daring bakers: lemon meringue tartelettes
Recipe: lemon meringue pie
Feeling puckery lately? If you’ve been cruising the food blogs, then most likely you’ve run across one or two or four hundred Daring Bakers brandishing their lovely Lemon Meringue Pies.
that’s right kids, we knead to bake
Jen of The Canadian Baker hosted the challenge this month and it was down to the wire for me this time. I started my treatment on Thursday and thought I’d recover with enough time to do the challenge yesterday but… things don’t always go as planned when your body gets pumped full of poison! However, I didn’t want to abandon my fellow DBers, so I managed to make a handful of tartelettes. Forgive me for the lack of detail I usually devote to my DB challenges. She’ll be right next time.
mixing the dough
stirring lemony goodness into the curd
You can see I opted for tartelettes instead of the whole pie. I just love individual servings. When baking the tartelette crusts, I placed a second mold on top of each crust to hold its shape. I baked mine for 25 minutes and then removed the tops and baked the crusts uncovered for another 3 minutes to help it brown out. This worked very well, but makes a few dozen since they are so small. Once the shells were cooled, I spooned in lemon curd and topped with meringue.
a little topper over the curd
neat it up
Rather than bother with the oven again, I used my trusty propane torch to finish the tops… because I like any reason to use my propane torch *sheepish grin*. My treatment has jacked up my sense of taste, so I had to ask my official taste tester for the verdict. Jeremy gave it a big thumbs up! Thanks to Jen for the challenge and be sure to check out the rest of the fine DBer creations.
torch it
dig in
Lemon Meringue Pie
[print recipe]
Makes one 10-inch (25 cm) pie
crust:
3/4 cup (180 mL) cold butter; cut into ½-inch (1.2 cm) pieces
2 cups (475 mL) all-purpose flour
1/4 cup (60 mL) granulated sugar
1/4 tsp (1.2 mL) salt
1/3 cup (80 mL) ice water
filling:
2 cups (475 mL) water
1 cup (240 mL) granulated sugar
1/2 cup (120 mL) cornstarch
5 egg yolks, beaten
1/4 cup (60 mL) butter
3/4 cup (180 mL) fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp (15 mL) lemon zest
1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla extract
meringue:
5 egg whites, room temperature
1/2 tsp (2.5 mL) cream of tartar
1/4 tsp (1.2 mL) salt
1/2 tsp (2.5 mL) vanilla extract
3/4 cup (180 mL) granulated sugar
For the Crust: Make sure all ingredients are as cold as possible. Using a food processor or pastry cutter and a large bowl, combine the butter, flour, sugar and salt. Process or cut in until the mixture resembles coarse meal and begins to clump together. Sprinkle with water, let rest 30 seconds and then either process very briefly or cut in with about 15 strokes of the pastry cutter, just until the dough begins to stick together and come away from the sides of the bowl. Turn onto a lightly floured work surface and press together to form a disk. Wrap in plastic and chill for at least 20 minutes. Allow the dough to warm slightly to room temperature if it is too hard to roll. On a lightly floured board (or countertop) roll the disk to a thickness of 1/8 inch (.3 cm). Cut a circle about 2 inches (5 cm) larger than the pie plate and transfer the pastry into the plate by folding it in half or by rolling it onto the rolling pin. Turn the pastry under, leaving an edge that hangs over the plate about 1/2 inch (1.2 cm). Flute decoratively. Chill for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Line the crust with foil and fill with metal pie weights or dried beans. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Carefully remove the foil and continue baking for 10 to 15 minutes, until golden. Cool completely before filling.
For the Filling: Bring the water to a boil in a large, heavy saucepan. Remove from the heat and let rest 5 minutes. Whisk the sugar and cornstarch together. Add the mixture gradually to the hot water, whisking until completely incorporated. Return to the heat and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly until the mixture comes to a boil. The mixture will be very thick. Add about 1 cup (240 mL) of the hot mixture to the beaten egg yolks, whisking until smooth. Whisking vigorously, add the warmed yolks to the pot and continue cooking, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil. Remove from the heat and stir in butter until incorporated. Add the lemon juice, zest and vanilla, stirring until combined. Pour into the prepared crust. Cover with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming on the surface, and cool to room temperature.
For the Meringue: Preheat the oven to 375ºF (190ºC). Using an electric mixer beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar, salt and vanilla extract until soft peaks form. Add the sugar gradually, beating until it forms stiff, glossy peaks. Pile onto the cooled pie, bringing the meringue all the way over to the edge of the crust to seal it completely. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden. Cool on a rack. Serve within 6 hours to avoid a soggy crust.
January 28th, 2008 at 5:39 am
You still managed some beautiful pictures Jen! And what super cute little tartlets!
January 28th, 2008 at 6:11 am
*GOSH* those look amazing!!! Big smile your way for finding a reason to use your blow torch ;) Do you feel the egg whites got cooked all the way with a torch? I may try the tart form next time!
January 28th, 2008 at 6:19 am
Jen, these look so great! I love the picture of the tartlette pans because now i have a better idea of how to go about this for next time. Your minis look amazing! Great photos as always! Treatment?…Hope you recover quickly.
January 28th, 2008 at 7:40 am
Rather than bother with the oven again, I used my trusty propane torch to finish the tops… because I like any reason to use my propane torch…
Oh, don’t we all? :D
That looks gorgeous. It becomes a little disingenuous to comment on all my friends’ lemon tarts, but I can’t say they don’t have a unique touch to each of them. Your meringue in particular looks so thick and rich (not spongy like my amateur self would have no doubt made). It was wise of you to make tartlets instead of a big pie– I see the filling still wants to ooze out :)
January 28th, 2008 at 7:48 am
Your photos are lovely. The tart shells specially, you did a great job. I used a blow torch also and loved it.
January 28th, 2008 at 8:17 am
Absolutely lovely! Love the photo series and now after seeing these I am craving for some all over again!
January 28th, 2008 at 9:22 am
Those little tarts are just darling! And propane torching sounds like so much wicked fun.
January 28th, 2008 at 9:29 am
Love your photos!!! Your dainty little pies look delish.
January 28th, 2008 at 9:36 am
Those petite tarts are adorable!
January 28th, 2008 at 10:14 am
Really lovely little pies! And your pastry looks perfect!
January 28th, 2008 at 10:26 am
I’m glad your treatment didn’t keep you from the challenge this month. Gorgeous, as always!
January 28th, 2008 at 10:42 am
Your idea to top the crusts with another tart pan is genius!! Your tarts look wonderful!
January 28th, 2008 at 11:01 am
I hesitate to use the words *undying* and *love* here but I feel it is true for me. Lemon curd is one of life’s great gifts to me and yours is kicking my ass at the moment :) How I’d like to have such nice tartlette molds and a torch!
January 28th, 2008 at 11:07 am
I loved the way you have doen the step by step pictures
It looks so delicious
January 28th, 2008 at 11:41 am
Just as I expected, your tartelettes look heavenly! The pictures are so clear that I feel I could stick my fork through the screen and grab a bite! Great job!
January 28th, 2008 at 11:50 am
Oh looks so incredible….. Lovely…. Beautiful….. so Adorable!
January 28th, 2008 at 11:59 am
Beautiful, as expected. Hang in there!
January 28th, 2008 at 12:24 pm
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January 28th, 2008 at 12:44 pm
Very cute!
Hope you feel better!
January 28th, 2008 at 12:59 pm
Jen- Do you know You Rock?!
I can’t believe you even feel like making tarts (and they’re gorgeous to boot!) feeling the way you are feeling. AND I can’t believe you apologize for lack of detail when your post is more complete and lovely than most!
Take care of yourself!
xxoo
January 28th, 2008 at 1:21 pm
Beautiful!
January 28th, 2008 at 1:27 pm
Yum! How can you go wrong with lemon? I wish I had a blowtorch for my meringue!
January 28th, 2008 at 1:38 pm
beautiful tarts jen. look afterself though!
January 28th, 2008 at 2:14 pm
Gorgeous pie! And stunning pictures too!
January 28th, 2008 at 2:27 pm
Great job!!! :)
January 28th, 2008 at 3:18 pm
Ok, after seeing your adorable tarts and mini tart pans, I now have to acquire some of those little pans! Your tarts look wonderful, and yes, I would totally go for the blow torch treatment! :-)
January 28th, 2008 at 3:47 pm
Very nice!
January 28th, 2008 at 5:01 pm
Looking good. Luckily you have a taster that will eat what you make. :) Glad to see I wasn’t the only one breaking out the torch.
January 28th, 2008 at 6:51 pm
You rock, Jen. :)
Simply beautiful and elegant tarts.. bakery window worthy, IMHO.
xoxo
January 28th, 2008 at 6:55 pm
They look so nice. I went the mini way also :)
January 28th, 2008 at 7:00 pm
Beautiful. Just beautiful! Your pictures are amazing! And that little tart is so cute!
January 28th, 2008 at 7:11 pm
Great looking lemon meringue tart. The torched meringue looks amazing.
January 28th, 2008 at 7:50 pm
your mini LM tartlettes are stunning, jen! so cute and creative! great job on the challenge
January 28th, 2008 at 8:44 pm
Your little tarts are just gorgeous! I’m a big fan of the kitchen torch!
I hope you feel better soon!
January 28th, 2008 at 8:48 pm
Wow! Your tarts looks sensational! Oohey gooey goodness mmm. Well done!
January 28th, 2008 at 9:23 pm
very cute indeed ! good idea when making mini tarts to use another mold to set on top of the dough when baking the crust.
January 29th, 2008 at 2:01 am
I can only say … whow! I love this ones!
January 29th, 2008 at 3:46 am
I like the idea of torching them. I often wonder why I bought a torch for years ago. I must try again. REally well don on your tartlets
January 29th, 2008 at 4:08 am
Fabulous photos and perfect tarts.
January 29th, 2008 at 7:22 am
They look cute, and you have a great eye for the photos too.
January 29th, 2008 at 7:26 am
wow!! these tartlettes look fantastic!!! Good job girl!!!
January 29th, 2008 at 8:09 am
So cute! And your crust looks beautiful.
January 29th, 2008 at 9:00 am
Your tartlets look ever so neat and pretty! Wonderful!
Cheers,
Rosa
January 29th, 2008 at 10:59 am
Those look wonderful – so plump and golden!
January 29th, 2008 at 10:59 am
Jennifer these are really beautiful!! Your idea to nest another tin in the crust is genius!!
They are beautiful. I really enjoyed the meringue and lemon together.
January 29th, 2008 at 11:10 am
Those tartlets rock! I can’t wait to try them out instead of the giant pie.
January 29th, 2008 at 12:33 pm
Your pictures are AMAZING!!! congratulations on such beautiful little tartlets, they just look like a piece of heaven, and well they also look very much like flaming meringue because of the torch treatment, oh I wish I had a torch.. it just looks like lots of fun!!
well done!
January 29th, 2008 at 12:38 pm
oh they look lovely! i have never tried my luck with a blowtorch for meringues, but it seems like a good idea. makes them look a bit rougher and tastier. looking at yours, i wish i could eat them all over again and i only had one this morning ;-)
January 29th, 2008 at 12:44 pm
So pretty! I love your little pans!
January 29th, 2008 at 12:54 pm
Seriously, I wanted to bite my monitor. I made the recipe but it didn’t look this good when I was making it.
Looking great… good job.
Iisha
January 29th, 2008 at 3:19 pm
I’m totally with you on the propane torch thing, any excuse to use it… I love the idea of doing tartlets, I’m going to have to do that next time I try the recipe.
January 29th, 2008 at 4:21 pm
Beautiful tartlets and pics! Glad to find another blowtorch lover:), I always resist the urge to laugh maniacally when I pull mine out!
January 29th, 2008 at 5:14 pm
Beautiful, from start to finish! I always love your photos!
January 29th, 2008 at 7:54 pm
Darling little tart! Playing with torches is the best part!
January 29th, 2008 at 8:27 pm
oooh! I didn’t even think to use my lil’ molds. Yours look amazing!
January 29th, 2008 at 9:14 pm
I love the tip of putting another little tart pan on the crust. They look beautiful! Great job!
January 29th, 2008 at 10:17 pm
Lip smacking job as always! You have been on my mind a lot lately and I wish you the best.
January 29th, 2008 at 10:57 pm
You are my hero! You are feeling how you are and you still manage to pull off some of the best tarts I have seen. They are perfect!
January 30th, 2008 at 10:14 am
Your tarts are adorable and the meringue looks wonderful! To the next challenge we go…
January 30th, 2008 at 10:24 am
Your tartlets look so perfect. Love the photos!
January 30th, 2008 at 3:18 pm
Sorry to hear about you being poorly. The tarts do look wonderful, and I like how the torched mini-tart meringue is peaked and swirling like little meringuey flames.
January 30th, 2008 at 3:40 pm
I think I have tart mold envy. Those are cute! Hope you are feeling well.
January 30th, 2008 at 5:06 pm
Oh I love to see what you make each time – I hold my breath when I click on your blog – yummy! Thankfully I had a Lemon Meringue pie in fridge when I saw this post.
I shall have to try this recipe soon!
I gave you an award! – Check out my blog to see what it is. Keep up cooking!
January 31st, 2008 at 8:07 am
look at how cute those are!!!! question — do you use pie weights when you’re using mini-tart shells?
January 31st, 2008 at 10:19 am
Oh thats so lovely. Using a torch is great idea. I don’t have torch yet, but I think I am gonnu buy it soon :).
January 31st, 2008 at 11:14 am
I would not have thought of a torch!
January 31st, 2008 at 11:35 am
Those have to be the most gorgeous tarts I’ve seen! Really, really beautiful!
January 31st, 2008 at 11:44 am
Dont you love those mini pans. I have to get a torch so next time mine will be as beautiful as yours.
January 31st, 2008 at 2:20 pm
They look fabulous! That was such a good idea using a 2nd tart pan instead of lining with foil! I wish I’d thought of it. Well, it’s definitely a tip I’ll be filing away to use in the future!
January 31st, 2008 at 2:28 pm
Well done! Those little tart pans look perfect for this recipe! Great photos.
January 31st, 2008 at 2:28 pm
I love your tart tins. I was given a blow torch for Christmas, but I haven’t been let lose with it yet. Once I get some gas I’m going to go wild and caramalise everything!
January 31st, 2008 at 2:47 pm
WOW! You did an awesome job, I am jealous! Mostly jealous because I wasn’t there and someone else got to eat them :-(
January 31st, 2008 at 3:12 pm
You did a great job! Your tartelettes are lovely.
January 31st, 2008 at 4:43 pm
Just beautiful tarts! I love the small size…makes it not feel as bad for you to eat!
January 31st, 2008 at 4:45 pm
Lovely little lemon meringues! They look truly fabulous! How scrumptious!
January 31st, 2008 at 5:59 pm
Your tarts look just perfect. I want to pop one in my mouth and chow down right now!
January 31st, 2008 at 9:40 pm
Hi Jen, your tarlets look so cute and delicious. Like the spiky design on it. I bet u had fun with your blowtorch ;-)
January 31st, 2008 at 10:06 pm
Perfect pies,perfect pictures,perfect post!!! WOW!!! Love the ease with which you seem to have tied it all together!!
January 31st, 2008 at 11:03 pm
Thanks everyone for the comments and the well-wishes! Our awesome fooding community makes every effort worth it because folks are so enthusiastic and wonderful :) xxoo
Lewis – you know, that’s a very good point. I don’t think the torch cooks it through all the way. I typically use a swiss meringue recipe where the whites are cooked over a bath to a certain temp… I didn’t even think of it this time (luckily – Jeremy didn’t get sick!)
Manggy – yup, it was oozing. I couldn’t wait for it to cool down because I was ready to pass out :)
Christine – they are actually largish petits fours molds! :) I guess I am just a stupid shopper – ha ha. Seems to work for extra small tarts or fat petits fours.
Gabi – you are so sweet. xxoo
Peabody – I’ll bet your pup would eat your lemon meringue tarts!
Tartelette – thanks love, you are the best :)
Shell – you are too kind! xxoo
katy – nope, I just press one mold on top of the crust and then bake. Since they are so small, they don’t get too unwieldy.
January 31st, 2008 at 11:23 pm
adorable! love that big poof of meringue!
February 1st, 2008 at 3:34 am
Awesome little tartelettes! I can see why you chose these, the crust is in great shape here. Gorgeous job.
Like to wish you strength with the treatments. I know one day can be so different from the next.. Take care!
February 1st, 2008 at 4:56 pm
Oh how lovely those little tarts look!
February 1st, 2008 at 11:19 pm
Wow, you’re clearly very skilled! I can identify with your cooking philosophy and your posts in general are inspirational.:)
February 2nd, 2008 at 7:34 pm
This is my first visit to your blog – it looks great! Beautiful post. :0)
February 4th, 2008 at 2:08 pm
Thanks guys!
February 9th, 2008 at 4:43 pm
Looks amazing! I was also down to the wire, but I didn’t have quite as good an excuse. Your tartlets came out adorably, and even if you couldn’t tell, I’m sure they tasted wonderful.
February 10th, 2008 at 7:29 pm
Great job with January’s challenge… under extraordinary conditions. I wish you strength and peace in the days ahead.
February 11th, 2008 at 12:37 pm
Aoife and Dolores – thanks, both of you. xxoo
May 28th, 2008 at 4:21 pm
[…] thought you guys blew me away with last month’s Cheesecake Pops, or even January’s Lemon Meringue Pie (because we all know I couldn’t make a lemon meringue pie quite as well). But now…these […]
August 21st, 2010 at 2:41 pm
Does the mL stand for milliliters? Because some of the ingredients would be better converted to grams instead. But mL and grams are the same, right?
August 23rd, 2010 at 12:53 pm
Ana – yup.
February 1st, 2011 at 9:21 am
my parents are coming for a visit this weekend and i am going to make this recipe as a pie. (if only i had those cute little tartelette tins too!) it was my mom’s birthday yesterday and lemon meringue is her favorite. thanks, jen!
November 24th, 2011 at 7:54 pm
Made this as my Thanksgiving bring this year. Your recipes never fail! This was fantastic, and all who tasted it, loved it.
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