Today I am making Lemon Tart with Meringue. Today I am using a blind baked tart shell. Blind baking is baking a pie crust or pastry without filling. I will add in lemon filling in it. Then decorate with Italian meringue. You remember? Before, we made French meringue a few times. But I am making Italian meringue for the first time in the video today.

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Lemon Tart with Meringue Recipe – Tarte au citron meringuée

For one tart pan of 7.5 inches in diameter
Prep time: 50 min
Cooking time: 20 min

Ingredients

For tart shell, follow either:

For the lemon filling:

1 tablespoon corn starch (15 g)
3 tablespoons water (45 ml)
3/4 cup granulated sugar (150 g)
2/3 stick unsalted butter (75 g)
½ cup lemons juice (of 2 to 3 juicy lemons, organic and washed), for juice (120 ml)
3 egg yolks and one whole egg
Pinch of salt

For Italian meringue:

3 egg whites
3 tablespoons water (45 ml)
3/4 cup granulated sugar (150 g)

Directions

For Lemon Filling:

First, with a grater, zest a lemon in a mixing bowl. Make sure you remove only yellow skin because white pith is bitter. Set aside.

With a knife, cut the lemons and juice them. Today I am using a glass reamer. Then, set aside.

In a mixing bowl of lemon zest, add in corn starch, sugar, and pinch of salt. Then, stir until combined.

Then, pour in water into a sauce pan and add in corn starch mixture. And whisk to combine. Over medium heat, cook it stirring constantly. Once the mixture bubbles, remove from the heat. And add in the butter and beat until melted. And pour in lemon juice and mix.

Now separate three eggs. Save the egg whites for meringue. Add the last egg in egg yolks and beat until mixed. Stir the egg mixture into the pan and return to a medium heat. Keep stirring rigorously for a few minutes, until the mixture thickens. Once again the mixture bubbles, remove from the heat. Scrape in a separate bowl and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Let it completely cool.

For Italian meringue:

I am using Kitchen Aid today. Add in sugar in a saucepan and water. Over low heat, melt the sugar completely.

Meanwhile beat the egg white until soft peaks at medium speed.

When the sugar mixture bubbles, put in a cooking thermometer.

Once it hits 248 C (120 F) quickly remove from the heat.

Reduce the machine to low speed and pour the cooked sugar into egg whites in a very thin stream.

Again at a medium speed, continue to whisk until the meringue is cold. It should be very stiff and smooth.

To assemble a lemon tart:

First, pipe in tart shell with lemon filling. Make sure it’s cooled enough. And make the surface even with a spoon.

Then, pipe in the Italian meringue with your choice of pastry tip.

Lemon tart pastry tips — Pastry tips I used for this recipe

With a blow torch, finish the top. Or put it in the oven preheated at 375 degrees F. (190 degrees C.) for 5 minutes. Meringue peaks should be golden brown.

Alternative way for lemon filling:

If you don’t like the corn starch or if you prefer strong flavour of citric acid (like French people do), skip the corn starch and water and use 4 whole eggs instead of 3 egg yolks and an egg. Make sure the lemon filling cooked until thickened and plop from the spoon and completely cool.

Lemon tart with meringue with sweet and delicate meringue top. Meringue is crisp (and brown part is very sticky if you used a blow torch especially) on the outside and soft and marshmallowy underneath.

Here you go…

Crumbly tart shell and light yellow lemon filling.. very lemony.

Bon appetit! Thank you for watching, bye!