Lemon & lime meringue tart

For a change from chocolate-based fall desserts, what better than a lemon meringue tart ? Lemons in the plural even, since here I have mixed the juice of lemon and lime to obtain a delicious cream, poured in an almond shortbread and topped with an Italian meringue. One of the most classic tarts of French pastry, but still as delicious and that will certainly please (almost) everyone ! To your roll ;)



Prep time : 1 hour + at least 1 hour rest
For a 22 to 24cm tart ­| 6 to 8 servings :

Almond crust :

200g flour T55
120g butter
3g salt
80g powdered sugar
20g almond powder
40g egg

Mix the butter with the flour, powdered sugar and salt to obtain a crumble texture.



Add the almond powder and then the egg and mix quickly to obtain a homogeneous paste.



Form a ball, flatten it, put it in a plastic wrap. Then, put it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
Then, spread the dough on 2 to 3mm thick, and put it in your mold.



Prick it (since it will be cooking without cream), then place it in the freezer for at least 20 minutes. Bake it in the preheated oven at 170°C for about 20 minutes (depending on the oven, you should get a golden tart crust). Leave to cool.

Lemon curd :

40g lemon juice
40g lime juice
The zest of a yellow lemon and a lime
200g eggs (4 whole eggs)
100g sugar
125g butter
10g cornstarch

In advance, mix the sugar and lemon zest, your cream will have even more flavor.



Bring the lemon and lime juice to the boil.
Whisk the eggs with the flavored sugar and cornstarch.



Pour half of the hot juice over it, still whisking, then pour it back into the pan.



Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly (the texture should be a little less thick than a classic custard).



Off the heat, add the butter cut into small pieces and mix well so as to have a very homogeneous cream. If you have a hand blender, you can use it, the cream will be even better.



When the cream is ready, pour it into the cooled tart crust, smooth the surface and put the tart in the refrigerator.

Italian meringue :

100g egg whites
200g sugar
65g water

Put the water and then the sugar in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat. When the syrup reaches 110°C, start beating the egg whites gently. When the syrup reaches 121°C, pour it over the egg whites, which are slightly stiff but not firm, and continue to whisk until the meringue cools. It should be smooth and shiny.




When it is ready, put it in a piping bag with the tip of your choice and pipe it on the pie. Use a kitchen torch to brown it, then enjoy!