when a pinch of dough stays together without sticking to your fingers.
Pour contents of food processor onto a flat surface and form the dough into a tight ball. If it’s crumbling apart and won’t hold a ball shape, place it back in the food processor and add water 1 tsp at a time. Wrap dough ball in plastic wrap and place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
Lemon Curd:
While your dough is chilling, separate your eggs into whites and yolks. Remember to reserve 3 of the egg whites for your meringue.
In a mixing bowl, combine eggs, yolks, sugar, and cornstarch. Pour mixture into a medium saucepan and set heat to low. Whisk continuously for about 5 minutes, until mixture is thick and doesn’t seem to be getting any thicker. {If nothing happens after a few minutes, raise the heat ever so slightly and continue whisking. If it begins to thicken really fast and develops chunks, remove from heat and whisk vigorously until smooth, then lower the heat and continue}.
Once curd has reached its finishing point, remove from heat and whisk in cold butter, one tbsp at a time. Place finished curd in a sealed container and refrigerate until ready to use.
First Bake:
Preheat oven to 375*F. Once dough is done chilling, roll it out to about a 12″ diameter circle and press it carefully into your fluted tart pan. Leave any overhanging dough where it is. It’ll be easier to cut it off later once your crust has baked. Chill tart in freezer for 20 minutes.
Remove crust from freezer and place a sheet of parchment over the top. Fill inside with pie weights or dried beans to keep the bottom of the crust from rising. Bake for about 20 minutes, until tart is golden brown. Remove pie weights and let cool.
Second Bake:
Once the tart has cooled, use a sharp knife to cut away any excess overhanging crust. Spread in the lemon curd, reserving about 2 tbsp. Place filled tart back in the oven and bake until set and just beginning to brown, about another 20 minutes. Spread reserved lemon curd over the top using an offset spatula or butter knife. Set aside to cool.
Meringue:
Use an electric mixer with whisk attachment to whip egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt until soft peaks begin to form. Turn mixer on to high and add sugar, 1 heaping spoonful a time until you have glossy, stiff peaks.
Spoon meringue into piping bag with star attachment. Pipe little stars around the perimeter of the cooled tart. Place tart back in the oven and bake at 375*F for about 5-10 minutes or until the tips of the meringue begin to brown.
Carefully remove your Meyer Lemon Tart from its pan, and chill uncovered in the fridge until ready to serve.
