Makes 6
Ingredients:
- 500g Staffords lemon curd
For the tart shells:
- 250g flour
- 30g ground almonds
- 80g icing sugar
- 1 pinch sea salt
- 125g butter, cold
- 1 egg yolk
For the Italian meringue:
- 200g / 1 cup sugar
- 125ml / ½ cup water
- 4 large egg whites
- ½ tsp cream of tartar
Method:
For the tart shells:
- In a large bowl whisk together the flour, ground almonds, icing sugar and salt.
- Cube the butter and rub into the dry ingredients using your fingertips until the mixture forms a wet sand like consistency. Add in the egg yolk and mix. Add a tsp or two of cold water to help bring everything together.
- Turn out onto a cool surface. Knead the pastry until it just combines into a smooth ball. Wrap it in cling film and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
- Grease 6 tartlet moulds. Roll out the dough to about 3-5mm and fill each tart case.
- Place the tart cases in the fridge to chill.
- Preheat the oven to 200˚C.
- Cover the base of the tartlets with baking paper and fill with a few baking beans or rice.
- Bake blind for 8 minutes then remove the paper and beans.
- Return pastry cases to the oven for another 5-7 minutes or until they are light golden-brown and completely dry. Set aside to cool.
- Once the tartlet shells have cooled- fill each shell with lemon curd
- Place in the fridge for the curd to chill and thicken.
For the Italian meringue:
- In a small saucepan, combine sugar and water. Over high heat cook until sugar syrup reaches 115°C.
- While the syrup is cooking, combine egg whites and cream of tartar in the bowl of a stand mixer.
- Whisk until soft peaks form.
- With the mixer on low speed slowly drizzle in the hot sugar syrup. Increase speed to high and whisk until stiff peaks have formed and the meringue has become glossy and thick.
- Just before serving- remove tartlets from the fridge and pipe the meringue on top of the curd. Using a blowtorch gently torch the meringue until golden brown and serve.