Auckland-based Little French Pastry pâtissier, Ben Chevré has shared the recipe for what he believes is the perfect French Lemon Meringue Tart and it's just in time for us to have a go for Xmas!
This treat is as pleasing to the eyes as it is to the tongue, with a silky and light French meringue topped with a burst of freeze-dried raspberries.
ours might not look quite as good but we'll give it a nudge.
The lemon tart recipe is divided into three key components/steps: Shortcrust pastry, Lemon curd and the French meringue topping.
INGREDIENTS
Shortcrust pastry:
150g butter
95g icing sugar
30g almond flour (or your preferred nut flour)
1 pinch salt
Zest of ½ lemon
1 egg
250g baking flour
Lemon curd:
Zest of 4 lemons
112g lemon juice (approx 4 lemons)
100g or 2 large eggs
6g or 1 tsp honey
120g of caster sugar
105g cold diced butter
French Meringue:
120g egg whites at room temperature
100g of caster sugar
Zest from 1 lemon
METHOD
Preheat over to 160°C.
Shortcrust Pastry:
Using a stand mixer and paddle attachment, combine the butter, icing sugar, almond flour, lemon zest and salt.
Once combined, add the egg and mix until incorporated. Add the flour and mix well until the dough forms a ball.
Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours.
Lightly dust a surface with flour, then spread the dough using a rolling pin to the size of your tart pan. The ideal tart pan size is 20cm in diameter and 2cm high.
Use a fork to prick evenly across the base of the dough and refrigerate again for 30 minutes before baking.
Cover pastry with baking paper and fill with baking beads (alternatively: uncooked beans or uncooked rice) before baking.
Bake at 160°C for 15 minutes, then remove the baking beads and bake for an additional 10 minutes or until golden.
Lemon Curd:
Zest 4 lemons and mix with sugar.
In a medium pot, juice the lemons and combine with honey. Set to low heat to warm.
Combine the sugar and zest mixture with the eggs, and add to the lemon juice on the stove.
Whisk continually on medium heat until it begins to simmer, then add the cold butter.
Remove from heat immediately and pour into baked tart shell.
Refrigerate until set.
French Meringue:
Preheat your oven to 210°C.
Using a stand mixer and whisk attachment, mix your egg whites with ⅓ of your sugar at a medium speed until it begins to foam.
Once the mixture is foaming and doubles in volume, add another ⅓ of your sugar and continue whisking for 1 more minute.
Add the remaining sugar and your lemon zest and mix until the meringue is white, shiny and forms stiff peaks.
Put meringue into a piping bag (or a large ziplock bag with one corner cut at an angle) and pipe meringue from the outside into the centre as pictured.
Place your tart on a baking tray and put it into the oven to grill for a few minutes, watching closely to ensure it becomes golden brown without burning. Alternatively, use a blowtorch for an added ‘wow’ effect.
To serve, sprinkle freeze-dried raspberries on top for an added flourish.
TIME TO EAT!
If you don’t want to deal with the stress of making your own deserts from scratch this holiday season, Little French Pastry is also offering deliveries to your door across Auckland.
Find out more about their Xmas treats and deliveries HERE.
