Nerupa’s Honey Meringue Lemon Tart with Roast Hazelnuts

Meet Nerupa!

She is the first home chef to appear on my new Video Series “How to in Your Kitchen” by the Pastry Ward”en.

In this episode (episode 1), she wanted to know how to make an **AWESOME** Lemon Tart that she could make for her family and friends.

Starting this series with her was extremely fun! We had lots of laughs and more important, she gained a TON of knowledge.

How do you think she did?  See the episode on my You Tube Channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9tF2CCM0B2P5ZwhuoNjvJA?

Lets dive into this recipe!

Short Dough Crust
75g unsalted butter
pinch kosher salt
60g powdered sugar
2ea large egg yolks
1/2tsp pure vanilla extract
Finely grated zest of ½ lemon
150g all-purpose flour
– In a food processor, blend the butter, salt and powdered sugar together until smooth
– Blend in the yolks, vanilla and the lemon zest
– Scrape the bowl and process again until homogeneous
– Add the flour and process until the dough just comes together.  Do not over mix!
– Dust a clean surface with powdered sugar, pour the dough out on top of the sugar and bring the dough together in a ball.
– Flatten the dough between two pieces of parchment paper or plastic wrap
– Refrigerate for at least one hour, until firm, or overnight.
– Once firm, preheat an oven to 375F
– Roll the dough out to the
thickness of two coins stacked on top of each other, on a surface dusted with powdered sugar.
– Line a tart pan with the dough, and place in the freezer to firm quickly
– Remove from the freezer, ball up a piece of parchment until it is very wrinkled (this will help it fit in the shell easily), open it up and place it inside the shell.
– Fill with baking weights, dried rice and dried beans can be used as well
– Bake in the oven until the outside and the edges are light golden brown
– Remove from the oven, and let cool for a 3 minutes, then carefully remove the parchment with the weights from the shell
– For some insurance to make sure the lemon curd filling doesn’t leak through the shell, make an egg wash and brush the inside of the shell, especially in the crevices.
– Bake in the oven for 5 more min or until light golden brown on the inside of the shell and the egg wash is set.
– Set aside for curd filling

Lemon Curd Filling
Zest and juice of 3 lemons
150ml heavy cream
195g sugar
5 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
– Mix all ingredient in a bowl that fits the top of a pot filled with hot water
– Bring water in the pot to a simmer and place the bowl with the egg and lemon mixture on top of the pot
– Constantly whisk until the mixture reaches the temperature of 130F
– Cool the mixture over ice bath
– Pour the mixture in the tart shell
– Place in the oven and lower the temperature to 250F
– Bake the tart until the curd reaches the temperature of 160F
– The curd may still jiggle some but it is done!  It will solidify when cooled and chilled
– Cool on the counter top and then place in the refrigerator to completely chill and set
– Meanwhile, make the meringue and roast hazelnut toppings

Swiss Meringue
113g (4oz) egg whites
Pinch of salt
226g (8oz) sugar
2TBS Honey
– Bring a medium sized pot of water to a boil
– In a bowl that can fit on top of the pot of water, mix the egg whites, sugar, and salt together
– Place on top of the simmering water and whisk the egg whites and sugar constantly until the mixture reaches 140F
– Remove the mixture from the pot and scrape into a bowl of an electric mixer
– Beat the egg whites until the mixture is shiny and has reached medium peaks
– Add the honey and continue to beat the mixture until it becomes very glossy and stiff peaks are formed
– Place in a piping bag with star tip or tip of choice
– Reserve for assembly

Roast Hazelnuts
Handful of hazelnuts
– Roast the hazelnuts on a pan at 350F until light golden brown, shiny from the oils releasing to the surface, and very fragrant.
– Be careful not to burn
– Set aside for assembly

Assembly
Lemon Tart
Honey Swiss Meringue
Blow Torch
Roast Hazelnuts
– Remove the lemon tart from the refrigerator
– Pipe the meringue on top in a decorative pattern of your choice
– Brown the top with the blow torch (or you can VERY CAREFULLY brown the top under a broiler; however, you will need to let the tart chill in the refrigerator again before cutting)
– Chop the hazelnuts to smaller pieces and sprinkle on the top of the tart
– Cut, serve and enjoy!