Lemon Curd Tart

Making lemon tarts is one of my favourite baking experiences. There are so many processes involved. There is the pastry.....I love making pastry, all that rolling and resting, and shaping. Then there is the curd. There is something so meditative about making curds, and custards. You have to stand there for half an hour, just stirring. I never think about bad things when I'm doing this. Just lovely, light beautiful things as I slowly watch my curd thicken. It reminds me of falling in love, a boy I once dated (he loved lemon curd), parties, and my best friend back home (her sister used to make amazing lemon curd.) Next you have the meringue. Its tick, and rich and glossy, and just oh so beautiful. You put them all together and its amazing. Its the perfect way to spend the day if you ask me.

The recipe I'm working on at the moment is for an old friends wedding back home. The man she is marring loves lemon tarts, so I'm perfecting them for the wedding party. Along with this there will be cup cakes, macaroons, salted caramel tarts and a few other peti fours I'm working on. Its so nice to have an excuse to practise all these recipes and get them exactly how I want them.
A morning spent baking is one of my best pass times. Here's the recipe I used.....

Lemon Meringue tarts.

For the pastry:
300g flour
200g butter
100g sugar
2 egg yolks

1. Rub the butter into the four and sugar. This can be done with your fingertips if you have time, or in an electric mixer with the paddle attachment.
2. Add eggs, and mix in. Dont mix too much as you dont want to overwork the dough.
3. Give the dough a 5 second knead just to bring it together, and then wrap in glad wrap and place in the fridge.
4. Let the pasty rest for about half an hour, then take out of the fridge to roll out.
5. Roll out the dough on a floured bench and cut into the shapes you want. You can use special pastry shells, or simply use a muffin tin. I do both. 
6. Prick the pasty all over with a fork and place back in the fridge to rest for another 30 minutes.
7. Take out of the fridge. Place some squares of baking paper in each pastry shell, and fill with baking weights, or uncooked rice.
8. Bake in a preheated oven at 180 for 10 minutes.
9. Remove the baking weights and cook until lightly golden. This should take about 20 minutes.
10. Remove from oven and let cool.

Lemon curd
Juice of three lemons
200g caster sugar
3 eggs
100g butter

1. Juice the lemons and stir together with the sugar
2. crack the eggs into a bowl and whisk lightly. Push them through a sieve to remove any lumps and add to the lemon mix.
3. Place the mix over a double boiler with lightly boiling water, and stir constantly. Make sure that the water is not touching the bowl otherwise you mix will scramble!! It may take between 20 to 30 minutes to thicken.
4. Cut the butter into little cubes.
5. Once the mix is coating the back of the spoon you know its thick enough. 
6. Take it off the heat and stir in the cubes of butter a little at a time. 

Meringue
4 egg whites
1 cup of sugar
pinch of salt

1. Place the egg whites in a bowl of an electric mixer and beat until bubbly.
2. Slowly add the sugar while the beater is running.
3. Add salt.
4. Continue to beat until the mix is thick and stiff. 

To assemble

1. Once the pastry shells are cool spoon in some lemon curd.
2. Pipe the meringue on top.
3. Eat them......all. You will.