Lemon Meringue Tart

To prepare the lemon curd and meringue tart, start by making the pastry crust. In the stand mixer with the paddle attachment, combine very cold cubed butter and flour 1. Turn the mixer on at medium-low speed and mix until the texture is sandy. With the mixer still running, add the muscovado sugar 2, followed by the egg 3 and salt.

When the mixture is uniform 4, turn off the mixer and transfer the dough to the work surface 5. Quickly work it into a ball and wrap it in plastic wrap 6. Place the dough in the fridge to chill for at least 1 hour.

Meanwhile, prepare the filling: the lemon curd. To make it, thoroughly wash the lemons and grate the zest 7, taking only the yellow part and not the white underneath, which is bitter. In a small pot, melt the butter and add the sugar 8. Squeeze the lemons to extract the juice and add it to the pot once the sugar has melted 9.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs and cornstarch 10, and when it forms a smooth batter 11, pour it into the pot 12.

Add the zest 13 and thicken the curd over low heat, stirring often to prevent lumps 14. Let it cool slightly. Retrieve the chilled dough from the fridge, lightly flour the work surface, and roll out the dough to about 1/4 inch thick 15.

Place a sheet of parchment paper on the baking sheet, butter a 8x8 inch square pan, place it on the lined baking sheet, and lay the dough inside 16, pressing it carefully. Trim the excess dough from the edges with a knife 17, then prick the base of your tart with a fork 18.

Proceed with the necessary steps for blind baking: line the tart with parchment paper and fill it with baking weights (if you don't have these, you can use rice or dried beans) 19. Blind bake the tart for 25 minutes in a preheated conventional oven at 350°F, then remove the weights and parchment paper and continue baking for another 10 minutes. In total, the tart should bake for 35 minutes. Once baked, remove it from the oven and let it cool completely before removing it from the pan 20. Pour the curd inside 21,

smoothing it out with a spatula 22. Transfer the filled tart to the fridge to set for at least 1 hour 23. Next, make the Italian meringue: place the water and sugar in a small pot over low heat 24

and get a kitchen thermometer. When the syrup reaches 239°F 25, place the room temperature egg whites in the stand mixer with the whisk attachment 26 and start whisking at medium speed. Lower the mixer speed and add half of the syrup to the semi-whipped egg whites once the syrup reaches 250°F 27, then increase the speed again and add the remaining syrup in a thin stream. Continue whisking until the meringue is cool.

At the end, when you lift the whisk, you should get a classic peak 28. Transfer the meringue to a piping bag with a plain tip, retrieve the set tart from the fridge, and start decorating the surface with small meringue peaks close to each other 29. Finally, use a kitchen torch to brown the meringue 30; if you don't have this tool, you can place the tart under the oven grill for a few minutes until the peaks are well browned. Your lemon curd and meringue tart is ready to shine!