« Hot Jalapeno Cheese Dip | Main | Mini Pecan Delights »
December 10, 2007
Tart Mini Lemon Meringue Pies
Ingredients:
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 sticks of salted butter, chilled and finely chopped
5 eggs, separated
Grated rind of two lemons
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 cups of superfine baker's sugar or caster sugar
Directions:
1. Process flour and 7 tbl of butter in a food processor until the mixture resembles bread crumbs. Add 1 egg yolk and 3-4 tbsp. cold water and pulse until mixture just comes together. Form pastry into 1" balls and place in a mini-tart/mini-muffin pan. (This pan should have 24 spaces in it.) Use a mini-tart shaper and press down in the middle of the ball, forming the tart shells to peek just over the edge of the tart space. Prick the bottom of the shells just barely with the tongs of a fork. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
3. Bake tart shells for 15 minutes or until golden.
4. Whisk lemon rind, 1/3 cup lemon juice, the remaining 4 egg yolks, and 1/3 cup sugar in a large heatproof bowl until well combined, then add the remaining 9 tbl butter. BRing a saucepan of water to a simmer over medium heat. Place bowl on top and stir lemon curd with a wooden spoon for 10-12 minutes or until the curd is thick. Remove the curd from heat, cover with a plastic wrap and allow it to cool.
5. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
6. Place the remaining sugar and 1/2 cup of water in a stainless-steel saucepan, then cook, stirring over low heat until the sugar dissolves. Increase the heat ot medium and then using a clean, wet pastry brush, brush down the sides of the pan. Cook until the syrup reaches 250 degrees F or the firm balls tage on a sugar thermometer. (To test this stage, drop a spoonful into a glass of ice cold water: it should form a pliable ball that softens as it warms.) Meanwhile, using an electric mixer, whisk egg whites until firm peaks form. While whisking, slowly pour sugar syrup into whites and whisk until combined and cool.
7. Assembling the pies: spoon lemon curd into the tart crusts until shell is mostly full. Top with the meringue. Bake in the preheated oven at 400 F for 5 minutes or until the meringue is golden brown.
Remove and cool. Note that the crust recipe should give you 22 tarts per batch, rather than 24.
Links:
Mini-Tart Shaper
Mini-Muffin or Mini-Tart Pan
Posted by Kelli Little at December 10, 2007 09:19 AM