Lemon Meringue Tart

Submitted by Leslie in Texas

"This recipe takes Grandma's lemon meringue pie one step further by dressing it up in a fluted tart pan and piping the meringue over the top in a pretty pattern.It's a sophisticated update of a classic! Originally from an April 1984 issue of Bon Apetit that featured Light and Refreshing Lemon Desserts.Refrigeration time not included in prep time."

 

• Ready In: 1hr 10mins
• Ingredients: 14
• Serves: 8-10

ingredients

• Sweet Crust Pastry

• 1 1⁄2 cups pastry flour (or all purpose flour)
• 1⁄3 cup sugar
• 3 egg yolks
• 1⁄2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
• 7 tablespoons unsalted butter

• Lemon Filling

• 1 cup sugar
• 2⁄3 cup fresh lemon juice
• 3 eggs
• 3 egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon lemon peel, finely grated
• 1⁄2 cup unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon-size pieces, room temperature (1 stick)

• Meringue

• 2⁄3 cup sugar
• 2 egg whites, room temperature

directions

1. For Pastry.
2. Sift flour onto work surface and make a well in center.
3. Mix sugar, yolks, vanilla and salt in well using fingertips until sugar and salt dissolve.
4. Pound butter with rolling pin to soften, break into pieces and work into sugar mixture using fingertips.
5. Using pastry cutter or dough scraper, cut flour into sugar mixture until well blended; gather into a ball.
6. 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.
7. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate at least 2 hours or up to 3 days.
8. Roll dough out on lightly floured surface to thickness of 1/8 inch.
9. Fit into 9 1/2-inch tart pan with removable bottom.
10. Trim edges, cover with plastic and refrigerate 1 hour.
11. Preheat oven to 400°F.
12. Lightly butter foil cut to fit bottom of tart pan;set buttered side down in tart pan.
13. Fill shell with dried beans or pie weights.
14. Bake until pastry is set, about 15 minutes.
15. Remove weights and foil.
16. Return to oven and bake until brown, 6 to 8 minutes.
17. For Filling.
18. 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.
19. Remove from heat and whisk in butter, 1 tablespoon at a time,completely incorporating each before adding next.
20. (Can be prepared up to 2 weeks ahead,covered and refrigerated).
21. Pour filling into crust and cool to room temperature.
22. For Meringue.
23. Preheat broiler.
24. 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.
25. Remove from heat and beat with electric mixer until whites are cool and stiff.
26. Spoon into pastry bag fitted with star tip.
27. Pipe concentric circles of stars atop tart, pulling up at the end of each star.
28. Broil about 12 to 15 inches from source of heat until meringue is lightly browned, about 1 minute.
29. Serve immediately.