Blowtorched Lemon Meringue Tart with Almond Pastry

⏱ 180 min · Serves 10

A crisp almond shortcrust holding a silky, mouth-puckering lemon curd, crowned with clouds of glossy Italian meringue scorched to amber. It's the pudding that makes the whole table go quiet — then ask for seconds.

Per serving: 552 kcal · 9.5g protein · 66.0g carbs · 28.0g fat

Ingredients

• For the pastry:
• 200g plain flour
• 30g ground almonds
• 100g icing sugar
• 125g cold unsalted butter, diced
• 1 large egg, plus 1 yolk
• Pinch of fine salt
• For the lemon filling:
• 6 large eggs
• 2 large egg yolks
• 250g caster sugar
• 200ml lemon juice (about 6 lemons)
• Finely grated zest of 3 lemons
• 200ml double cream
• For the Italian meringue:
• 200g caster sugar
• 60ml water
• 4 large egg whites (about 130g)
• Pinch of cream of tartar

Method

1. Make the pastry: rub or pulse the flour, ground almonds, icing sugar, salt and cold butter to fine crumbs. Add the whole egg and yolk and bring together into a dough. Flatten to a disc, wrap and chill 1 hour.
2. Roll the pastry to 3mm on a floured surface and line a 23cm deep loose-bottomed tart tin, leaving an overhang. Prick the base, chill 30 minutes, and heat the oven to 180C/160C fan.
3. Line with baking paper and baking beans; blind bake 20 minutes, remove the beans and bake a further 10-12 minutes until sandy and golden. Brush the inside with a little beaten egg and return for 2 minutes to seal. Drop the oven to 140C/120C fan.
4. Make the filling: whisk the eggs, yolks and sugar until just combined (don't aerate), then whisk in the lemon juice and zest, followed by the cream. Rest 10 minutes and skim any foam.
5. Pour the filling into the warm tart shell (fill it at the oven door to avoid spills) and bake 35-45 minutes until set with a faint wobble at the centre. Cool completely, then chill at least 2 hours.
6. Trim the pastry overhang with a serrated knife for a sharp edge.
7. Make the meringue: heat the sugar and water to 118C on a sugar thermometer. Meanwhile whip the whites with cream of tartar to soft peaks.
8. With the mixer running, pour the hot syrup down the side of the bowl in a steady stream. Whip 8-10 minutes until stiff, glossy and cooled to body temperature.
9. Pipe or swoop the meringue over the chilled tart, leaving a rim of curd visible if you like. Torch until deeply bronzed in patches.
10. Serve within a couple of hours, cut with a hot, dry knife.