So, I had a lovely day today baking as usual. I know, it is like- when is this girl not baking? My house is a dietitians nightmare.
It was a rainy day and I made pastry yesterday for an order and had some leftover. So I said to myself, why not make some mini lemon meringue tarts? I wanted to make something I had never made before and that ended up being the tarts and the lemon curd! I know, I had never made lemon curd before today, I always used to buy this really good local stuff sold at the Market on Saturdays. But not anymore- I love making it! It fills the house with that lemony aroma and it is just blissful. Seriously- try it!
So first thing's first, preheat the oven to 170'C and leave to baking tray on the middle shelf to preheat as well. This will ensure that when you are baking your pastry, the heat from the tray will make sure that the bottom is crisp and golden brown.
Having a crispy bottom on tarts and pastry always reminds me of Paul Hollywood and Mary Berry and the way they are always saying a crispy bottom is essential and all that innuendo filled joy.
Anyway, that is another classic Ciara, long winded way of saying this is how I get my bottoms crispy. (My English teacher always did say I waffled too much)
The ingredients that you'll need are;
For the Pastry (SHORTCRUST):
- 225g Plain Flour
- 100g Unsalted Butter
- 25g Caster Sugar
- 1 Free Range Egg
Rub the butter into the flour and sugar until it resembles breadcrumbs and looks sandy. It doesn't matter if you still have a few lumps that are slightly bigger in size, I just think that gives it more character and then makes it look more homemade and like a lot of effort has been put in.
Add the egg and mix in with your hand. You want your hand to resemble the shape of a crane claw, like those ones in the machines where you have to grab the toy or something- you want that shape! Keep your hand stiff and rotate around, this will gradually mix in the egg without getting it all on your hand and none in the bowl.
Then when it gets a little more combined and less sticky, you can begin to knead it and bring it together to shape and form a smooth ball shape. Then flatten the ball you've just carefully shaped and form into an oval shape. This will help you when you are rolling it out- it'll be less inclined to crack and stretch. If it stretches too much, then it'll shrink when baking in the oven.
Chill this in the fridge for 40 minutes or until cool and firm to the touch.
Making the lemon curd:
I found this recipe on the BBC FOOD and it is very good I must say. I added more lemon although when I tasted it, it firstly didn't taste lemony enough, hence the extra lemon, and then not sweet enough. I know what you are all saying, if it wasn't sweet enough, why did I add the extra lemon? Well, I didn't think of that then and also wanted more lemon, as I love lemon.
You will need;
- 4 Lemons, with the zest and juice
- 200g Sugar
- 100g Butter
- 3 Eggs, plus 1 egg yolk
Okay, so what you want to do is zest the lemon and combine this with the lemon juice itself. Put the sugar and butter along with this into a glass bowl and stir over a pot of simmering water. After around 15 minutes this will begin to thicken and then become lighter and fluffier in colour and texture. Add the eggs, that have been whisked together, and whisk in until fully combined. Leave this to cook over the water for 15 minutes and stir every 5 minutes or so, to ensure it isn't burning or cooking too much.
Leave this to cool once thickened and glossy. Stir occasionally and then when completely cooled, put it into a sterilised jar and refrigerate.
To sterilise a jar you simply fill it halfway with warm water and a little soap. Put the lid on and shake like you would, were you making a cocktail. Once thoroughly shaken, but not stirred let it all pour out. Allow the soap to make it all soapy. Then rinse with warm water and dry with paper towels until bone dry. Pour in the curd and label.
Now for the next stage;
Roll out the pastry until the thickness of a 10 pence piece.
Do this on a floured surface. Cut out using a small glass or cutter with a plain rim. Get a small muffin tray and grease with melted butter and a dusting of flour. Put each round into one muffin tray section. Prick the base with the fork and then pop into the fridge to chill again.
Pop into the oven for 15 minutes until lightly browned and dry to the touch. They'll puff up slightly, but you can just take them out of the oven and pat them down. It all contributes to the homemade side of things.
Now you want to put a little lemon curd into each tart case and put into the fridge to chill and set a little more.
For the Italian Meringue;
In a bowl, put 3 egg whites into a bowl and whisk them until light and fluffy. They should be thicker and more stable in texture at this point.
Now for the sugar syrup, put
- 6 oz of sugar, this is 170g of sugar in a pot with
- A dribble of water
While wisking the eggs slowly, pour in the sugar syrup until fully combined. Whisk continuously and quickly until thick and glossy. You will know it is done when the the egg whites stand up on their own.
Filling the piping bag;
Using a spatula, scoop the meringue into the piping bag and snip the bottom of the piping bag to form a small round. This will pipe a plain meringue without any patterned sides.
Take the tarts out of the fridge and pipe a little of the meringue onto each one. This makes enough for
the tarts and a little pavlova as well, or a large tart.
Once these are all piped, pop under the grill on a high heat until browned on the top. Don't leave them in too long as they will burn quickly.
They're done and so very yummy!
Hope you enjoyed them!
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