Lemon & Rhubarb Meringue Tartlets

Well it may not look like much, this little tart packs a lot of flavour. It combines two slightly sweet and sour flavours to make a masterpiece of a dessert. And to top it off, a heaping mound of creamy meringue to balance out the flavour.
This tart is no walk in the ark, there are quite a lot of steps, although not as many steps as this one, still quite time consuming. But if rhubarb and lemon are your kind of thing, these tartlets are right up your ally.

Lemon & Rhubarb Meringue Tartlets

Makes four, 4" round tartlets

Crust

1 cup                       a.p flour
1/3 cup                    icing sugar
1/8 tsp                     salt
1/2 cup                    butter

In a food processor, combine together the flour, sugar and salt. Add the cold, cubed butter and pulse just until the butter is incorporated and the mixture is in large clumps.
Spray the tart pan with cooking spray. Transfer the dough into the tart pan, press it up the sides and along to bottom to form an even layer. Prick all over the bottom of the crust. Refrigerate for 15 minutes. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Place the tart pan on a baking sheet and bake for 13 to 15 minutes. Remove the crust from the oven and allow it to cool completely. Set aside.

Rhubarb Purée

3/4 lb                   rhubarb, chopped
1/6 cup                sugar
1/8 cup                water
1/2 tbsp               lemon juice

Chop the rhubarb into 1" chunks, being careful not to add the leaves. In a saucepan over medium heat combine all the ingredients. Let the mixture cook until the rhubarb is broken down into soft pieces, about 15-20 minutes. Bring it off the heat and with a handheld blender or a food processor, blend until smooth. At this point feel free to add a drop of red food coloring to give the purée a more vibrant colour. Cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate.

Lemon Curd

3 eggs
3/4 cup                 sugar
1+1/2 tbsp            lemon zest
7 tbsp                   lemon juice
6 tbsp                   butter, softened

Whisk together eggs, sugar, lemon zest and lemon juice together in a heat proof bowl. Fill a medium sized saucepan with a 1/2" of water place over high heat until it starts to simmer. Place the bowl with your egg & lemon mixture over top, making sure it doesn't touch the water, and whisk constantly until it becomes warm. Careful not to let your mixture boil, add the butter one tablespoon at a time and whisk until it becomes much thicker. Take off heat and transfer into a small bowl, cover with plastic wrap making sure it touches the lemon curd and place in the fridge for about 3 hours, or until it is cold. 
Once both the rhubarb mixture and the lemon curd are cooled, line the bottoms of your cooled tart shells with about 2 tablespoons of the rhubarb purée. Next, add 2 tablespoons of the lemon curd ontop, spread it out evenly and jiggle the tarts to smooth it out. Refrigerate for 20 minutes. In the meantime make the meringue.

Meringue

2 egg whites
1/2 cup              sugar
1/4 tsp               salt

Fill a large saucepan with an inch of water put on medium heat. Combine the egg whites, sugar and salt in a heatproof bowl, beat lightly until soft peaks form. Once the water has come to a simmer, put the bowl with the meringue over the saucepan with simmering water. Beat the meringue with a hand mixer until it forms hard peaks. Take out of simmering water and beat again until cool. Transfer into piping bag and pipe meringue all over your tart, or just spoon it onto your tart and spread it out. Before serving make sure the tarts are cold, as well use a blowtorch to slightly toast the meringue. Finally you're done! Enjoy!

I actually planned to post these closer to Father's Day but alas, I never got around to it. Goes to show how unorganized I am normally. Oh well.
Hope you guys plan to try these, they are quite splendid. I'm glad I experimented with combining both these flavours, surprisingly tasty!

Elanne