Lemon tart
Description
Baking is simple and quick. I found this recipe on one of the American sites, liked it so much that I firmly decided to make it again. To be honest, it turned out on the second try, but I took all the nuances into account, adapted it to our kitchen, and ended up with an incredibly light and tasty lemon tart! You can make any base for the tart—cookies with butter or classic shortcrust pastry; I like shortcrust made with sour cream and leavening agent, it’s very soft and delicate. For the lemon cream you’ll need one large lemon. And for the meringue fresh chilled egg whites. Regarding the eggs, if the eggs are large, you need three; if they’re small, confidently use four. The same applies to the yolks for the cream. See the details in my recipe. It can be served with tea or coffee.
Instructions
- 1
Step 1
Prepare all the necessary ingredients right away. Set the oven to 180 degrees. Let's get started!
- 2
Step 2
First, let's make the pastry dough. Put 2 cups of flour (level, you can even use a tablespoon less), cold butter 100 g, a pinch of salt, and 3 Tbsp sugar into the food‑processor bowl. Run the processor for a couple of minutes on the maximum setting.
- 3
Step 3
Add sour cream to the resulting crumbs and run the processor for another minute.
- 4
Step 4
If the dough looks like it does in my photo, it’s ready; if the crumbs don’t come together well, add a tablespoon of cold water and run the processor for a few more seconds.
- 5
Step 5
Gather the finished dough into a ball, then roll it out a bit with a rolling pin. Place it into a removable pan (first line parchment paper only on the bottom), and shape the edges with your fingers.
- 6
Step 6
Line the dough with parchment paper, place some weight on it and bake for 20 minutes in the oven; the last 5 minutes should be baked without the weight. The base of the dough must be fully baked and ready. If necessary, increase the time by another 5 minutes.
- 7
Step 7
While the pie crust is baking, let's make the lemon filling. For this, take the zest from one large lemon, squeeze out as much juice as possible, and strain it.
- 8
Step 8
In a saucepan, combine sugar, flour, starch, and a pinch of salt.
- 9
Step 9
Pour in the lemon juice, water, add the zest. Stir.
- 10
Step 10
Place the pot on the heat, stirring constantly, and bring it to a boil. Do not let the cream sit for a minute; it will immediately form lumps. While whisking, bring the mixture to a thickened consistency.
- 11
Step 11
Add butter, stir.
- 12
Step 12
Thoroughly mix the yolks, pour them into the hot cream and whisk the mixture quickly. The tart filling is ready.
- 13
Step 13
In the meantime, the base of our tart is ready. Fill it with lemon cream. It is thick, so smooth it well with the back of a spoon.
- 14
Step 14
Now you need to make meringue for the tart. For this, place the egg whites in the mixer bowl and add a pinch of salt. If you doubt the freshness of the eggs, you can add a pinch of citric acid to stabilize the whites. Whisk the whites until a firm foam forms; it took me 7‑8 minutes.
- 15
Step 15
Add the sugar (or preferably powdered sugar) while the mixer is running. When the mixture becomes snow‑white and dense, turn off the mixer.
- 16
Step 16
Decorate the tart with meringue. You can do this in two ways: using a tablespoon, spread the meringue in a chaotic pattern. The second option: transfer the mixture into a bag and pipe it into roses or stars. Place the tart in a hot oven for 15 minutes. Keep an eye on it so the meringue doesn’t burn.
- 17
Step 17
Lemon tart is ready! Cool it a bit in the pan, then remove the ring and let the tart cool completely for at least 2 hours.
- 18
Step 18
Try it!
- 19
Step 19
Remove from the oven and serve warm or cooled.