Lemon curd tart with Italian meringue

Today I present you another blog that I love, it’s from Italy and it’s called Le Ricette di Violly. I met Viola during a gluten free fair in Rimini two years ago, and we bonded immediately. I am so happy that today thanks to gluten free we met again! Here Viola is sharing with Baci di Dama one of her favourite recipes: lemon curd tart with Italian meringue. Hope you will enjoy it.

INSTRUCTIONS

STEP 1 _ THE SHORTCRUST PASTRY

Sift the flours. In a large bowl stir the flours and the sugar. Add the butter previously cut in small cubes and mix with your hands until you get a crumbly dough. Add the eggs and continue to mix until it becomes smooth.

Put the shortcrust pastry in a plastic wrap and then to chill in the fridge for one hour.

Spread some flour on your kitchen table. With the help of a rolling pin, roll the pastry until it is 0.5 cm thick. Sprinkle some extra flour if it gets sticky while you are rolling it.

With round-shaped moulds for pastry, cut it in small circles.

Place them in non-stick baking tins for tarts, make them stick well to the tins. Pin the bottom of each tart with a fork making small holes; cover the bottom with a piece of baking paper and some chickpeas on top. Repeat this procedure for each tart. This will help pre-cook our tarts.

Pre-heat the over to 190° and cook for about 5 to 6 minutes. Let them cool down in the tins.

STEP 2 _ THE LEMON CURD

In a pot beat the yolks with the sugar. Add the butter and the lemon juice. Start cooking over low heat until the butter is completely melted and you reach a creamy consistency. Take the pot off the heat. Add the lemon zest. Stir.

Place one spoon of lemon curd in each tart being careful not to feel it to the edges. Once we put them back into the oven, the lemon curd will tend to increase its volume and we don’t want it to get out of the tart.

Pre-heat the oven to 170° and bake for about 17 minutes. Take the tarts out of the oven and let them cool down.

STEP 3 _ THE ITALIAN MERINGUE

In a pot add 50 of water with 200 gr of sugar. Start cooking over low heat. Bring the syrup to a temperature of 121°. Use kitchen thermometer to verify you’ve reached the right temperature.

In a kneading machine add 125 gr of eggs white and 50 gr of sugar. Start beating them slowly, speeding the machine up gradually.

Before adding the syrup, slow down the beating and start adding the syrup very slowly pouring it by the edges of your bowl. Once you are done with the syrup, increase the power again, slowly and gradually. Continue to beat until stiff pick form and most of all until it is cold again.

Put the meringue in a pastry bag with a star-pointed beak and pour it onto the tarts. Use a kitchen torch to get the meringue stiff and golden-brown.

Enjoy!

pS discover who is behind Le Ricette di Violly in my interview to Viola – click here.