What is more classic than lemon meringue? Well we have about 4 or 5 mature citrus trees that put out more than 50 lemons each. So again I'm left with an abundance of lemons in this case. They are so full of juice, the sweetness and fresh taste of a ripened lemon is hard to surpass. We had another dinner party last night and it was a perfect time to make this classic tart. I actually ended up making two of them because the first one I made was a long rectangular tart and it is a little smaller than the regular tart molds. I had plenty of lemons and dough so I thought why not make two. I can tell you it was a good idea because the rectangular one was gone by the end of dinner and we have the big one left over for the weekend. I will give the recipe for one batch and if you want to make two just double the recipe.

For the crust

1 cup almond flour

1 3/4 cup flour

2 sticks of butter cold and diced

1 tsp of salt

1 tbsp of sugar

1/4 cup of ice water

For the filling

5 eggs plus 1 egg yolk

3/4 cup of heavy cream

1 1/4 cup of sugar

Zest from 3 lemons

1 cup plus 1 tbsp of fresh squeezed lemon juice

Swiss meringue

1/2 cup egg whites

1 cup of sugar

Preheat oven to 325 degrees

For the crust

Place flours,sugar, and salt into a food processor. Pulse a few times and then add the butter. Keep the processor running until butter has been incorporated. Then while the food processor is still on start pouring in the ice water until a smooth dough has formed. Take the dough and divide into two equal parts. Wrap in parchment paper and chill for 30 minutes. Then take out and roll the dough in between two pieces of parchment paper into a 1/4 inch thick. Then place dough into your tart mold and bake for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile make the filling

Place all the filling in a mixing bowl and place over a water bath. Stir softly until the mixture comes to 140 F. Then strain the mixture into the tart crust. Place the tart into the oven and bake for 25 to 30 minute or until it is firm with a little wiggle. Set aside and let it cool completely. Place in the refrigerator until ready to top with the meringue.

For the Meringue

In mixing bowl heat egg white and sugar over water bath until it reaches 160 F. Then immediately place in a stand mixer and whip for 5 minutes or until cool. Put the meringue in pastry bag and pipe in a consistent motion on top of the lemon tart. Then with a torch, brown the top of the meringue. Serve and enjoy the fresh taste of lemons!

Again I doubled the filling recipe and meringue and made two different Tart shapes. Here are the two.

Lemon Meringue Tart