Makes 12
Prep: 35 minutes
Baking: 25 mins
Pastry
- 125g butter
- 125g caster sugar
- 1 medium egg
- dash vanilla
- 250g plain flour
Lemon curd
- 3 medium eggs
- 150g caster sugar
- 175ml lemon juice
- 150g soft butter
- Meringue
4 medium free range egg whites
120g caster sugar - 100g icing sugar
- 10g cornflour
pinch cream of tartar
Method
- For the Lemon curd, place the eggs, caster sugar and lemon juice into a heatproof bowl and whisk together.
- Place this bowl over a pot of gently simmering water and whisk until the mixture thickens up. This can take up to 10 minutes.
- Once the mixture is nice and thick, remove from the heat and with a hand blender, add the butter and blitz until smooth.
- Place a layer of cling film directly on top to stop a skin forming and pop in the fridge for a minimum of 4 hours (preferably overnight)
- To make the sweet pastry, in a mixing bowl, cream the room temperature butter and sugar together until light and creamy.
- To this add the egg and vanilla, mix.
- Finally add in the flour and mix until a soft dough is reached.
- Wrap & chill the pastry for 30 minutes.
- Once rested, grab a 12 pan deep cupcake /muffin tin and grease and flour all 12.
- On a floured work surface, roll out the pastry and cut out 12 x 14cm discs. You may need to reroll the trimmings to get all discs of pastry.
- Line each muffin tin and pop back into the fridge to rest for 20 minutes.
- Preheat your oven to 180C / 160C fan / 350F / Gas 4.
- Line the individual pastry cases with parchment paper and baking beans and blind bake for 10-12 minutes, remove the beans and return to the oven for a further 8-10 minutes until lightly golden brown all over.
- Remove and allow to cool.
- For the meringue, place the egg whites in a clean dry bowl and whisk until soft and frothy (soft peak), add the cream of tartar and gradually add the caster sugar. Keep mixing until thick.
- To this add the icing sugar and cornflour and continue to whisk until thick and glossy.
- Place the meringue into a piping bag fitted with a large round nozzle.
- Spoon some cooled curd into the base of the tart shells and pipe the meringue on top.
- You can use a blow torch to colour the outside of the meringue or alternatively place in a hot oven set at 200C for a few seconds to colour.
- Tuck in & enjoy.
Top Tip: If you fancy mixing it up, make a delicious lime curd instead of lemon, it will have all ur family guessing!
