summery-lemon-meringue-tart

Summery Lemon Meringue Tart

Written by Published on in Desserts, Tart
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Lemon Meringue Tart is a pie-like dessert. This delicious treat is a pastry base filled with lemon curd and topped with meringue. This dessert is the perfect summer dish: light, airy and so delicious. What better way to ring in your end-of-summer Labor Day bash?

The dish I baked was inspired by two different recipes, one from The New York Times and another from Simply Recipes. I combined both recipes to create the perfect Lemon Meringue Tart. This dish was too pretty to eat, yet too delicious to stop eating. With this recipe, you will definitely find yourself reaching for seconds (okay, I won’t lie, you may start reaching for thirds and fourths, as well…)

Lemon meringue tart

Something I enjoy doing that elevates my baking experience is taking photos of the baking process and the finished product. I love showcasing all my baking on Instagram and creating captivating, dazzling photos. As a photographer, I always want to learn more about composition and lighting. My experience in wedding photography has taught me the art of lighting and using the camera in manual mode. However, the art of composition for food photography is so different than wedding photography that I spend hours learning new food photography techniques. When Two Loves Studio offered a composition challenge that lasted a week, I was so happy to join.

Not only did I want to challenge my photography composition and artistry, I also wanted to challenge my baking skills. A little out of my baking comfort zone, Lemon Meringue Tart has been on my to do list for a long time. Finally, I took the plunge to make a summer-inspired Lemon Meringue Tart.

Ingredients for a Lemon Meringue Tart:

  • All-purpose Flour
  • Powdered Sugar
  • Salt
  • Unsalted Butter
  • Eggs (regular eggs and egg yolks)
  • Lemons
  • White Granulated Sugar
  • Lemons
  • White Chocolate (either chips or finely cut pieces)
  • Cornstarch
  • Vanilla Extract

Although the list of ingredients is pretty short, some of the ingredients repeat in all three layers: the tart, the filling, and the meringue. So, keep that in mine when you are grocery shopping.

Do not let this short list fool you. The entire process of making the Lemon Meringue Tart takes approximately five hours. While this may sound like a long time, I had a lot of fun doing it. And what better way to kill time during a quarantine afternoon than with a delicious Lemon Meringue Tart!

To make the meringue, I follow my meringue recipe (just make sure you leave the Nutella part of the recipe out) and use a kitchen torch to create the brown spots.

Lemon meringue tart shot from above

When I made this recipe on my own, at first I thought I did not make enough filling for this Lemon Meringue Tart, and definitely want to try making a little more next time. However, the flavor and taste still shined through. It did not feel like there was any filling missing and I still got a large taste of goodness in each bite. However, as a photographer, a defined layer in the photos would have made me super happy and looked great on my Instagram feed…so, maybe next time?

Tips and Tricks to Make the Perfect Lemon Meringue Tart:

My favorite part about the Lemon Meringue Tart (besides eating the finished product, of course) is making and creating the burnt topping. To get the meringue burnt with those beautiful brown spots, I opted to use a kitchen torch because it allowed me to have better control on how frequently the brown spots appeared and where they were placed on the dessert. Alternatively, you can place the Lemon Meringue Tart back in the oven on broil to get the spots. BUT, keep in mind that if you use this approach, you must be super careful not to burn the meringue. During my baking experience, I felt like the kitchen torch turned the meringue into a sweet toasted marshmallow. Also, there was no risk of burning the delicious treat. It was a win-win for me!

a slice of lemon meringue tart

Are you ready to become a meringue making pro? Here is the step-by-step process to make the best summer dessert dish: a Lemon Meringue Tart!

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slice of lemon meringue tart

Summery Lemon Meringue Tart – too beautiful to eat

  • Author: Rolled in Dough – Nicole Maman
  • Prep Time: 5 hours
  • Cook Time: 20 minutes
  • Total Time: 5 hours and 20 minutes
  • Yield: 24 1x
  • Category: Desserts
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: American
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Description

The perfect summer dessert: a summery lemon meringue tart! Easy to follow instructions and easy to make. 

Ingredients

Scale

Tart:

  • 1 1/2 cup of All-purpose Flour
  • 2/3 cup of Powdered Sugar
  • 1/2 tsp of Salt
  • 1/2 cup of Unsalted Butter (cold)
  • 2 Egg Yolks
  • 1/2 tsp of Vanilla Extract

Filling:

  • 4 Egg Yolks
  • 1/2 cup of White Granulated Sugar
  • 1/2 cup of Lemon Juice
  • Zest of 2 Lemons
  • 1/2 cup of Unsalted Butter
  • 1/2 cup of white chocolate chips or finely chopped pieces of white chocolate

Meringue:

  • 3 Eggs
  • 3/4 cup of Sugar
  • 1 tsp of Cornstarch 

Instructions

Tart:

  1. Cut the butter into cubes.
  2. Add the flour, powdered sugar, cut-up butter, and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until it turn into small crumbs. Add the egg yolks and combine until it is well combined and forms into a dough. Take the dough out and wrap it with plastic wrap. Chill the mix in the fridge for 1 hour. 
  3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. 
  4. Once the dough is chilled, roll it out so that it is larger than the tart pan. Place it over the pan and begin pressing it down and to the sides. Cut all the excess dough. Using a kitchen fork, pierce the crust and place in the freezer for 30 minutes. 
  5. Take the dough out of the freezer and place parchment paper on top of it. Also, place uncooked beans on top of the parchment paper. This will ensure the tart crust doesn’t rise while baking. Bake for 20 minutes. 

Filling:

  1. In a saucepan on medium heat, add the sugar, egg yolks, lemon zest, and juice. Make sure to stir all the ingredients constantly until they are warm. Add the butter and continue to mix it until it becomes thick (this takes about 8 minutes). Remove from heat. 
  2. Add the white chocolate and stir the mixture until well combined and the chocolate has melted. 
  3. Pour the mixture through a sieve to get rid of any lumps. Pour the mixture onto the tart crust and place in the fridge for at least 4 hours. 

Meringue:

  1. Heat up a small pot with water, to create a double boiler. 
  2. Add the eggs yolks and sugar in a mixer bowl and place about the boiling pot of water. Make sure to whisk every 20 seconds, until the sugar has melted. 
  3. Place the mixer bowl back in the stand mixer and whisk at medium to high speed for one minute. Add the cornstarch and whisk on high for 9 minutes until stiff peaks. You will know the meringue is ready when you lift the bowl upside down and nothing moves.
  4. Pipe or spoon the meringue on top of the lemon filling. Use a kitchen torch to brown the meringue. Hold the torch about an inch away so as to not over-burn the meringue.  
  5. Serve and enjoy! 

Notes

Inspired by a recipe from NY Times combined with my own meringue recipe.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1
  • Calories: 199
  • Sugar: 20.2g
  • Sodium: 111mg
  • Fat: 10.1g
  • Saturated Fat: 6g
  • Carbohydrates: 26.6g
  • Fiber: 0.3g
  • Protein: 1.8g
  • Cholesterol: 74mg

Keywords: lemon tart, lemon meringue tart, meringue tart, lemon

Are you craving more sweets and delicious treats? Check out some of our other amazing tart recipes here.

After reading about this dish, are you craving even more lemon treats? Check out some of our recipes with lemon flavors here.

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