My New York Tart (a.k.a. Lemon Meringue Tart)

Fresh out of the oven.

The day I first made this all but a few weeks ago, I thanked the heavens and at the same time thought “oh now, what have I done” make it and you’ll see, it’s so damn good it’s evil!

Mastering the lemon filling .

The inspiration for this came from my many lunch dates at Dean & Deluca during the month of May 2012; after finishing my lunch there I would almost always finish off with a small lemon meringue tart, my one regret being not having tasted the chocolate one that was a permanent resident next to it, ahhh well, a reason to go back.

Lucky enough to be in New York City for business, I enjoyed the culinary delights New York City had to offer and thus was born “My New York Tart”. So I’ve had some fabulous culinary and gastronomical experiences, many that I’m eager to share, many that I’m eager not to…

Ingredients:

THE BASE

- 400g crushed /processed to a powder

- 150g melted butter

MERINGUE

The fun part.

Ingredients:

- 4 egg whites (save the yolks for the lemon filling)

- 1 cup caster sugar

- 2 table spoons vanilla sugar

- 2 table spoons of corn flour

- 3 table spoons of white vinegar

LEMON FILLING

- 1/3 cup cornflour (approx. 50g)

- 1 cup water (250ml)

- 3/4 cup fresh lemon juice (use 1 full cup for extra tang and only 1/2 cup of water)

- 3/4 cup caster sugar

- 65g butter chopped into cubes

- 4 eggs yolks

How to work the Magic:

Ready for the oven.

THE BASE

Just mix the two, then kneed it for a minute or two and mould it to the tart base and walls, let it cool and harden for about 30mins in the fridge.

I’ve also cheated and purchased a ‘add butter biscuit base’ but only because the supermarket didn’t have the biscuits I wanted I promise. This base is similar to that of a cheese cake base. Another really yummy base can be found here: How to Make a Tart Crust

LEMON FILLING

1. Combine the water, lemon juice cornflour and caster sugar in a saucepan and place on medium heat and stir with a whisk until the mixture thickens (approx. 5mins).

2. Immediately after removing from heat, whisk in the butter & yolks.

3. Transfer to the tart base, cover with cling wrap and place in the fridge for a few hours or at least until it’s cooled.

MERINGUE

Simply Irresistible.

1. Set oven to 200°C.

2. Place the egg whites in a bowl and whisk until stiff peaks form.

3. Gradually add the caster sugar & vanilla sugar, whisking well until the mixture is stiff and nice'en glossy.

4. Add the corn flour & vinegar and whisk until combined.

THE DESIGN

1. And now the fun part; just put the meringue over the lemon filling covering completely.

2. Place it in the over for 10min or until it gets a slight brown colour on some of the meringue tips.

3. If you can resist, let it sit for an hour and serve. For perfect results, serve the day after!

ENJOY! (said as I chow down a piece myself ;)

The above pic is actually a piece of the signature sweet 'Lemon Meringue Sponge Cake' from Harry Cipriani in New York City, which I enjoyed on several occasions (available in all the Cipriani Restaurants)