Mini lemon meringue pie or mini citron meringuée, the lemon meringue tart in a single-portion version. The Lemon meringue tart or lemon curd tart or also tarte au citron meringuée is a delicate and delicious lemon dessert, made of a shortcrust pastry base (pasta frolla), a lemon curd filling and an Italian meringue finish — a combination that gives us a very delicate and chic lemon dessert, especially when served in elegant single-portion molds.
I personally adore lemon desserts; they’re my passion. Among my favorites are lemon cheesecake with phyllo or no-bake lemon tart, but also lemon crinkle cookies and anything that carries their wonderful fresh scent.
The American lemon meringue pie is a U.S. dessert created in Philadelphia by Elizabeth Coane, a pastry chef of Jewish origin. It is also famous in England, where some still try to claim its origin. On our blog we’ve already made it in a large version. The pie with lemon cream and an Italian meringue topping is really an American dessert, traditionally made on August 15th — creamy, enveloping, fresh to the palate with the tangy notes typical of lemon curd, the cream that fills this tart and reminds many of the famous vintage pies like apple pie.
Today we’ll prepare the lemon meringue tart in handy and elegant single servings. Ready to make them too? Follow me in the kitchen, but before we roll up our sleeves, if you want to stay updated on all my recipes you can follow my Facebook page (here) and my Instagram profile (here).
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- Difficulty: Medium
- Cost: Budget
- Rest time: 20 Hours
- Portions: 8
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients for single-portion lemon meringue pies
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (00 flour)
- 10 1/2 tbsp butter
- 6 2/3 tbsp powdered sugar
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 eggs (medium)
- 7 tbsp butter
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 2 3/4 tbsp water (or half water and half orange juice)
- 2 1/2 tbsp cornstarch (maizena)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 large egg whites egg whites (about 70 g)
- 10 tbsp granulated sugar (about 125 g)
- 1 3/4 tbsp water (about 25 g)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Tools
- Rings for tart
- Thermometers
- Pot
- Stove
- Oven
- Rolling pin guides wooden thickness guides for rolling dough
- Whisk
- Mixing bowl
- Blowtorch
- ceramic pie weights
- Cupcake liners
How to make mini lemon meringue pies
To prepare this shortcrust pastry the butter must be cold.
After weighing all ingredients, put the flour on the work surface, make a well and add the butter.
Work everything with your hands until you obtain a crumbly mixture, remake the well and add the sugar, the yolk and the vanilla extract. First work the yolk with the sugar to dissolve it, then knead everything together until you obtain a smooth and homogeneous dough.
If the dough has warmed up too much, place it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes, otherwise 10–20 minutes will be enough.
In a small saucepan with a strictly heavy bottom, beat the eggs with the sugar, pour in the lemon juice mixed with water and orange juice to soften the acidity. Add the cornstarch and stir well to avoid lumps.
Place over the burner and cook over moderate heat, stirring continuously and quickly without stopping until the cream has thickened, but turn off the heat before it reaches a vigorous boil, otherwise it will curdle. Immediately add the cold butter and blend it in.
Transfer the mixture to a glass bowl and let it cool completely, covered with plastic wrap. Place in the fridge for at least half an hour.
When completely cold, blend for a few seconds with an immersion blender; the cream will become bright and velvety.
If you don’t have a heavy-bottomed pot, cook the cream in a bain-marie to avoid curdling the eggs.
Start by bringing the water and sugar to a boil over low heat; you should reach 121°C (about 250°F). Alternatively, if you don’t have a thermometer, once it starts boiling continue cooking for 3–4 minutes, but remember that a temperature of 121°C will guarantee a stable meringue even for more than a day.
In the end you should obtain a clear syrup with very little foam.
A couple of minutes before the sugar is ready, pour the room-temperature egg whites into the mixer bowl and as soon as they begin to turn white and foamy, slowly pour the still-boiling syrup along the sides of the bowl (this avoids splashes and lumps).
When you finish pouring the syrup, let the mixer run for a few more minutes and, if needed, add the flavorings; the mixture will cool while it whips and will change consistency. It will be ready when it becomes glossy, full-bodied and has reached room temperature.
Take the pastry back, work it a little to make it elastic again, then with the help of a rolling pin and the thickness guides, roll a sheet about 3–4 mm thick. Cut out discs using the rings and also trim strips.
Using the same rings, form the shortcrust bases by placing the discs at the bottom and the strips on the edges. Refrigerate for 1 hour and then prick the bottom with the tines of a fork.
Place on each tart a paper liner and fill it with ceramic baking beads or chickpeas. Bake in a hot oven, conventional mode, at 356°F for 20–25 minutes or until lightly golden. Then remove from the oven, take out the beads and let cool. Be careful when handling the bases, especially while hot, as they are very fragile and delicate.
Fill the bases with the lemon curd and level them by gently shaking.
Fill a piping bag with the meringue and, using the tip you prefer, pipe it onto each tart creating many little rosettes.
With a blowtorch, torch the meringue until the sugar caramelizes, decorate the tart with lemon slices and serve cold.
Storage and tips
Mini lemon meringue pies keep in the refrigerator up to three days, well covered in a cake container.
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