When life gives you lemons… make lemon meringue tart!

Ingredients:

Pastry

• 250g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
• 70g icing sugar
• 125g unsalted butter, cubed
• 2 egg yolk
• Beans for baking

Filling

• 5 eggs
• 140g caster sugar
• 150ml double cream
• 2-3 lemon (to produce about 100ml lemon juice and 2 tbsp lemon zest)

Meringue

• 2 egg whites
• Half cup of sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 1/2 teaspoon of white vinegar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 160C fan.
2. To make the pastry, mix the flour and icing sugar in a bowl. Rub the butter into the flour with your fingers until crumbly.
3. Mix in the egg yolks, roll into a ball. If the pastry is still too dry, add 1-2 tbsp water until it comes together.
4. Wrap the dough in cling film, chill for at least 30 mins.
5. While the pastry is in the fridge, make the filling. Beat all the ingredients, except for the zest, together. Sieve the mixture, then stir in the zest.
6. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface to about the thickness of a $1 coin, then lift into a 23cm tart tin. Press down gently on the bottom and sides, then trim off any excess pastry.
7. Stab a few holes in the bottom with a fork and put back in the fridge for 30 mins.
8. Line the tart with foil and fill with dried beans. Bake for 15 mins, then remove the tart tin from the oven, discard the foil, and bake for another 20 mins until biscuity.
9. When the pastry is ready, remove it from the oven, pour in the lemon mixture and bake for 30-35 mins until just set.
10. Leave to cool, then remove the tart from the tin.
11. In medium bowl, beat egg whites, salt and vinegar with electric mixer on medium speed until foamy. Beat in sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time; continue beating until stiff and glossy. Around 6 min in total, do not underbeat.
12. Spread the meringue on top of the filling with a spoon, starting from the outside edge of the crust.
13. Brown the meringue with a blow torch.