Lemon Tart with Toasted Swiss Meringue

A light, yet buttery tart crust filled with citrusy lemon filling and neatly topped with a sweet toasted Swiss meringue.

Ingredients

For Tart Crust:
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
14 tablespoons cold butter
1 cup powdered sugar
1 egg yolk
1- 2 tablespoons ice-cold water

For Lemon Filling:
4 large eggs 
¾ cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup fresh lemon juice + zest
½ cup heavy whipping cream
2 teaspoons LorAnn Lemon Bakery Emulsion
2 teaspoons LorAnn Organic Madagascar Vanilla Extract

For Sweet Toasted Swiss Meringue:
5 Large egg whites
2-1/3 cups of sugar
2 teaspoons LorAnn Organic Madagascar Vanilla Extract

Directions

For Tart Crust:

1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Line a 9 inch or 10 inch tart pan with parchment paper.
2. Place flour, butter, and confectioners' sugar in a food processor; pulse until mixture is crumbly and combined. Add egg yolk and 1 to 2 tablespoons of ice-cold water, and process until mixture forms a dough.
3. Cut dough in half and wrap each in plastic. Place in fridge to firm up (this recipe makes enough for two tart shells).
4. Once chilled, lightly flour your work surface and roll out the dough to about 1/8 inch thickness and carefully place in your tart pan. Gently press into the corners and cut off any access.
5. With a fork, poke a few holes in the bottom to allow the crust to vent and evenly cook.
6. Chill the crust in the freezer for 20 minutes.
7. Bake for 15 minutes until set. Continue baking until pastry is a light golden color. 
8. Allow to cool on the counter. 

For Lemon Tart Filling:

1. In a mixing bowl whisk the eggs, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, heavy cream, lemon emulsion and vanilla extract until just combined. Do not overbeat.  
2. Place the tart pan on a baking sheet, and carefully pour the lemon mixture into the baked tart crust. 
3. Bake until the tart is nearly set, about 20-30 minutes. The filling will be a bit wobbly in the center, and will set when cool; don't over bake, or it will crack.   
4. Allow to come to room temperature on a cooling rack for 20 minutes and store in fridge until firm about 1 hour. 

For Sweet Toasted Swiss Meringue:

1. Separate egg whites from yolks in the bowl of a clean grease-free stand mixer. Pour sugar in the bowl with the egg whites and vanilla and whisk to combine.  
2. Place bowl onto a pot with simmering water. Whisk constantly until sugar has completely dissolved around 160° F. If you do not have a thermometer, you can tell it’s done when you rub a little of the mixture between your fingers and the sugar has dissolved completely. This process should take no more than 10 minutes.   
3. Return the bowl to stand or use an electric hand mixer fitted with a clean grease-free whisk attachment. 
4. Whip at high speed until whites are glossy and stiff peaks have formed. The bowl should be cool to the touch, this will take around 10 minutes.   
5. Add meringue to a piping bag fitted with a large star tip and gently pipe your own design atop the chilled tart.
6. Using a kitchen torch, gently torch the meringue until golden brown. If you don't have a torch, you can pop the pie under your oven's broiler for a few minutes. Watch carefully because it can burn quickly.   
7. Add sliced lemons for garnish.