Pinterest has been teasing me with loads of recipes for tartlets - its the vibrant colours and delicate decoration that gets me! Lemon is one of my favourite flavours in desserts and the thought of toasted meringue on the top of these babies was enough to win me over.
I had a little trouble with the pastry cases since the sides didn't hold up even when I chilled them in the fridge. To combat this issue, leaving about a centimetre of pastry to overhang the sides should allow for shrinkage.
These little desserts are just perfect to serve for an afternoon tea and they are quite quick to make (especially if you use Just Rol Shortcrsut pastry, and have enough tins to cook them all at once!)
Serves: Makes 12 tartlets
Preparation time: Under 40 minutes
Cooking time: Under 40 minutes
Ingredients:
Pastry
- 315g Plain flour
- 1 Teaspoon of salt
- 90g unsalted butter, chilled and cubed
- 150g vegetable shortening, chilled
- 120 ml Ice water
OR 2 blocks of Just Rol Shortcrust Pastry
Filling
- 4 large eggs
- 100ml double cream
-150g caster sugar
- 3 lemons, juice and zest
- Yellow food colouring (optional)
Swiss Meringue
- 4 egg whites
- 225g caster sugar
- 6 tbsp water
- Utensils: Sugar thermometre, electric whisk and blow torch
Method:
Pastry
1) Mix the flour and salt together in a large bowl, then add the cubed butter and vegetable shortening.
2) Using two forks, cut the butter and shortening into the mixture until it resembles pea-sized bits within the flour mix.
3) Measure 120 ml of water into a cup and then add ice to it. From this, measure 120 ml of water again (the ice would have melted). Then, drizzle the cold water into the flour and butter mixture, 1 tablespoon at a time. Ensure to stir with a wooden spoon after every tablespoon is added. It is important to not add any more water than you need to. Stop adding the water when the dough begins to form large clumps.
4) Transfer the pie dough onto a floured work surface. The dough should come together easily and shouldn't feel too sticky. Fold the dough into itself until the flour is fully incorporated into the fats. From this, form it into a ball. Next, divide the dough in half. Flatten each half into 1-inch thick discs.
5) Wrap each disc tightly in clingfilm and refrigerate. Ideally, this should rest for 2 hours.
6) Grease 12 tartlet tins (I used 10cm sized tins).
7) Roll out the pastry to a thickness of 5mm. Cut out circles with a cutter a few cm larger than your tart tins and use to line the tins, re-rolling the pastry as necessary. Place the tartlet cases in the fridge to chill.
TIP: Allow for a centimetre of overhang over the tins to allow for pastry shrinkage once in the oven.
8) Preheat the oven to 180C fan (200C / 400F / Gas 6)
9) Cover the base of the tartlets with baking parchment or foil and fill with baking beans.
10) Bake blind for 15-20 minutes or until the tarts are light golden brown. Set aside to cool while you make the filling. Turn the oven temperature down to 150C fan (170C / 325F / Gas 3).
TIP: If the sides have sunken down, use a teaspoon to push on the centre of the tart and the walls to add definition again.
Filling
11) For the filling, break the eggs into a large bowl and whisk together with a wire whisk. Add the rest of the filling ingredients and whisk again until they are well combined.
12) Pour the filling mixture into a jug. To prevent spilling as the tartlets go in the oven, place the tartlets into a shallow baking tray and carefully sit this slightly on the oven shelf. Pour the filling in to completely fill each tartlet. Gently push the tray into the oven and bake for 7-10 minutes.
TIP: Since the tarts are so small, every minute changes the consistency of the filling, therefore check on the tartlets every minute after the 7 minute marker. You are looking for them to be just set or with a slight wobble in the centre.
13) Leave to cool slightly then carefully ease the tartlets from their tins and place on a wire rack to cool.
Swiss Meringue Topping
14) Using an electric whisk, begin beating four egg whites until they form stiff peaks. They should stand up straight when the whisk is removed.
15) Make the sugar syrup by mixing the sugar and water in a non-stick saucepan over a medium heat. Dip a pastry brush in water and brush away any bits of sugar from the sides of the pan down into the syrup to melt, otherwise it will turn the sugar syrup grainy.
16) When all of the sugar is dissolved, bring to a fast boil until it reaches 120C / 250F.
17) As soon as the syrup reaches the correct temperature, pour it onto the egg whites in a then, steady stream as you whisk. Be careful not to pour the hot syrup directly onto the beaters, as it may stick to them or cause them to splash back at you.
18) When the syrup has been mixed, continue to whisk the meringue until it has cooled. It should be shiny and stiff. Allow to cool completely before using.
Decoration
19) Place the swiss meringue in a piping bag and create a ball the size of a 10p piece on top of the tartlet. Using a teaspoon, lightly drag it through the meringue ball to create a tail.
20) Carefully blow torch the meringue topping.
These tartlets can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 days.
Credit to: BBC Food (Meringue) and BBC Food (Lemon Tartlets)