Lemon Meringue Tart
I’ve been wanting lemon meringue pie or tart for a while now. I planned on making it last week but got sick. I have had this recipe in my to do pile for a while now and since lemon is one of my favorite flavors it went straight to the top of recipes I wanted to try. Usually when I make a lemon tart I use the tartine lemon cream recipe, It has the perfect consistency and holds up beautifully giving a perfect slice. Most recipes for lemon meringue pie that I have tried have been really tasty but are a bit on the runny side. When I saw the photo that came with this recipe I thought I had found nirvana, a lemon meringue pie that looks perfect, produces a clean slice and sounds like it’s very tasty. This recipe is all that except that it is still a bit on the runny side even after sitting overnight in the refrigerator. Don’t get me wrong it tastes amazing but it does not produce a clean slice. Next time I will add more cornstarch, while I was making it my gut instinct was to add more but I held myself back. Oh well, should have gone with my gut.
Pate Sucré
Makes 9 inch tart or 6 tartlets
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sugar
8 ounces cold unsalted butter cut into pieces
3 egg yolks from large eggs
3 tablespoons heavy cream
Put the flour, salt and sugar in the food processor, pulse to combine, add the butter and pulse until it resembles fine crumbs. Add the egg yolk and cream and pulse until the dough comes together, it will be shaggy but thats ok, test it by pinching a piece and if it holds together it’s fine. Divide in two, press into disks and refrigerate for an hour. Pre heat the oven to 375, line tart pan or tartlet pans, prick with fork and place in freezer for 30 minutes. Place a piece of parchment in the tart pan or pans and pour in pie weights or beans. Bake 20 minutes remove the parchment and weights and place back in the oven for another 10-15 minutes until golden brown. Cool on rack.
Lemon Filling
Fills a 9 inch pie or tart
1 cup water
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup cornstarch (Next time I would add an additional 1-2tbs of cornstarch)
pinch of salt
4 eggs separated – the yolks are for the filling and whites for meringue
5 tbs cold unsalted butter
4 tsp lemon zest
In medium sauce pan add the water. lemon juice, sugar, cornstarch and salt and whisk to combine so there are no lumps. Turn heat to medium and cook stirring constantly until mixture is thick, Whisk the egg yolks and slowely add the hot lemon mixture whisking while adding. Pour back into the pan and cook for 60 seconds (1 minute). Remove from heat and add the butter and lemon zest. Let come to room temparature and then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
Swiss Meringue
4 egg whites
2/3 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of salt
Whisk the egg whites and sugar together in the bowl of a stand mixer. Place the bowl of the stand mixer over a double boiler and cook, stirring occasionally, until the egg whites are very warm to the touch and the sugar has dissolved. Whip the egg whites on medium-high until stiff peaks form. Add in the salt and vanilla extract and whip to combine.
A little runny but delicious
apuginthekitchen 
Even though it is runny, it looks delicious enough to eat!
Thank you Ann, it was a little runny not bad but I think all it needed was a little more cornstarch in the filling. The flavor was wonderful. Thank you/
oh Suzanne – I saw this on Instagram and now all I want is some lemon meringue pie/tart! This looks so pretty and ooh that lemon filling is making my mouth water!
BTW – I hope to make it to NYC for longer than I did last summer and sure hope we get to meet up this time 🙂
Yea just let me know. Last time you were here my Nando was very very ill. I really want to meet you. We will definitely get together.
One more success for you, Suzanne ( one of my favourite cakes … lemon meringue ) – amitiés 🙂 – France
Merci France, love lemon meringue also.
Ooo I puckered as soon as I saw it! :O I love lemons. This used to be one of my favorites (when I could have such things). Suzanne, anything that delicious fits my definition of perfect. Are you about over your stomach problem (I hope)? Have a wonder-filled week, my friend. Be well, be happy.
Thank you Teagan, yes I feel much better now thank you. I just love lemon and a lemon meringue pie is a favorite of mine. I make one every year in the spring. Have a lovely week my friend and thank you.
Very glad you’re feeling better. Hugs. 🙂
You made it at last! I have a very special affection for lemon meringue pie because it reminds me of my very first trip to NYC when I was about seven. We stopped for breakfast in a drugstore and I had a large piece of lemon meringue pie (which was a bit random for breakfast really). I had never tasted it before, but it looked so incredibly enticing I couldn’t resist. I wasn’t disappointed and ever since it has been one of my absolute favourite desserts.
I love lemon meringue in diners, the meringue is a mile high usually. It’s one of my all time favorites as well. Thank you so much,
Lemon Meringue is one of my favourites. Yours looks really good. Don’t worry if it is a little runny, it is all about the taste ! x
Thanks Lynne, totally agree, taste is what matters in the long run. Thank you so much.
Oh Yum-a cuppa java and a slice-perfection!
Thank you my dear!!
You betcha! xo
That top photo looks wonderful! My mouth is watering just thinking about making this tart! So glad you shared the recipe!
Thank you, it’s a delicious tart but then I am such a fan of lemon.
What i wouldn’t do for a piece of that right now!!!
Thanks Em, would love to share a piece with you.
Love the idea of making this as a tart – and we still have tons of Meyer lemons on our tree.
Thanks Liz, oh how I envy your meyer lemon tree. I think I would go crazy with all those lemons at my disposal daily. Does your tree have fruit all year?
Omg.. this looks so divine!!
Thank you so much.
Hi Suzanne, what a masterpiece! love how you prepared the top with all the little peaks.
Thank you Cheri, I think a lemon meringue tart is so beautiful. The colors are so cheerful.
This tart looks amazingly delicious!!
Thank you Julian, would it be overkill to have limoncello with the lemon tart?
I’ve had a Limoncello pie before but never tried paring Limoncello with a lemon tart 😀
It could be “too much”. I personally prefer to serve Limoncello after dinner.
Thought so it would be lemon overkill. Thanks Julian!!
Love the topping!!
Thank you Dave.
Looks so good , Suzanne! Mouthwatering!
Thanks so much Freda.
Gorgeous cake! 🙂
Thank you so much Ronit.
Looks really delicious, but can see what you mean about it being runny, but only slightly so. I’ve seen me having to chase the lemon mixture around the plate with my spoon! Just means to get the perfect clean slice, you’ll get to make more lemon meringue tarts, which is always a good thing!
Yes you can see how the filling does not stand up, it runs slightly, not a lot but enough that it bothers me. Yep, I am going to try again and don’t mind at all because I love the lemon filling even without pie crust.
The meringue still looks gorgeous though.I would be over the moon if my meringue looked this yours. I love lemon filling too, infact anything with lemon is yummy.
A perfect tart! This looks great, I can’t wait to make one of my own!
Wow, what a fantastic pie. I made lemon meringue pie before, but sometimes my lemon curd got a little runny as well. Yours is perfectly to me!
Thanks Mochi, it is a bit runny. It should stand up without running and when you slice it should be clean. It tastes good though.
Lemon desserts make me think of springtime Suzanne! I love the design of the meringue topping and how it’s so delicately browned. Sounds like a winning recipe to me 🙂
Thanks so much Heather, I had fun making it and next time will add more cornstarch to the filling I think.
So gorgeous Suzanne! The meringue looks just perfect and I’m sure it tastes like a dream 🙂
It tastes really good I am a real fan of lemon and lemon meringue. Thank you so much Mary Frances.
Not even going to lie… I attempted this a month back and I totally failed at the meringue. Your’s is stunning and I need to learn your secrets!!!
Thank you, the meringue is really simple. Two things that are important 1. make sure you heat your egg whites and sugar until very warm and there is no granules of sugar left, you will have to feel with your finger for temperature and sugar grains. Immediately whip it with your stand or hand held mixer for at least 5 minutes. It should be very stiff. I piped it onto the tart and it holds up beautifully. Thank you so much.
Something happened to mine when I tried to pipe it and it kind of deflated. I didn’t heat mine as I was whipping it, because I was planning to bake it to set it. I think maybe I’ll try your technique and report back! It’s gorgeous looking 🙂
Oh my word, beautiful pictures! That sounds and looks amazing.
Thank you so much.
this looks lovely Suzanne! Gorgeous!
Thank you so much Lynn.
So beautiful Suzanne
The meringue is piped so prettily amid the whole tart looks so good. It’s frustrating when we ignore our instincts only to discover later they were correct. Have a good week. 😉
Yes it is. I should have added 1 tbs extra of corn starch that is all that would be needed. It really is delicious. Thank you so much.
Such a pretty pie!!! I too love lemon desserts and would have no problem devouring your lemon meringue tart 🙂
Thank you so much Marisa, I can resist desserts fairly well unless it’s lemon pie. There is something about it that for me is irresistible. I had to give away most of this tart or else I would have devoured it all.
This absolutely beautiful!
Thank you so much Julie.
I am so glad you are feeling better Suzanne! The meringue on the pie is just stunning! Don’t you hate it when you have a gut instinct to do something but then don’t follow it? Happens to me a lot.
Happens to me a lot too, especially when trying a new recipe which was the case here. It was nearly perfect but needed IMHO only a tbs more of cornstarch. Thanks so much Kathryn, hope all is well!!!
Hi Suzanne, hanging in there, thanks! 🙂
❤️❤️❤️💕💕💕
Delicious!
Thank you so much Lina.
I love anything lemony when it comes to deserts. Your tart looks stunning. Have a great week Suzanne.
You have a great week as well Gerlinde and thank you.
Look at those perfect peaks! A vision of beauty 🙂
Thank you so much Elaine.
Looks so ultimately gorgeous 🙂
Thank you so much.
The last picture has my mouth-watering! It looks perfect, Suzanne 🙂
Thank you so much. It tasted wonderful.
My family used to tell me that using a lemon that had s touch of green in the skin would make the lemon set better. Not sure if it is myth or not..
That is really interesting. I would love to find lemon with a touch a green to try that one out. Thank you so much.
Let me know if it works!
I will😄
It looks amazing! I love lemon meringue tart, but sadly I don’t have it all that much as my other half is not a fan. Maybe I should try and make it myself to see how it goes down. The piping of you meringue is so beautiful too 🙂 x
It’s hard when a member of the household is not a fan, that means more for you which could be a good or bad thing depending. Thanks so much.
This is so true. I usually go with a good thing 🙂
A work of art! Bravissima, Suzanne!
Grazie mille!!!
Did I happen to mention Suzanne that Lemon Meringue tart is my favourite even over BFG, especially if the lemon is a little bit tart. Do you think my slice with drip in the post?
xxx Massive Hugs xxx
I didn’t know that and if one would survive the overseas trip I would gladly send one to you. Info ever take a trip to England I promise to bring one to you!! Thank you!!
Beautifully done Suzanne!! Just lovely 🙂
Thank you Linda.
The tart looks amazing Suzanne! Another yummy lemon recipe 😀 Glad you are better!
Thanks so much Antonia.
When I made my little ‘un last year I didn’t even think about how clean the slice was. Perfect, in fact. What wasn’t was using cornstarch for the first time – it thickens so quickly! The filling was a mess. 🙂 But, covered with the meringue I managed to rescue it. Talking of meringues, your Swiss meringue sounds (and looks) heavenly. I’m wondering how different the texture might be.
I actually hate using corn starch it’s very finicky but thats what the recipe called for and is usually the thickener in this type of fiilling. I never feel totally comfortable with it because if you heat it too much it turns watery or too little and it doesn’t thicken enough. I have never really found that sweet spot when it comes to corn starch. I like flour but that would not be good for lemon filling I don’t think. The swiss meringue did turn out great, it was very billowy and sturdy at the same time. Thanks so much Johnny.
The lemon meringue tart is an absolute work of art. It looks too beautiful to eat.
Thank you so much Sharon.
What a work of art Suzanne!! It’s really beautiful– and I trust you that it tastes delicious!! It brings back memories of my grandmother’s (much plainer) lemon meringue pie! Beautiful post. xox
It’s a favorite thank you so much Rhonda❤️💕
It’s a show-stopper!!
Thank you!!:o)
Reblogged this on ravenhawks' magazine and commented:
Looks very good! Never mind that it is a little runny taste is what matters
Thank you so much❤️❤️
Looks absolutely delicious.
Thank you so much❤️
Thank you for such a delicious recipe
Thank you🙏🏻❤️
Awww man this is so beautiful! Bet is tastes divine 🙂
Thanks so much Jenn❤️
Well….. It’s probably the prettiest lemon meringue pie I’ve ever seen!
Thank you so much Mimi
What a beautiful tart! It looks wonderful!
Thank you so much Nancy.
I absolutely adore all lemon tarts. I love how the tartness makes me cringe in a positive way. Your tart looks so gorgeous and delicious!
I do too Jasline, lemon on just about and in just about anything is the best. Thank you so much.
Your’s certainly looks, and no doubt tastes delicious, but I just don’t like citrus based desserts. Any advice on how to overcome this problem?
Oh no Jeff, you don’t like citrus desserts. Well, It would be hard to eat this then if you don’t like lemon desserts. Do you like lemonade, limoncello? If you do you could think of this as one of those drinks in solid form, LOL. I wish I knew how to overcome this but not sure how you would do that. I guess you don’t like key lime either. I make a lemon tart using tartines recipe for lemon cream, it’s not as stringent because it has a lot of butter in it. Maybe you would like that better.
This looks AMAZING. Anything lemony is my husband’s favourite dessert, he would adore this pie! Your pastry looks perfect, so golden and crisp. Definitely would love to try your recipe! Hope that you’re all better now (after your sickness last week) xx
Much better Laura, thank you. I too love lemon sweet or savory it’s all delicious. Thank you so much.
What a pretty cake, Suzanne! Perfect in every ways. The cut slice looks perfect! Hope you have totally recovered by now. 🙂
Thanks so much Fae, feeling much better now.
This looks beautiful!!! Almost too pretty to eat!
Thank you so much.
Lovely tart! Did you do the top with a blowtorch? I was thinking about your filling and cornstarch and it being so finicky, but one of the things I’ve noticed is that moving a cornstarch filling, stirring it, or disturbing it. also makes it runnier. I wonder if you went straight from the pan into the crust if that might not help it out. I did a quick comparison with my filling and it seems like a lot of cornstarch already for that many eggs and that much liquid, but then your filling has a lot more sugar, too.
I didn’t know that about cornstarch. No I cooled in a bowl before adding to the crust. I noticed that it was a bit loose in the bowl as well. I thought it was a lot of cornstarch as well. Maybe it needed to cook longer I don’t know. Thanks Mollie I have made cornstarch fillings before and really dislike working with the stuff because it is so finicky.
I made a gorgeous fruit tart once and cooled the filling in a bowl, then transferred to the crust and piled on the fruit – when I served it the pudding base was like water under that big huge pile – I was mortified!! What’re ya gonna do…lol…I just had to laugh at myself first…
I was so frenzied the other day I just noticed I didn’t answer your question. No I don’t own one of those blow torch things, I used the broiler. I am scared of them for some reason. Fire freaks me out, have never flambe and probably never will. LOL
🙂
Your fantastisch Lemon meringues tart looks just superb, Amazing & very inviting too!
Another delicious tart recipe for me tobtry out! Yes! X
Thanks Sophie, I really liked this tart but then I am a big lemon fan and lemon meringue is a favorite. Thank you so much.
This looks so beautiful Suzanne!
Thank you so much.
Absolutely stunning Suzanne!!
Ooohhh looks good!! Have to try this!! Inspirabake
Thank you so much!!