Lemon Meringue Tart

Lemon Meringue Pie was one of my grandmother’s favorite desserts. My mother has so many memories of her making this pie at many family events. And I love the sweet and tart combination of it, so I made it into a tart instead of a pie and used a thick lemon curd for the filling.

Here are a few more lemon desserts that you would absolutely love! This Lemon Rosemary loaf is the perfect snack cake. This Lemon Panna Cotta is creamy and delicious. And this Lemon Berry Cake is tart, sweet and perfect!

And if you want something savory, then this Shrimp Orecchiette with Lemon Garlic Cream Sauce from Cooking With Wine is so good!

What is a Lemon Meringue Tart?

Lemon meringue tart is a dessert consisting of a pastry dough base filled with a lemon curd and topped with meringue. This dessert is usually in a deeper pie form, but for this recipe, it was made into a shallow tart without losing any of the delicious pie flavors. 

What Ingredients are used for this Lemon Meringue Tart recipe?

Flour- All purpose flour is used for the pastry dough so that it yields a tender, flaky crust. Other flours like cake flour lacks enough protein to form a workable, elastic dough.

Fat- A combination of butter and shortening is used in the dough. Shortening will help keep the pie crust together and butter will help make it flaky.

Lemons– Though you can use Meyer lemons for the filling in the recipe, regular lemons are the perfect ingredient.

Eggs- A combination of egg yolks and whole eggs are used for the lemon curd. 

Egg Whites- The egg whites that are separated from the yolks for the filling are then whipped for the meringue topping.

Cornstarch- Cornstarch is used in the recipe to slightly thicken the filling. Traditionally, a thickening agent is not used in curds, but a thicker filling is needed for the tart. 

Sugar- Granulated sugar is used to sweeten the curd and the meringue.

What Type of Crust is Used for The Lemon Meringue Tart?

For the tart a pie dough with a combination of unsalted butter and shortening is used. You can also use crushed graham crackers or any crushed cookie held together with melted butter for a sweeter crisper crust.

 

Combine flour, butter, shortening, and salt in a food processor or in a large mixing bowl and cut the flour and fat by hand until you have small, pebble-like pieces. Pour in water until dough comes together. Shape the dough into a disk. Wrap and place the dough into the refrigerator for one hour or overnight. Chilling the dough hardens the fat, which helps the crust maintain its structure as it bakes. And it also relaxes the dough’s gluten, to prevent a tough crust.

After resting, roll out the pie dough and place it into a tart pan with a removable bottom. Trim the edges, then poke several holes in the bottom to allow the steam to escape. Place a piece of parchment over the crust, add pie weights or beans to the pan and bake the crust fully. The pie weights help keep the crust from shrinking away from the tart pan or puffing up while baking. The crust needed to be pre-baked because the pie will not be going back into the oven after adding the filling and topping. 

How is the Filling Made?

To make the lemon curd filling, add eggs, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and heavy cream to a medium heatproof bowl, and whisk to combine. Place the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Using a double boiler ensures that the curd cooks on low heat. But, you can also cook it without placing the curd mixture over boiling water. It can also be cooked in a small saucepan over very low heat.

Cook on moderate heat, whisking constantly, until mixture becomes thick, about 10-15 minutes. Remove the curd from the heat and strain with a mesh strainer into a separate bowl. Add the butter, and whisk until it’s completely melted. Refrigerate the curd overnight then add the filling to the tart crust. 

How is The Meringue for the Lemon Meringue Tart Put Together?

Traditionally, for lemon meringue pie, the uncooked whipped meringue is placed over the filling, usually shaped into peaks, and is briefly baked.

For this tart, the egg whites and sugar is placed in a stand mixing bowl or large mixing bowl and placed over boiling water. The egg whites are cooked just until the sugar is melted, about 3- 3 1/2 minutes.

Attach the bowl to the stand mixer with the whisk attachment or beat with a hand mixer and whip until there are stiff peaks.

Use a piping bag with an extra large star or open tip to pipe meringue rounds on top of the tart. Or you can just spoon it on without piping any of it. Use a handheld torch to slightly brown the top of the tart, and serve.  This is one recipe you’ll want to make over and over again!

what tools are used to make this Lemon Meringue Tart?

Tart Pan- Always use a tart pan with a removeable bottom like this one.

Piping Bags- These piping bags are my favorite because they are so large, you can fit so much meringue in them!

Piping Tip- This piping tip is the one I used to create the piping design.

Hand Torch- Hand torches like this one are the best way to toast the meringue.

Juicer- This is a basic juicer, but it will get the job done!

Commonly Asked Questions:

 

Can you use meyer lemons for the lemon meringue tart?

Yes, you can use Meyer lemons. Meyer lemons are much less tart than regular lemons. They would not effect the taste of the tart.

Why is my lemon meringue tart crust soggy?

The best way to prevent a soggy pie crust is by a blind baking it. Blind baking means you pre-bake the crust. You want the crust to set and crisp up before you add any wet filling. Do not skip this step. It’s very important for this recipe.

Why didn’t lemon meringue tart set?

Cornstarch is used to thicken the curd so that it sets. The mixture is cooked over a low to medium heat source. Be sure that the mixture has thickened before you remove it from the heat and add it to the baked crust. If it’s not thickened, then the pie will not set properly.

Can this lemon meringue tart be made in advance?

You can make the components of this recipe a couple of days ahead of time and assemble it the day of serving.

Can Lemon Meringue Pie be frozen?

Lemon meringue tarts can be frozen for up to 3 months. Some people like to freeze the meringue separately from the crust and filling, but it’s not necessary and doesn’t really affect its taste or texture.

How to store lemon meringue tart?

To store a meringue-topped pie overnight, insert wooden toothpicks or chopsticks (depending on how high your meringue is) into the center of the meringue and a couple near the edges. Place clear plastic wrap over the toothpicks. Refrigerate for up to 2 days. After that, the meringue may start to weep.

Looking for other meringue topped dessert recipes? Here are a few great options:

Lemon Blueberry Meringue Pie

Meyer Lemon Meringue Pie Bars

Cranberry Lime Meringue Tart

Brownie S’mores with a torched Marshmallow Meringue

Lemon Curd Swiss Merengue Tart

S’mores Choux Craquelin

Bi-color Chocolate S’mores Croissants

Pumpkin Creme Cakes