Receta Lemon Meringue Tart
As you can see, this is one
gorgeous dessert. And it gave Andrew an
opportunity to use a 13 ¼ inch rectangular tart pan. But don’t put off it you lack one of this
size and dimension. John Barricelli’s
original recipe gives the green light to a 9 inch round tart pan with a
removable bottom. You may remember Chef
Barricelli’s most recent appearance here as the author the Coconuttiest Cake of
all time. Here he has re-invented
traditional lemon meringue pie. Instead
of using lemon-flavored pastry cream, he has created a filling that’s richer
and even tangier—it’s lemon curd. This
means a much more intense lemon experience.
And John gives the credit for the curd to none other than Martha Stewart
with whom he worked for several years, appearing as her pastry maven on
TV. Martha’s curd is distinguished by
its use of fresh-squeezed lemon juice to which butter is added at the very end
of the cooking process. This is another
instance where you need to bake in some time, pardon the pun, for chilling the
Pâte Brisée for an hour. Then, once the
crust is in the tart pan, it needs another half hour firming up in the
refrigerator. Finally, the glorious meringue was browned using our in-kitchen
blowtorch. The original recipe said to run it under the broiler for a minute or
two which I how I transcribed the recipe here.
Here’s the recipe:
John Barricelli’s Lemon Meringue Tart from The SoNo Baking Company
Cookbook (Clarkson Potter 2010)
First make the Pâte Brisée:
The pastry for this recipe needs to rest in
the refrigerator a minimum of an hour.
So add that timing to this recipe. Once that’s been done, the Tart
comes together quickly. First make the pastry, a pâte brisée. This recipe makes enough for one double crust
pie of two single crust pies. Make the whole recipe and you can freeze the second crust for up to a
month. And this crust can be used in
both sweet and savory incarnations. The
trick here is make sure all your ingredients—wet and dry—are cold. And not just the ingredients…you should chill
the bowl and blade of your food processor or the bowl and attachment of your
standing mixer.
2 1⁄4 cups
all-purpose flour
1 cup (2
sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, sugar and salt.
Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs, about 10
seconds.
2. With the machine running, add the ice water through the feed tube in a
slow, steady stream until the dough just comes together. The dough should not
be wet or sticky. If the dough is too dry and doesn’t hold together, add a
little more water.
3. Turn the dough out onto a clean work surface. Divide in two and wrap
each half in plastic wrap, shaping them into flattened disks. Chill at least 1
hour before using.
- 1 tsp. powdered unflavored gelatin
- ½ cup of freshly squeezed lemon
- juice
- ½ cup (1 stick) cold unsalted
- butter, cut into ½ inch cubes.
- Pinch of coarse salt
- 1. In a small bowl, sprinkle the cold
- water over the gelatin. Set aside. In a medium saucepan, combine the egg yolks,
- lemon zest, lemon juice, sugar and salt and whisk to combine. Set over medium heat and cook, stirring
constantly until the mixture has thickened enough to coat the back of a wooden
spoon, about 5 minutes. Do not boil.
Whisk in the gelatin.
2. Strain the curd through a fine
sieve into the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat until cool about 5 minutes. Beat in the
butter a little at a time, until smooth.
Strain through a fine sieve into a bowl.
3. Cover with plastic wrap,
pressing it directly onto the surface of the curd to prevent a skin from
forming. Refrigerate until chilled, at
least 1 hour.
4. On a lightly floured surface, roll
the dough into a 7 by 17 inch rectangle, about 1/8 inch thick.
5. Fit the dough into a 4 x 13 ¼ inch fluted
rectangular tart pan with a removable bottom, and trim the dough so that it
comes slightly above the rim of the tart pan. The press the excess dough
against the sharp edge of the rim of the pan with the heel of your hand to cut
it level with the pan. Chill until firm,
about 30 minutes.
6. Set the over rack in the bottom
third of the oven. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with
parchment paper or a nonstick silicone baking mat. Set aside. Place the chilled tart shell on the
prepared baking sheet and line it with parchment paper, leaving a 1 inch
overhang. Fill with pie weights.
7. Bake until the edges of the tart shell are
firm and are just beginning to turn golden, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the parchment paper and the pie
weights. Return the tart shell to the
oven and continue to bake until the surface is golden all over, about 10 more
minutes. Remove from the oven. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool.
8. Whisk (or beat in a standing mixer)
the lemon curd to loosen. Spread the
curd over the bottom of the cooled tart shell. Refrigerate.
9. Bring about 1 inch of water to a
simmer in the bottom of a double boiler. Combine the egg whites, sugar and alt
in the top of the double boiler, set it over, (not in) the simmering water and
whish to dissolve the sugar just until it melts, 1 to 2 minutes. (The mixture should feel just warm to the
touch and not gritty.)
10. Transfer to the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the
whisk attachment and beat on medium high speed until the meringue is glossy an
stiff peaks form when you lift the whisk.
11. Preheat the broiler and arrange an
oven rack 5 to 6 inches from the broiler element. Spread the meringue over the lemon curd.
12. Place the tart on a parchment-lined baking sheet and broil until the meringue is
nicely browed, 1 to two minutes. Serves 8.