These individual Meyer lemon tartlets contain four layers of lemon flavor, from the lemon thyme crust to the lemon meringue kiss.
This recipe was developed for the Flavor Forecast: Looking Back to Look Forward.
Ingredients
Tart Crust | Serves 6 tarts
- 2 cups Flour
- 1/2 cup Sugar
- 1 tbsp Lemon Thyme Leaves
- 1 tsp Meyer Lemon Zest
- 3/4 cup Butter, cold, cubed
- 1 each Egg Yolk
- 2 tbsps Limoncello Liqueur, cold
Meyer Lemon Curd | Serves 6 tarts
- 9 each Egg Yolk
- 2/3 cup Meyer Lemon Juice, fresh
- 1/4 cup Limoncello Liqueur
- 1 cup Sugar
- 3/4 cup Butter, cold, cubed
Limoncello Blackberries | Serves 6 tarts
- 2 cups Blackberries, halved
- 2 tbsps Powdered Sugar
- 2 tbsps Limoncello Liqueur
- 1 tsp Lemon Thyme Leaves
- 1 tsp Meyer Lemon Zest
Lemon Meringue | Serves 6 tarts
- 1 cup Sugar
- 1/2 cup Water
- 4 each Egg Whites
- 1/2 tsp McCormick Culinary ® Cream of Tartar
- 1/4 tsp McCormick Culinary ® Pure Lemon Extract
Procedure
Tart Crust
- In a food processor combine flour, sugar, lemon thyme, and zest. Pulse to combine. Add butter and process until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
- Add yolk and a small amount of Limoncello. Continue to process until dough forms a ball, adding more liqueur as needed. Wrap in plastic, forming into a disk. Refrigerate at least 1 hour.
- Set oven to 350°F. Dust work surface lightly with flour. Unwrap dough and roll to 1/8" thickness. Divide equally and press into 4" tart pans. Trim excess dough and dock bottom of shell.
- Bake tart shells until lightly browned, about 20 minutes. Cool and remove from tart pans. Store ambiently on a parchment lined sheet tray well wrapped in plastic.
Meyer Lemon Curd
- In a heavy bottomed saucepan over medium heat combine yolks, lemon juice, Limoncello, and sugar. Whisk constantly until curd is thickened.
- Remove from heat and whisk butter in one cube at a time. Place in storage container and cover surface with a piece of plastic wrap. Hold refrigerated at least 1 hour to set or until needed.
Limoncello Blackberries
- In a bowl combine blackberries, powdered sugar, Limoncello, and zest until berries are well coated. Hold refrigerated for service.
Lemon Meringue
- In a saucepan over high heat combine sugar and water. Cook until mixture reaches 240°F, using a wet pastry brush to prevent crystallization.
- In a stand mixer with the whisk attachment combine egg whites and cream of tartar. Beat whites to soft peaks.
- With mixer on medium speed, slowly drizzle hot sugar mixture into egg whites. Add lemon extract. Increase speed and beat until stiff and bowl is lukewarm. Transfer to pastry bag. Use immediately
Tart Build
- For each tart, fill tart shell with roughly 1/2 cup of curd. Pipe meringue onto curd enough to over 3/4 of surface. Toast one side of meringue with blowtorch.
- At service, fill remaining 1/4 of tart decoratively with 4-5 blackberries. Serve chilled.
Chef's Tip!
The lemon curd can be added to tart shells and held for up to 2 days. Meringue should be made fresh each day. Tarts can be topped with meringue just prior to service, but blackberries shouldn’t be placed on tarts until ready to serve to prevent bleeding.
