Tarte au Citron Meringuée

I must admit, it took me a long time to get over my dislike of lemony desserts, but now that I have, they are what I love most of all. You may have also noticed a meringue trend in my recipes. This one uses the easiest version, French meringue, which when colored briefly in a hot oven, creates a toasted marshmallow effect that complements the tartness of the lemon curd perfectly. And if you’re tight on time, pick up a pre-made pie shell – it’s not the same but it makes the process less intimidating. Tarte au Citron can be made any size from tiny petit-fours, to individual desserts, to a full-size pie, making this a read crowd pleaser, any way you slice it!

Difficulty:

Prep Time: 45 minutes (+ 1 hour inactive)

Cook Time: 50 minutes

Serves 8 people

Ingredients:

Pate Brisée

1 ¼ cups (250g) Unbleached AP Flour

¼ tsp. Sea Salt

1 ½ Tbsp. (15g) Sugar

4 ½ oz. (125g) Butter, room temperature

1 Egg, beaten

2 Tbsp. Ice Water

Lemon Filling

3 cups Water

½ cup (65g) Unbleached AP Flour

½ cup (65g) Cornstarch

1 ¼ cups (250g) Sugar

3 Lemons, zest & juice

4 Egg Yolks

2 Tbsp. (25g) Butter

Meringue

4 Egg Whites

1 pinch Salt

5 oz. (125g) Sugar

2 Tbsp. (20g) Confectioner’s Sugar

Technique:

•In the bowl of an electric mixer, with the paddle attachment, combine flour, salt, and sugar. Add butter and mix on medium-low until homogenous.

•Add the beaten egg, mix for 30 seconds, then add ice water, one tablespoon at a time.

•Form a round disc with the dough, wrap in plastic film and refrigerate for one hour.

•Preheat oven to 400˚F.

•Dust a clean countertop with flour. Roll out dough to ¼” thick, flipping over every few strokes and dusting with flour to prevent sticking.

•Gently work dough into a 9” tart shell, pressing into corners and squeezing into fluted edges. Poke small holes in dough with a fork.

•Lay a piece of parchment paper over the dough and gently press into tart shell, then fill with dried beans or rice.

oThis technique is known as “blind baking” and it helps support the sides of the tart shell so they don’t slide down while baking.

•Bake tart shell for 10 minutes, then remove parchment and beans/rice, and bake 5 more minutes. Cool.

•Bring 3 cups water to a boil. Add some of the water to a small bowl with the cornstarch, whisk into a slurry and add to the boiling water.

•Combine flour and sugar and slowly whisk into boiling water until well mixed and bubbling, then turn off flame and allow it to cool to body temperature.

•Whisk in the lemon juice gradually, then add zest, yolks and butter. Turn flame back on and cook over medium high heat for 3-4 minutes until hot. The mixture will be quite thick, but whisk aggressively so the eggs don’t cook unevenly.

•Add hot mixture to the tart shell and even it out with a spatula. Bake 10 minutes.

•After 5 minutes, begin whisking egg whites with a pinch of salt on medium speed until soft peaks form.

•Combine sugar and confectioner’s sugar and slowly add to the whites.

•Once added, increase speed for 30 seconds then use a spatula or piping bag to add meringue to the tart.

•Bake for another 10 minutes to set and color the meringue. Cool at room temperature and serve or refrigerate for later.

Saturday, Feb 25, 2012