This Lemon Meringue Tart is a perfect refreshing dessert for spring or summer days. Its tangy flavorful lemon filling makes such a good pair with the crispy crust and smooth toasted meringue on top. The high meringue topping makes this tart look so decadent and totally irresistible.
How to make Lemon Meringue Tart
The recipe is not difficult at all, but may require a bit of patience and needs to be made in advance. The filling needs to be set in the fridge so I would recommend making this tart a day in advance. I can assure you that the process is worth all the effort, there is no doubt about that.
Prepare the tart crust.
For the crust, I choose to go with a pate sablee. For this, mix butter with powdered sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and continue mixing until well combined and creamy. Incorporate flour, ground almonds, and salt and add to the butter mixture. If you don’t want to use almonds, use the same amount of flour instead. Add some milk only if necessary. Wrap the dough with plastic wrap, form it into a disk, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Roll the dough between two pieces of parchment paper or plastic wrap until it’s about 12in (30cm) in diameter. Press the dough onto the bottom and edges of a 9-inch (23cm) tart pan. It is always better to refrigerate the crust for about 30 minutes before baking as this helps keep its shape.
Prick the dough with a fork and blind-bake the crust. If the edges brown too quickly, cover the edges with a tart shield or aluminum foil shield for the last minutes of baking. For sealing the crust, brush the crust with beaten egg and bake for 2 more minutes. Let cool completely before filling.
Prepare the lemon filling.
For the lemon filling first separate whites from yolks. Whisk egg yolks with cornstarch and set aside.
In a medium saucepan add sugar and lemon zest and whisk for a few seconds to release oil. Add the water, lemon juice, and salt and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Stir constantly, and cook for about 2-3 minutes until the sugar is completely dissolved.
Pour about 1 cup of hot mixture over the yolks to temper the yolks and pour the yolk mixture into the saucepan. Place over medium-low heat and mix continuously. Cook until thickens, for about 2-3 minutes, and remove from heat.
Gradually add the butter and mix to incorporate. Sieve the lemon filling and let it cool slightly before filling the crust.
Refrigerate the filled tart for at least 6-8 hours or overnight before topping it with the meringue.
Prepare the meringue topping.
For the meringue, place the whites, sugar, cream of tartar, and salt in a heat-proof bowl. Place over a pan with simmering water (bain-marie). Whisk constantly, for about 5 minutes, or if you have a thermometer until it reaches 160F (71C). This step pasteurizes the egg whites without cooking them and makes them safe for use in desserts.
Remove from heat and start mixing on high speed for about 5-7 minutes, until glossy stiff peaks form. Incorporate vanilla extract while mixing.
Spread the meringue over the tart. Use a spoon to create some meringue picks. Toast the meringue with a brulee torch if desired and is ready to serve.
Even though I am a chocolate lover and I would almost always choose a chocolate dessert over a fruit one, this one is simply hard to resist.
Hope you will give this French Lemon Meringue Tart a try. Tag me on Instagram if you try it out, would love to see your take on it. Enjoy!
For more lemon dessert recipes check our favorite collection of 15 Lemon Desserts.Â
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Lemon Meringue Tart
Ingredients
Pate Sablee
- 1/2 cup (110g) unsalted butter , room temperature
- 1/4 cup (30g) powdered sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 ¼ cup (160g) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup (50g) ground almonds
- 1/4 tsp (1g) salt
- 1 tbsp (15ml) milk , if needed
- beaten egg , for sealing the crust while baking
Lemon Filling
- 1 cup (200g) sugar
- 1/3 cup (40g) cornstarch
- 1/4 tsp (1g) salt
- 5 egg yolks
- 1 â…“ cup (320ml) water
- 2/3 cup (160ml) fresh lemon juice (from 3-4 lemons)
- 3 tbsp (42g) butter
- Zest from 1 large lemon (10g)
Meringue Topping
- 5 egg whites , at room temperature
- 1 cup (200g) sugar
- 1/4 tsp (1g) cream of tartar
- 1/4 tsp (1g) salt
- 1 tsp (5g) vanilla extract
Instructions
Prepare the crust.
- The crust in this recipe is pate sablee. In a large bowl mix butter with powdered sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and continue mixing until well combined and creamy.
- In a medium bowl whisk flour with ground almonds and salt and add to butter mixture.
- Incorporate the flour mixture into the butter until combined. Add milk if necessary. Make sure you don’t overwork the dough.
- Wrap the dough with plastic wrap, form into a disc and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350F (180C).
- Roll the dough between two pieces of parchment paper or plastic wrap until it's about 12in (30cm) in diameter.
- Press the dough onto the bottom and edges of a 9 inch (23cm) tart pan. Cut the excess dough.
- Refrigerate for about 30 minutes before baking.
- Prick the dough with a fork and line a parchment paper over the dough. Fill with dry beans, rice or pie weights.
- Bake for 15 minutes. Remove the weights and the parchment paper.
- Return to the oven for another 15-17 minutes. If the edges brown too quickly, cover the edges with a tart shield or aluminum foil shield.
- Brush the crust with beaten egg for sealing, and bake for 2 more minutes.
- Allow to cool before filling.
Meanwhile, prepare the lemon filling.
- Separate whites from yolks. In a medium bowl whisk egg yolks with cornstarch and set aside.
- In a medium saucepan add sugar and lemon zest and whisk for a few seconds to release oil. Add water, lemon juice, and salt and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Stir constantly, and cook for about 2-3 minutes until the sugar is completely dissolved.
- Pour about 1 cup of hot mixture over the yolks to temper the yolks and pour the yolk mixture into the saucepan. Place over medium-low heat and mix continuously. Cook until thickens , for about 2-3 minutes and remove from heat.
- Gradually add the butter and mix to incorporate.
- Pour the lemon filling through a sieve, and set aside to cool slightly. When slightly cooled, pour the filling over the crust.
- Refrigerate for at least 6-8 hours or overnight.
Prepare the meringue topping.
- Place the whites, sugar, cream of tartar and salt in a heat proof bowl. Place over a pan with simmering water (bain-marie).
- Whisk constantly, for about 5 minutes, or if you have a thermometer until it reaches 160F (71C).
- Remove from heat and start mixing on high speed for about 5-7 minutes, until glossy stiff peaks form. Incorporate vanilla extract while mixing.
- Spread meringue over the tart. Use a spoon to create some meringue picks. Toast the meringue with a brulee torch if desired.
- Serve and keep the leftovers refrigerated. Enjoy!
Video
Nutrition
Did you make this recipe?
Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and tag @homecookingadventure on Instagram and hashtag it #homecookingadventure.
Best lemon meringue tart, first time it didn’t leak and the meringue stayed high 😋 I will sertinly make it again thank you.
So glad you enjoyed it 🙂
You are a great cook. Love you recipe
Thank you Paulette 🙂