Tart Au Citron

Yield: 6 miniature tarts

Important: There are best made a day ahead and topped with the meringue before serving.

3-2-1 pie dough (feel free to substitute a premade, frozen pie shell)

Lemon Curd (this will make extra)

Meringue

Make The Curd

Combine eggs, egg yolks, sugar, lemon zest and lemon juice in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
Continually whisk until steaming, then increase temperature to medium-high, whisking constantly to avoid scorching.
Once boiling, hold for one minute then strain into a heatproof container.
Add the butter and sour cream and mix until well combined.
Cover the surface of the curd with cling wrap (touching the entire surface) to avoid drying out. Let set in the fridge for at least four hours or overnight.

Make the Pie Dough

In a large bowl or stand mixer, combine salt, flour and sugar.
Add butter and shortening and mix until a crumbly dough forms.
Gradually add water until the dough starts to come together; there should still be crumbs.
Once the dough is mixed, transfer to a lightly floured work surface and shape dough into a thick disk. If the dough is crumbly, keep going, gently squeezing everything together.
Wrap in cling wrap and freeze for 20 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees (325 if convection).
Remove dough from freezer and let stand for 5 minutes.
Roll out dough on a lightly floured work surface into roughly a ¼-inch-thick rectangle.
Using a face down miniature pie tin and a sharp knife, trace a circle one inch extended from the ring into the dough. Repeat until you have six mini pie shells
Press each shell into its case and remove any excess, creating a sharp edge on top.
Prick holes with a fork into the bottom of each shell, be generous.
Line each shell with aluminum foil or parchment paper and fill with baking beans or pie weights, be generous!
Bake on a tray for 15 minutes then remove and bake for an additional 15 minutes or until lightly brown.
Let cool for 15 minutes.

Assembly

Fill each shell generously with lemon curd (but not too full!) and let sit in the fridge for an additional four hours or overnight.
Before serving, make the meringue.
Add reserved egg whites (not drops of yolk) to a clean, grease-free bowl of a stand mixer or large bowl. It is important that there is no grease or fat in the process or the meringue will not inflate.
Begin mixing on low, then medium.
Once frothy, slowly add sugar and whip until there are streaks from the wisk.
Add the last bit of sugar and take speed to high. Whip until stiff peaks form when pulling the whisk from the bowl – the meringue should barely droop.
Decorate each tart as you like with meringue and optionally toast with a kitchen torch.
Store leftover tarts covered in cling wrap or meringue in an airtight container in the fridge to avoid drying out the curd.

Recipe adapted from Michael Ruhlman and Anna Olsen.