For the Sweet Pastry

Ingredients

  • 225g plain all purpose flour
  • 110g unsalted butter
  • 80g caster sugar
  • 1 egg yolk
  • pinch salt
  • chopped thyme leaves (optional)

Method

Cream together butter and sugar.
Add flour, salt and thyme if using.
Mix gently until it forms light breadcrumbs.
Add the egg yolk and mix until it forms a dough.
Bring into a ball, wrap in cling film and chill in the fridge for an hour.

To prepare your cases, grease your tart case tin with butter, tap flour all around to coat and tap out the excess.

Once chilled, roll out on a floured surface to around 2mm thickness.
Cut out with circular cutters to a size that fits your tart case tin well.
Lay carefully into tin.
Prick bottoms of pastry with a fork to prevent air bubbles.

To blind bake; Preheat oven to 170 degrees celsius.
lay two layers of cling film over the top of the tray with the pastry in.
Fill up each case with baking beans on top of the cling film. Bake in the preheated oven for 8-10 minutes.
Remove from oven and remove the cling film and baking beans.
Put back into the oven and continue to cook for a further 4-5 minutes. Cool on a cooling rack.

For the lemon curd filling

Ingredients

  • 115g Lemon juice
  • 400g condensed milk
  • 60g egg yolk

Method

Simply mix all ingredients together in a bowl until well combined. Try to avoid incorporating air bubbles.
Divide the mixture between your cooled tart cases.

Bake at 160 degrees celsius for 4-6 minutes until set with a slight wobble.
Allow to cool on a cooling rack until fully cool to the touch.

For the Italian Meringue

Ingredients

  • 100g egg white
  • 200g caster sugar
  • 80 ml water

Method

Combine the sugar and water in a heavy based pan.
Put the egg whites into the bowl of a stand mixer set with a whisk attachment.

Heat the sugar mixture and a high het until it reaches 110 degrees celsius. (use a sugar probe) At the same time, start whisking the egg whites at full speed.
When the sugar reaches 118 degrees celsius, take off the heat.

Slowly add the hot sugar to the whisking whites- be careful not to splash any back at yourself. Keep the mixer on full speed.

Whisk for around 5 minutes or until the base of the bowl feels cool to touch.
Spoon the meringue into a piping bag with a plane nozzle.

Pipe onto the cooled lemon tarts.
Using a blowtorch, lightly brown the tops of the meringue. Sprinkle with lemon thyme leaves to garnish.