CITRUS MERINGUE TART

Ingredients:

240g salted butter, cubed

120g icing sugar

330g flour

250ml grapefruit, lemon, orange or lime juice

3 teaspoons citrus zest from the above fruit

450g sugar

250g unsalted butter, cubed

12 eggs, lightly beaten

4 egg whites

200g caster sugar

Method:

1. Combine the salted butter& sugar in the bowl of a cake mixer.
   
   
2. Using the paddle attachment, beat until light and fluffy.
   
   
3. Sift in the flour, then mix on slow speed until just combined into a soft dough. Tip the pastry out onto a floured bench and press into a flat disc, then wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
   
   
4. Roll out pastry on a floured bench into a large, 3mm-thick disc; use to line a deep, 24cm diameter tart tin with a loose base.
   
   
5. Freeze for 30 minutes. Pre heat oven to 180°C.
   
   
6. Line the tart tin with baking paper, fill with baking weights, then blind bake for 20 minutes. Remove paper and weights; bake for a further 10 minutes or until golden and firm to touch. Cool.
   
   
7. To make the curd, combine citrus juice and zest, sugar and unsalted butter in large saucepan over low heat and heat, stirring occasionally, until the butter has melted and sugar dissolved. Whisk in eggs and increase heat to medium, then stir constantly for 25 minutes, or until the curd thickens & coats the back of a spoon. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature; pour into tart base and refrigerate.
   
   
8. To make the meringue, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form, then add the sugar, 1/3 at a time beating well after each addition to dissolve the sugar before adding the next amount. Continue to beat until the meringue is thick and glossy, with firm peaks and no sugar crystals remaining.
   
   
9. Pre-heat oven to 190° C fan bake. Spoon the meringue over the chilled tart. Bake for 10 minutes, or until the meringue is coloured and cooked through. Cool to room temperature then refrigerate for one hour before serving.

Recipe courtesy Jo Pearson, NZ Gardener Garden Diary