Nothing says spring and summer like Lemons and Lemon Desserts. Recently I was asked for my Lemon Curd recipe and decided to blog about Lemon Curd Tartlets with Italian Meringue. What I love about this Lemon Curd recipe is the simplicity of the preparation and the deliciousness of the tangy lemon topped with sweet meringue. This is a marriage made in Lemony Heaven.
Don’t be thrown off by the many steps to making and putting the tarts together. You can make the pastry, bake off the tart shells and make the lemon curd a day in advance of serving. Actually, you could even make the curd two days in advance since the longer it sits the better set it will be. Make the meringue on the day of serving.
Store the Lemon Curd in a glass jar and not a plastic container. There is something about putting it in a jar that helps to keep its thick consistency.
Lemon Curd Tartlets
Makes Eight 4″ Tartlets
1 Recipe Pate Sucre
1 Recipe Lemon Curd
1 Recipe Italian Meringue
To Assemble the Tarts
Divide the Pate Sucre into 8 equal pieces. Roll each piece, one at a time, into 6 inch rounds, 1/4 inch thick and gently place into the tart pans with removable bottoms. Press the dough into the sides and bottom of the tart pan and with the rolling pin, roll over the tart pan to trim the dough.
Prick the bottom of each tart with a fork and refrigerate for 30 minutes before baking. Place a round piece of foil in the bottom of each and bake for 10 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 10 minutes until the shells are golden brown. Rotate the pan when removing the foil round. (The reason for the foil round is to keep the pastry from puffing up.)
Remove the tartlets from the oven and cool completely on a wire rack. (You can bake the tartlets the day before.) Store on the counter uncovered.
When ready to serve,fill each tart with the Lemon Curd and top with some of the Italian Meringue. Brown the meringue with a kitchen torch or place under a preheated broiler and cook the meringue until lightly browned. Keep your eye on them as it takes only seconds to brown the meringue.
Lemon Curd
Makes 2 1/2 Cups
10 Large Egg Yolks (Reserve the Whites for Another Use)
¾ Cup Granulated Sugar
1 Cup Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice (From About 6 Large Lemons)
Finely Grated Zest of 3 Lemons
6 Tablespoons (3 Ounces) Unsalted Butter, Room Temperature
In a medium size heatproof bowl whisk together the yolks, sugar, lemon juice and zest. Place bowl over a pan of simmering water being sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water. Whisk the mixture with a wire whisk continually until the mixture becomes thickened to the consistency of pudding, about 10 minutes. (You must whisk continually to prevent the eggs from scrambling.)
Remove the bowl from the pan and whisk in the butter by bits until completely incorporated. Transfer the curd to a clean bowl and place a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the curd to prevent a skin from forming. Cool to room temperature before refrigerating.
(For a very smooth consistency, strain the warm curd through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl. Proceed as above. Personally, I like the little bits of zest in the curd and I usually skip the straining step.)