Cuisine – Lemon meringue tart

This is quite a girly looking tart, but it is one of my hubby’s all-time favourites. My girls and I love to whip up one of these to treat him on Father’s Day. Lemons are still in season and affordable and many of us have them in our gardens too.

Crust:
80g butter
1 pack Original Digestive Biscuits or similar (250g)
1 egg

Filling:
2-3 lemons – about 125ml juice
Zest of one lemon
1 tin (395g) sweetened condensed milk 
3 egg yolks
2.5ml vanilla

Meringue topping:
3 egg whites
125ml castor sugar
2.5ml cream of tartar

Pre heat the oven to 180°C. Spray a tart dish with cooking spray. Melt the butter in the microwave or on the stove. Crush the biscuits into a fine crumb, add the melted butter and egg. Mix well.  Pour into the tart dish, using the back of a spoon lightly push down the mixture to form a crust. Pop it in the oven and bake for around 10 min.

While the crust is baking, prepare the filling by mixing the lemon juice and condensed milk until thick. Separate the eggs, and add the egg yolks and vanilla to the filling mixture. Make sure it’s well combined. Pour the filling on top of the baked crust. Bake for another 15min until the filling is cooked.

To make the meringue, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar until stiff peaks form, gradually adding the castor sugar until it’s all incorporated and shiny. Scoop the meringue on top of the lemon filling, swirl it around till the whole tart is covered. Reduce the temperature to around 100°C and bake for approximately 20min or until the meringue is crisp and light brown in colour. Leave to cool completely.  Serve with freshly whipped cream and any other decorations such as edible flowers.