Look at these cute little tartlets. Perfectly piped meringue, lightly torched, smooth zesty lemon or lime curd encased in crispy pastry.
I made the lemon and lime curds at home, because I find you can control the flavour profile more. Make it sweeter, make it bitter, make it more zesty, what consistency or texture you desire. I also add added a tiny bit of green to make it seem very limey.
I like how these tartlets look from an aerial shot, they look like pretty little meringue flowers, with all their edges scorched by the blow torch.
The meringue I used is my ultimate favourite, swiss meringue. This is a meringue that is cooked over heat, and the egg whites are pasteurised when you have it over a certain heat. Making it safe to eat the meringue without baking it. So you keep that silky soft meringue texture, but also have the crispness where it has been blow torched.
The most important thing I can emphasise on making meringue. Many people have problems with meringue, usually being it never foams up. Always insure your utensils are clean and dry. Your eggs should always be at room temperature. This is when they can reach their maximum foam potential. Don't add the sugar straight away, wait for it to get a little foamy and gradually add it in.
I had leftover lemon and lime curd from previous cake orders, so I wanted to make some sweet treats for my Dad's work. I made like 60 of these, because I had a lot of curd. They all loved them, they told me they loved the dainty size. You could just hold it in your hand and polish it off easily.
You can see in comparison to my hand, how small and dainty they really are.
This is probably my favourite shot from the shoot. I love how the ribbon is spiralling all throughout the shot. It leads your eyes past all the props in the shoot. I also think the placing of every tartlet is nice, they don't look placed there it all looks very rustic.
I actually had Mum buy me these sugar cubes just for the shoot. We never ever actually used them. But in many shoots I had cups of tea or coffee, and always was amazed how they could make sugar into cubes.
And now here is the recipe...
Recipe:
Lemon Lime Tartlets
Ingredients:
1x quantity of Sweet Shortcrust Pastry
Lime Curd:
3 large eggs
3/4 cup caster sugar
pinch of salt
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
2 limes zested
56g butter butter
Lemon Curd:
2 large eggs
1 cup fresh lemon juice
1 cup sugar
2 lemons zested
pinch of salt
112g butter softened
Italian Meringue:
With Most Italian Meringue it is a ration 2.1.
Sugar 2. Whites 1.
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
4 egg whites
pinch cream of tartar
Method:
Lime Curd:
Place eggs, sugar, salt, zest and juice in a saucepan. Whisk until well combined and smooth. Place on low heat, stirring constantly.
Using a wooden spoon make sure your stirring to the corners so no mixture catches.
Once you can draw a line down your wooden spoon and the line stays thee (holds it shape) you know the curd is at a good consistency.
Add the butter and mix over low heat till it has melted.
Take the curd off the heat and pour into a bowl straight away to stop it from cooking. Place a layer of glad wrap over the top and let it set at room temperature.
Lemon Curd:
Place eggs, lemon juice, sugar, zest and salt in a saucepan. Whisk until everything is combined before placing it on the heat. Place on a low heat and with a wooden spoon, stirring constantly for 4-6 minutes to help thicken the mixture up.
You know when the mixture is thick enough, when you can run your finger down the back of the wooden spoon and the line you drew stays and holds it shape. While it is still on low heat, add in cubes of softened butter, mixing it well till combined.
Take off the heat and pour the curd into a seperate bowl, to allow it to cool.
Place a piece of glad wrap over the top of the curd to stop a skin from forming.
Place on the bench and allow it to set at room temperature.
Italian Meringue:
In a small saucepan combine sugar, water over high heat. Have a pastry brush and a cup of water, and when granulates of sugar stick to the side of the pot, brush it down with a wet pastry brush. This avoids crystallisation from happening.
Heat the sugar syrup until 115 degrees (soft ball stage)
Set aside.
Meanwhile begin beating you egg whites and cream of tartar (stabiliser) on medium speed. Beat until soft peaks have formed, begin slowly pouring your sugar syrup into the egg white mixture with a steady flow. Turn the speed up to fast and begin beating your egg whites to a meringue. Once you have poured all the syrup in the bowl, continue beating until the bowl is no longer warm to touch.
Wooh la you just made italian meringue.
Assembly:
Place lemon or lime curd into a cooled tart case. Put the meringue in a piping bag with a star nozzle. Pipe upwards to make a nice meringue topping. Blow torch the meringue to give it a golden brown colour.
Serve on a pretty plate.
Thats it babes!
