Foodie Corner
photo by Joanie Schwarz
Soft, fluffy meringue and a tart, yet sweet lemon curd, piled into a crust so flakey that it would fool any pastry maven. This recipe was submitted by Marissa Rosenberg, and it’s from her Gluten-Free Patisserie blog, sugarandspice.
Pastry:
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups gluten-free flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
Lemon Curd:
4 lemons, at room temperature
4 egg yolks, at room temperature (reserve whites for meringue)
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 stick unsalted butter at room temperature
pinch of kosher salt
Meringue:
4 egg whites
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
2 tablespoons sugar
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
For the tart shell:
Mix the butter and sugar together with an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment until combined. Add vanilla. In a medium-sized bowl, sift the flour and salt together. Add the flour mixture to the sugar/butter mixture. Mix until the dough starts to come together.
Place the dough on a surface that has been dusted with GF flour. Shape into a flat disk and place into a 9-inch round tart pan with a removable bottom. Press the dough with your fingers until it is shaped evenly in the pan, making sure the edge is flat. Chill for at least 30 minutes.
“Blind bake” the tart shell by placing a sheet of parchment paper on top and covering the paper with pie weights, rice or beans–bake for 15 minutes. Remove the parchment and filler and prick the tart all over with a fork. Bake again for 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool to room temperature.
For the lemon curd:
Remove the zest of the lemons with a vegetable peeler, avoiding the white pith.
Squeeze the lemons to get 1/2 cup of the juice and set aside. In a food processor with a steel blade, process the zest and sugar for 2-4 minutes until very fine.
In a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix the butter with the sugar and lemon zest. Add the eggs slowly and add the lemon juice until combined. Pour into a medium saucepan and cook on low heat until thickened: 8-10 minutes. It should be thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon.
Remove from heat and pour the lemon curd into the tart shell. Allow the lemon curd to set at room temperature.
For the meringue:
Place the egg whites in the bowl (make sure it is clean) of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Gently whisk in the cream of tartar. Then, using a low speed, beat the eggs whites until soft peaks form. Add the sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks form: 2-3 minutes.
Spread the meringue on top of the lemon curd, making sure that it goes all the way to (and touches) the edges of the crust. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until meringue is golden.