| Lemon Meringue Tart from the Ritz Escoffier Paris |
| Lemon Meringue Tart from the Ritz Escoffier Paris Ingredients for the Sweet Short Pastry 1 cup flour ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar Pinch of salt ½ teaspoon vanilla 1 egg yolk 4 tablespoons butter Ingredients for the Lemon Filling 3 whole eggs 2 egg yolks (save the yolks for the meringue) 1 cup sugar Zest of 1 lemon ¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon lemon juice 5 ½ tablespoons butter cut into small cubes Ingredients for the Meringue 2/3 cup sugar cooked to 244° 2 egg whites Preparation For the Pastry, preheat the oven to 350°. Using the paddle attachment, blend the butter, sugar and salt on low speed until smooth and well mixed. Do not cream until light! Add the egg and vanilla. Mix until just absorbed. Add the flour and mix until just blended. Roll dough into ball and flatten into a disk. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or overnight. When ready to roll out dough, remove from the frig no more than 5 minute before you are ready to roll it out. Working on a marble slab or a lightly floured work surface, roll the dough out to a circle about 12 to 14 inches across, or about 1/8th of an inch thick. Place dough, carefully, in your tart pan and freeze until ready to use. If blind baking, line the tart pan with a piece of parchment or aluminum foil and fill with pie weights or beans. Bake on 325° for 15 to 20 minutes. Allow to cool before finishing with filling. Turn the oven up to 450° or get out your kitchen torch – this is the your chance to burn something! For the Filling, in a double boiler mix the eggs, egg yolks and sugar. Add the lemon zest and juice, stirring until the mixture thickens. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter. Pour lemon filling into the already baked tart shell. Place back in the oven for 2 to 3 more minutes and remove. For the Meringue, boil the sugar with ¼ cup water until it reaches 244°. While the sugar is cooking, beat the egg whites until they hold stiff peaks, but still shiny. If you start them both at the same time they should be ready at the same time. Pour the sugar slowly onto the beaten egg whites trying not to get it on the whisk as it could come back at you! When done, the meringue should be smooth and silky. Using a pastry bag fitted with a star tip, pipe the meringue over the top of the tart in a spiral, starting in the very center and working your way outward, or you can pipe little stars all over the top. Either way will look very nice. Dust with extra fine sugar (not powdered) and place back in the oven to brown slightly – or hit it with your kitchen torch being careful not to brown too much. Allow the tart to cool and serve cold garnished with a lemon fan. |
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