Are you craving a fresh dessert? These Lemon Tarts are the perfect combination of tart and sweet. They are surprisingly easy to make, with very few ingredients, including our Grass Fed Sea Salted Butter!
Pick up some store-bought tart shells to make these extra easy, and spend your spare time making fresh meringue for topping and toast just before serving. YUM!
Ingredients
Mini tart crusts, store bought or homemade
Lemon zest
Lemon juice
Vanilla extract
Donia Farms Sea Salted Butter, softened and cut into 1 cm cubes
White sugar
Whole eggs
Egg yolks, save the whites for the meringue
Egg whites
Granulated sugar
Cream of tartar
Salt
Instructions
-
Cook mini tart crusts according to package instructions and set aside to cool. Note, you will be cooking them an additional 5 minutes once the filling has been added.
-
Preheat oven to 350 while you make the filling.
-
Over low/medium heat, whisk together the cubed butter, lemon juice, lemon zest, vanilla extract, eggs and egg yolks in a medium saucepan.
Be sure to keep the heat on a low to medium setting. If your stove top runs hot, keep to a low setting only. If your mixture is too hot, the butter will separate and not form a proper custard.
-
Whisk continuously until the mixture thickens enough to hold its shape for a second when stirred. The constancy will be pudding like, but slightly thinner as it will be hot.
-
Remove the lemon filling from heat, and strain using a fine strainer. This will take out any clumps, and remove the lemon zest for a smooth filling.
-
Fill tart shells with filling and bake at 350 for 5 minutes on a cookie sheet. Cool on a cooling rack until fully set.
-
While the tarts cool, you can make the meringue (or save this step until right before serving!)
-
Place a heatproof bowl over a simmering pot of water. Add the egg whites, sugar and cream of tartar. Using a handheld mixer, whip the ingredients until stiff peaks form.
-
Top the tarts with meringue. Using a kitchen torch, or your oven on a high broil, toast the meringue.
-
Serve and enjoy! Best enjoyed fresh, but these tarts keep well in the fridge for 3 – 4 days.
