The lemon meringue tart is a fresh, elegant, and truly spectacular dessert, yet at the same time easy to prepare even at home. With its refined appearance and golden meringue on top, it looks like it came out of a pastry shop, but I assure you that the recipe is simple and within everyone’s reach. It is the perfect dessert for the beautiful season: it has a fresh and citrusy flavor, it’s light and doesn’t require long baking times, ideal when it’s hot and we don’t want to keep the oven on too long.
The base is a classic shortcrust pastry, which we blind bake for a few minutes, just enough to make it golden and crispy. The filling, on the other hand, is made with lemon curd, a soft, velvety, and very fragrant lemon cream, which is prepared in a few steps and gives the dessert that intense taste that captivates at the first bite.
To complete the tart, we prepare an Italian meringue, soft and stable, which does not need baking in the oven. Just gently pass it with a blowtorch to get that light and scenic browning that makes this cake a true spectacle for the eyes as well.
A recipe that combines simplicity and beauty, perfect for impressing guests or pampering yourself with a fresh and delicious homemade dessert.
Before moving on to the recipe, here are some other tempting ideas for summer and beyond
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 40 Minutes
- Portions: 10
- Cooking methods: Stovetop, Oven, Electric Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Energy 457.86 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 82.45 (g) of which sugars 64.88 (g)
- Proteins 8.62 (g)
- Fat 12.58 (g) of which saturated 7.59 (g)of which unsaturated 4.85 (g)
- Fibers 0.61 (g)
- Sodium 67.44 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 166 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 7/16 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 1/2 lemon zest (grated)
- 1 pinch baking powder
- 7 3/4 oz lemon juice
- 4 eggs
- 1 1/8 cup sugar
- 1/2 lemon zest (whole)
- 0.28 oz gelatin sheets
- 1/2 cup butter
- 5 1/4 oz egg whites
- A few drops lemon juice
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1/4 cup water
Tools
- 1 Thermometer
- 1 Tart Pan
- 1 Blowtorch
- 1 Mixer
- 1 Hand Whisk
Preparation
Let’s prepare the shortcrust pastry without resting time, easy and quick. We can knead it by hand, starting from a well of flour placed on the work surface. In the center, add the sugar, eggs, and other ingredients, leaving the soft butter at room temperature for last. Work everything with your hands until you obtain a smooth and compact dough.
If we prefer to be quicker, we can use the stand mixer: just put all the ingredients in the bowl, attach the paddle attachment, and mix at medium speed until the dough forms.
Roll out the shortcrust pastry on a slightly floured surface, or, for those less experienced, we can help ourselves with a floured sheet of parchment paper: this way it’ll be easier to transfer it into the pan. Place the pastry in the chosen tart pan, pressing it well into the edges.
Before baking, prick the bottom with a fork: this step is important to prevent the pastry from puffing up during baking. Bake in a preheated oven at 356°F (180°C) for about 15 minutes, or until the base is nicely golden.
Now let’s prepare the lemon curd, the soft and fragrant lemon cream that will make this tart irresistible. First, soak the gelatin sheets in a small bowl with cold water and let them rest while we prepare the rest.
In a saucepan, pour the lemon juice, sugar, and eggs. Mix well with a hand whisk to combine everything, then add the grated lemon zest and place on medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until the cream reaches about 176°F (80°C) or until it starts to thicken slightly.
At this point, remove the saucepan from the heat, add the well-squeezed gelatin, and mix. Using an immersion blender, blend the cream adding the butter in pieces, a little at a time, until a smooth and velvety consistency is obtained.
Pour the lemon curd onto the already baked pastry base and level it well with a spatula. Let it rest in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, so the cream sets perfectly.
Finally, let’s prepare the Italian meringue. In a saucepan, combine the sugar with the water and place over medium heat. Let it cook until the syrup reaches 250°F (121°C).
In the meantime, place the egg whites in the mixer bowl along with a few drops of lemon juice, which will help the meringue whip well. Attach the whisk attachment and as soon as the sugar syrup is ready, start the mixer at maximum speed and pour the syrup in a thin stream, being careful not to pour it directly onto the whisk.
Let it whip for a few minutes, until the meringue becomes shiny, stable, and compact. At this point, transfer it into a piping bag with a round smooth nozzle and decorate the surface of the tart with many tufts, until fully covered.
And now comes the most fun part: browning the meringue with the blowtorch! If you’ve never used it, don’t worry: just start with a medium flame and approach the meringue slowly. Move your hand steadily without lingering too long on the same spot, because the transition from bright white to golden happens in a flash!
You can decide how much to color it, based on your preference.
And here is our lemon meringue tart ready!
NOTES
If you don’t have a stand mixer, no problem! To whip the egg whites for the meringue, you can easily use an electric whisk. However, I don’t recommend doing it by hand, as it would be really difficult to achieve a shiny and stable meringue as needed for this recipe.
Even if you don’t have a kitchen thermometer, you can prepare the lemon curd and meringue syrup with a little attention. For the lemon cream, just cook it, stirring constantly, and turn off the heat as soon as it starts to thicken slightly: you’ll notice it’s ready because the texture becomes creamier and more enveloping.
For the sugar syrup of the meringue, the right moment to turn off the heat is when the sugar becomes transparent and starts to form small bubbles along the edges of the saucepan. At that point, you can pour it in a thin stream over the whipped egg whites.
With these small precautions, even without professional tools, you can achieve a beautiful dessert to look at and delicious to taste.
If you enjoyed the recipe or have questions, feel free to comment here or on social media Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram and X.
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
Can I prepare the shortcrust pastry in advance?
Yes, you can prepare it even the day before and store it in the fridge wrapped in plastic wrap. Bring it to temperature before using it.
If I don’t have a stand mixer, how do I whip the egg whites?
You can use an electric whisk. I don’t recommend doing it by hand, as it’s very difficult to achieve a firm and shiny meringue.
