Sweet Bakery Lemon Meringue Tarts Food

LEMON MERINGUE TART

Steps:

• Combine the flour, 3 tablespoons of the sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a bowl and place in the freezer for 30 minutes. Put the flour mixture in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Add the butter and shortening and pulse about 10 times until the butter is in small bits. Add the ice water and process until the dough comes together. Dump on a well-floured board and form into a disk. Wrap in plastic and chill for at least 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Roll out the dough and fit into a 9-inch tart pan with removable sides. Don't stretch the dough when placing it in the pan or it will shrink during baking. Cut off the excess by rolling the pin across the top of the pan. Line the tart shell with a piece of buttered aluminum foil, butter side down, and fill it with dried beans or rice. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove the beans and foil and prick the bottom of the shell all over with a fork to allow the steam to escape. Bake for another 15 to 20 minutes, until lightly browned. Set aside to cool.
• Raise the oven temperature to 425 degrees F.
• For the meringue, whip the egg whites, cream of tartar, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment on high speed until frothy. With the mixer still running, slowly add the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar and beat until the meringue is thick and shiny, about 2 minutes.
• Immediately spread the lemon filling in the cooled tart shell and pipe the meringue over it with a large star tip. Be sure the meringue covers the entire top and touches the edges of the shell, to prevent it from shrinking. Bake for 3 to 5 minutes, until the meringue is lightly browned. Cool to room temperature.
• Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment for 1 minute. On low speed, add the eggs and egg yolks one at a time, and then add the lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt. Don't worry; it will look curdled.
• Pour the mixture into a small saucepan and cook over medium-low heat for 8 to 10 minutes, until thick, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Whisk briskly when it starts to thicken and cook over low heat for 1 to 2 minutes, whisking constantly. Don't allow it to boil! It will be 175 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer. Pour into a bowl and cool to room temperature.

LEMON MERINGUE TARTS

Steps:

• Make the crust: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl using an electric mixer, beat the butter and confectioners' sugar at medium speed to combine. Scrape down the bowl, add the egg yolk, and beat until well blended. Scrape down the bowl and add half of the flour; beat on low speed until crumbly. Stop the machine, add the remaining flour and the cream, and beat on low speed just until a dough forms.
• Turn out the dough and shape it into a ball, then flatten the ball slightly into a disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours or up to 1 day.
• Dust a work surface with flour. Cut the chilled dough into 1-inch pieces; using the heel of your hand, knead the pieces back together into a smooth disk. Keeping the surface well floured, shape the disk into a 12-inch-long log. Cut into 6 equal pieces. Refrigerate 10 minutes.
• Remove one of the dough pieces and transfer back to the well-floured work surface. Using your fist, squish the dough into a disk, then roll using a rolling pin to form a very thin (1⁄8-inch) round. Center the round over a 4 3⁄4-inch fluted tart pan, preferably with a removable bottom, or a tart ring. Run your fingers around the inside of the pan or ring several times, easing the dough into the edges to avoid tearing. Be sure the dough fits against all the sides and nooks of the pan. Trim excess dough from the top edges. Dock the bottom of the dough sparingly with the tines of a fork. Transfer to a baking sheet and freeze for at least 10 minutes or until firm. Repeat with the remaining pieces of dough, refrigerating the scraps as you work in case they are needed to patch any holes.
• Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375°. Transfer the baking sheet to the oven and bake until the pastry is light golden brown and the interior is dry, 12-15 minutes. If the bottoms of the shells puff up as they bake, tap them down lightly with your fingers or the back of a fork as often as needed. Remove and let cool in the tart pans completely.
• Using a large spoon, fill the tart shells with the lemon curd. Refrigerate until set, about 30 minutes.
• Make the meringue: In a standing mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or in a large bowl with a handheld electric mixer, whisk the egg whites on medium speed for 1 minute. Add the cream of tartar, increase the speed to medium-high, and mix for 1 minute. With the motor running, gradually add the sugar in small (1-2 teaspoon) increments. Once all the sugar has been added, continue beating the egg whites until stiff, glossy peaks have formed.
• Carefully unmold the tarts. Place a generous dollop of meringue in the center of each. Caramelize the meringue with a kitchen torch if desired. Serve immediately, or refrigerate up to 1 hour. Let sit at room temperature for 10 minutes before serving.

MINI LEMON MERINGUE TARTS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Arrange tart shells on a baking sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven until heated through, about 5 minutes. Remove from the oven; leave oven on.
• Whisk egg yolks, 3/4 cup sugar, butter, lemon juice, and zest together in a medium bowl. Whisk in buttermilk. Add flour and salt; whisk well.
• Pour filling into the tart shells, filling them almost to the top.
• Bake in the preheated oven until filling rises and appears set, about 15 minutes. Watch carefully to avoid overcooking.
• Prepare meringue while the tarts are baking. Beat egg whites with an electric mixer on high speed until frothy. Add remaining 1/2 cup sugar and cream of tartar; continue beating until meringue is stiff and shiny.
• Top baked tarts with meringue. Ensure that you press the meringue down to form a seal around the edges.
• Return tarts to oven and bake until meringue starts to brown, about 10 minutes more. Let cool before serving.

LEMON MERINGUE TARTLETS

Steps:

• In food processor, pulse graham crackers into fine crumbs. Add butter and pulse to combine. Divide mixture among six 4-inch tart pans with removable bottoms; press evenly on bottoms and up sides. Freeze until firm, at least 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, prepare lemon filling: In medium saucepan, combine cream and sugar and cook on medium-high, stirring, 5 minutes.
• Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 1 minute. Remove from heat and add lemon zest and juice. Let cool 20 minutes, then divide among crust-lined tart shells and refrigerate until set, at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours.
• About 15 minutes before serving, prepare topping: In large metal or glass bowl, whisk together egg whites, sugar and cream of tartar. Set bowl over (but not in) saucepan of simmering water and cook, whisking constantly, until sugar has dissolved and whites are very warm to the touch, 5 minutes (even if sugar has dissolved, still cook for 5 min).
• Remove from heat and, using an electric mixer, beat on low speed, gradually increasing to high, until glossy, soft peaks form, about 5 minutes. Beat in vanilla. Spoon over tarts, then use a torch to lightly toast.

SWEET BAKERY LEMON MERINGUE TARTS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F Butter 8 tartlet pans and set aside. Put the sugar, salt, flour, almonds, and almond extract in the bowl of a food processor and process to mix. With the machine running, add the butter in the feed tube about 2 tbsp at a time. Process until dough forms a ball.
• Press dough into tartlet pans and bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool.
• To prepare the curd, put the lime juice, zest, sugar, and egg yolks in a metal bowl, whisk until the curd thickens and coats the back of a spoon.
• Pour into prepared tartlet shells.
• To prepare the meringue, put the egg whites and the cream of tartar in the bowl of a heavy duty mixer and mix on high speed until the egg whites are very fluffy.
• With machine running add the sugar a little at a time. Continue to whip on a high speed until whites are shiny and stiff peaks form.
• Place meringue in a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip and pipe over the curd.
• To brown the outside if the tartlets, place the tartlets on a broiler pan and brown.

LEMON MERINGUE COOKIES

Steps:

• Make the meringue: Heat oven to 250 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a small bowl, stir together both sugars.
• Working with an electric mixer, beat the egg white, vinegar and salt on medium-high speed until the mixture forms soft peaks, about 3 minutes. Add the sugar mixture 1 tablespoon at a time, beating after each addition. Once the sugar is incorporated, beat 2 minutes more; you'll have stiff, glossy, white peaks. Put the meringue on the baking sheet and spread it 1/4-inch thick. (It will cover only a small part of the sheet.)
• Bake the meringue undisturbed for 35 minutes. Turn off the heat, prop open the oven door and let it dry for 1 hour. When you're ready to use it, chop it into pieces about the size of chocolate chips. Precision doesn't matter.
• Make the shortbread: Working with a mixer (use the paddle if it's a stand mixer), beat the butter, both sugars and the salt on medium speed for about 3 minutes, until smooth but not fluffy. On low speed, beat in the yolks, one at a time, followed by the vanilla. Add the flour in three additions, mixing on low until the dough comes together in large clumps. Turn out the dough and knead it into a ball. Cut the ball in half.
• Shape each half into a 6-inch log. Wrap it and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. (You could also freeze it for up to 2 months; leave it on the counter for 1 hour before baking.)
• When you're ready to bake the cookies, heat oven to 350 degrees. Coat 1 or 2 muffin tins with butter (or nonstick baking spray).
• Slice each log into 12 rounds (each 1/2-inch thick); drop one into each muffin cup. (If you don't have enough tins, you can work in batches.)
• Bake for 21 to 23 minutes, or until the cookies are golden brown around the rims. Transfer the tin(s) to a rack, cool for 5 minutes, then lift the cookies out and onto racks; cool to room temperature.
• Just before serving, top each cookie with lemon curd, then top with ample chunks of meringue, pressing them into the curd. The meringue will keep in a cool, dry place for a few days, and the cookies can be kept at room temperature for about 3 days. But once you top the cookies, they're best eaten soon after.

LEMON MERINGUE TART

Steps:

• For Pastry.
• Sift flour onto work surface and make a well in center.
• Mix sugar, yolks, vanilla and salt in well using fingertips until sugar and salt dissolve.
• Pound butter with rolling pin to soften, break into pieces and work into sugar mixture using fingertips.
• Using pastry cutter or dough scraper, cut flour into sugar mixture until well blended; gather into a ball.
• With heel of hand, push small pieces of dough down on surface away from you to blend butter and flour thoroughly; gather into a ball.
• Wrap in plastic and refrigerate at least 2 hours or up to 3 days.
• Roll dough out on lightly floured surface to thickness of 1/8 inch.
• Fit into 9 1/2-inch tart pan with removable bottom.
• Trim edges, cover with plastic and refrigerate 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Lightly butter foil cut to fit bottom of tart pan;set buttered side down in tart pan.
• Fill shell with dried beans or pie weights.
• Bake until pastry is set, about 15 minutes.
• Remove weights and foil.
• Return to oven and bake until brown, 6 to 8 minutes.
• For Filling.
• Whisk sugar, lemon juice, eggs,yolks and peel in top of nonaluminum double boiler set over boiling water until mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 10 minutes; do not let boil.
• Remove from heat and whisk in butter, 1 tablespoon at a time,completely incorporating each before adding next.
• (Can be prepared up to 2 weeks ahead,covered and refrigerated).
• Pour filling into crust and cool to room temperature.
• For Meringue.
• Preheat broiler.
• Whisk sugar and whites set in stainless steel bowl set over saucepan of boiling water until slowly dissolving ribbon forms when whisk is lifted, about 10 minutes.
• Remove from heat and beat with electric mixer until whites are cool and stiff.
• Spoon into pastry bag fitted with star tip.
• Pipe concentric circles of stars atop tart, pulling up at the end of each star.
• Broil about 12 to 15 inches from source of heat until meringue is lightly browned, about 1 minute.
• Serve immediately.