I first started with the sweet pastry crust.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 3/4 cups flour
1 egg
7 tbsp butter (softened)
pinch of salt
makes four-five mini tarts or one large tart
Mix together the sugar, flour and salt
Add the butter
Add the egg
I transferred the dough to a bowl and used my hands to thoroughly mix it until it became dough-like consistency.
Cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes
While the dough was in the refrigerator, I greased the tart tins with butter and preheated the oven to 410ºF
Flour the rolling pin and a flat surface and roll out the dough
Divide the dough and mold one section to a tart tin
Repeat this process with all tart tins
Cover with baking paper and pie-weights (in this case little sauce bowls) to prevent the crust from rising. Bake for 15-20 minutes
*I tried baking a few without pie-weights and decided to poke holes in the bottom, thinking that the crusts would not rise, this did not happen. A few of my crusts had inverted bottoms and they baked more quickly because I did not cover them with parchment paper or tin-foil. Lesson learned!
While the crusts were baking, I made the lemon cream filling.
Ingredients:
scant 1/2 cup sugar
1 stick butter
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 egg
1 egg yolk
**If you like a larger ratio of cream to crust, I would increase this recipe. This amount made just enough for four mini tarts, next time I am going to increase this recipe because I like more filling.
Combine all ingredients in a pot, bring the mixture to a boil while stirring vigorously
Remove mixture from stove and cool
By the time you are finished with the cream, the crusts should be finished. Remove the paper and weights and let the crusts cool
While the cream and crusts were cooling, I made the meringue (or attempted to).
Ingredients:
scant 1/2 cup egg whites (about 4 egg whites)
1/4 cup powered sugar
1/4 cup sugar
zest of 1 lime
Beat the egg whites. Gently add the two sugars. I highly recommend a hand mixer unless you have freakishly strong forearms.
**Here is where I went wrong. I needed to beat the the mixture longer because the meringue didn't rise fully while baking. Note to self - use an electric hand mixer or a kitchen aid!
Once the mixture is stiff, add in the lime zest
Spoon little balls of meringue on an oven tray and bake for two hours on 210ºF.
While the meringue was cooking, I spooned the lemon cream into the tart crusts.
(This picture is from my second attempt with this recipe. I made whip cream with heavy whipping cream rather than making the meringue.)
Once the meringue has cooled, garnish the tarts and serve!
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