Lemon Meringue Tart
Serving Size:12|Prep Time:1.5hours|Cook Time:30minutes
Directions
Crust
  1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
  2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle, work the sugar into the butter with the vanilla. Add the egg yolks, beat until light and incorporated into the butter.
  3. Add the flour and salt, and mix to form a soft dough.
  4. Roll the dough on a lightly floured surface, ¼-inch thick and 10 ½-inches in diameter. Lift the dough into a 10-inch tart pan with a removable bottom, press the dough into and up the sides of the pan. Trim any excess dough, wrap and freeze for another use (this dough makes great shortbread cookies).
  5. Line the shell with foil or parchment and fill with dried beans (or alternative). Blind bake the shell at 375°F for 7 minutes. Lift the parchment and beans out of the shell and return shell to the oven and bake for 3—5 minutes. The shell should be a very pale color with only slightly golden edges. Cool completely before filling.
Filling
  1. Add the juice, zest, sugar, cornstarch, salt and egg yolks together in a saucepan, whisk to combine.
  2. Heat the mixture over medium heat while stirring until it just comes to a boil. It will be very thick. Boil briefly to cook out the starch. Stir in the butter to melt, remove from the heat, cool completely, and set aside loosely covered with plastic wrap.
  3. Fill the baked and cooled tart shell.
  4. Cover and chill for several hours before topping with the meringue.
Meringue
  1. Combine the egg whites and cream of tartar in a mixing bowl. Beat with the whisk attachment on high speed, until foamy.
  2. Gradually add the sugar, beating until the mixture holds stiff peaks.
  3. Add the vanilla and whip for a moment to fully incorporate into the whites.
  4. Spoon the meringue atop the filling, bringing it all the way to the edge of the pan over the crust so the meringue browns rather than the crust.
  5. Place the pie on a baking sheet in the lowest part of the oven. Bake, attended, for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the meringue is nicely caramelized. Remove from the oven and cool on a rack until room temperature, then refrigerate for several hours.
Chef’s Narrative
Festive and deeply satisfying, this wintertime treat is hard to beat. The creamy meringue is a wonderful complement to the citrusy filling in this classic tart.
Recipe Substitutions
N/A
Ingredients
Shortbread Tart Dough
  • 3/4cupconfectioner’s sugarsifted
  • 14tablespoonsLulubelle’s™ Creamery butter,room temperature
  • 1/4teaspoonvanilla extract
  • 2egg yolks
  • 2 1/4cupsflour
  • pinchsalt
Lemon Filling
  • 1cupfresh lemon juiceabout 5 lemons
  • grated zest of 1 lemon
  • 1 1/2cupsgranulated sugar
  • 1/4cupcornstarch
  • pinchsalt
  • 5large eggsyolks separated, whites reserved
  • 1tablespoonbutter
Meringue
  • 5egg whitesreserved from egg yolks above
  • 1/2teaspooncream of tartar
  • 3/4cupsugar
  • 1/2teaspoonvanilla extract
AllergensMilk, Egg, Wheat