Recipe created & provided by Chef Crusco Catering in Austin, Texas
Ingredients (For a 9-10 inch Tart)
- Tart Dough Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups flour – sifted
- 1 tsp. of sugar and a pinch of salt
- 1 lemon – just the zest
- ½ cup of cold unsalted butter – cut up into small squares
- 4-8 tablespoons of cold ice water
- Lemon Curd Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup crème fraiche
- 2 large eggs
- 3 large egg yolks
- 3/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1.5 tsp. Lemon zest
- Swiss Meringue Ingredients
- 4 large egg whites
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¼ tsp. Cream of Tartar
Directions
- Prepare Chef Crusco’s Tart Dough & Lemon Curd filling
- Prepare the Swiss Meringue. In a large bowl (from the standing mixture), whisk the egg whites, sugar and cream of tartar until thoroughly mixed. Then set the bowl over a sauce pot filled with lightly simmering water over med-low heat (you want to make sure that the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water).
- Whisk everything until the sugar is dissolved (about 2-3 minutes). Using an instant thermometer, you want to whisk until it reads about 160°F (mixture will increase in volume).
- Place the bowl back on the standing mixer (and use the whisk attachment).
- Beat the mixture on med-low speed for a few minutes and then increase the speed until the mixture reaches soft peaks. Then increase the speed to high and beat until stiff peaks form.
- You can always just spread the Swiss meringue on top of the lemon tart or place the meringue into a piping bag as we did here. This will then allow you to pipe small cones in a decorative fashion around the entire tart.
- Once you pipe all the meringue onto the tart, use a kitchen torch to toast the top of the meringue. You can refrigerate the Tart for a day or two but it is best to serve the day of. Serve with a glass of Bubbly or cup of coffee. Enjoy!
