Mini Lemon Meringue Tarts

Step 1

Sieve the flour into a large bowl.

Step 2

Cut the butter up into small cubes and drop into the flour. Use your fingertips to quickly and lightly rub the butter into the flour. Lift your fingers up high to air the ingredients.

Step 3

Once the flour mixture is uniformly crumbly, use an icing spatula or palette knife to slowly mix in the water, a dribble at a time, mixing continuously.

Step 4

Finally use your hands to bring the pastry together into a ball. It should leave the bowl clean but not be sticky.

Step 5

Wrap the pastry in plastic wrap and leave it to rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Step 6

Use an electric whisk to the whisk egg whites in a bowl until they reach stiff peaks and you can turn the bowl upside down without them sliding out.

Step 7

Add the sugar one quarter at a time and whisk until stiff peaks form each time.

Step 8

Pre-heat the oven to 200C / 400F. Lightly grease a mini muffin pan.

Step 9

Roll out the pastry until fairly thin - around 2mm.

Step 10

Use a cookie cutter to cut out circles in the pastry. Make sure the pastry circles are the right size to fill the muffin tin without spilling over. Do a test one before cutting out all the circles.

Step 11

Gently press the pastry circles into the muffin pan and ensure no air pockets are underneath the pastry. Prick each pastry cup several times with a fork. Place in the oven and cook for 5-10 minutes until lightly browned. Remove from tin and allow to cool.

Step 12

Fill a piping bag with a large icing nozzle (I use the Wilton 1A) with the lemon curd. Fill each pastry cup with the lemon curd.

Step 13

Fill another piping bag with a large icing nozzle (I use the Wilton 1M) with the meringue. Pipe a small dollop of meringue on top of each tart.

Step 14

Bake in the oven for around 5 minutes until the meringue is golden brown.

Step 15

Allow to cool before serving.