Passion Fruit and Lemon Meringue Tartlets from a Teatime in Paris Cookbook
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5
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Excellent
Passion Fruit and Lemon Meringue Tartlets from a Teatime in Paris Cookbook
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Passion Fruit and Lemon Meringue Tartlets combine a crisp sweet pastry shell with a tangy citrus filling of passion fruit and lemon, topped with a light meringue. The delicate crust holds a creamy custard enriched with butter and stabilized slightly with gelatin, finished by a sweet egg white meringue that adds airy texture and sweetness contrast.
Description
This recipe starts with a sweet pastry dough made from butter, icing sugar, salt, egg, vanilla, and flour. The dough is creamed, chilled, rolled thin, and formed into tartlet molds before baking to a golden, crisp shell. The filling blends fresh lemon zest and juice with passion fruit juice, sugar, eggs, cold butter pieces, and a small amount of gelatin to thicken once cooled, creating a tangy, buttery custard.
The meringue topping made from egg whites and sugar is either piped or spread onto the filled tartlets, then can be browned gently to add a toasty flavor and decorative finish. Together, these components balance sweetness, tartness, and buttery richness with a contrast of crisp pastry and fluffy meringue.
The recipe notes highlight the importance of tartlet molds for shaping and suggest a kitchen torch for browning the meringue. The passion fruits noted transition from firm to wrinkled as they ripen, signaling readiness for use, and their juicy pulp is used for the filling.
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Ingredients
Sweet Pastry:
- 4 ½ oz butter at room temperature (good quality, I use Kerrygold)
- 2 ½ oz confectioners sugar icing sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 egg
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 8 ½ oz all-purpose flour sifted
Filling:
- zest lemon unwaxed, preferably organic, from 1 lemon
- 2 passion fruit juiced
- juice lemon should be 100 g/ 3 ½ oz of juice along with the passion fruit juice. If under, juice another lemon, from 1 lemon
- 3 ½ oz sugar
- 2 egg
- 3 oz butter cold and cut into pieces
- ⅜ tsp gelatin
Meringue Topping:
- 2 egg white
- 3 oz sugar
Instructions
- Make the Pastry:
- Place the butter, sugar and salt in a stand mixer, and beat until pale and creamy. Gradually add the egg, vanilla and flour until well-mixed, then stop. Form into a ball, wrap in cling wrap and chill for at least an hour.
- Remove from the fridge and preheat the oven to 325°F (160°C) convection (fan assisted). Regular ovens temps will be 350°F (180°C).
- Roll the pastry out to ⅛" to three-sixteenths of an inch in thickness using a rolling pin and turning regularly on a lightly floured surface (not too much flour or it will affect the pastry).
- Cut around each tart mold a little larger, so that the pastry will overhang when placed inside; press the pastry into the mold, then press the rolling pin over the top, to make a clean edge.
- Prick the base of the tartlet with the tines of a fork.
- Repeat the process with the remaining dough to make 7 more shells. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, depending on your oven or until the pastry just starts to turn golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool, then remove from molds and set aside.
- Make the Filling:
- First, juicing the passion fruits. Cut in half, scrape the seeds into a small sieve and push with the back of a teaspoon to remove the juice from the seeds. Add the juice of a lemon or two to make 100ml of juice, total. There won’t be a lot of juice, but don’t be afraid, the flavor comes through.
- Mix the gelatin with a tablespoon of water and set aside.
- Place the passion fruit/lemon juice mixture into a small saucepan with the sugar, zest and eggs and whisk over medium heat until it boils and thickens. Remove from the heat, strain to remove the zest then whisk in the gelatin and butter.
- Pour the filling directly into the tartlet shells and place in the fridge until just before serving.
- Make the Meringue Topping:
- Whisk the egg whites at medium-high speed in a stand mixer and gradually add the sugar when the whites begin to froth. Increase the speed to high, and continue adding the sugar until the meringue forms strong, glossy peaks.
- Spoon or pipe the meringue onto the top of each tartlet, spreading it evenly over the entire filling.
- Jill says to use the back of the spoon to make little cones, or peaks to decorate the topping.
- When all the Passion Fruit and Lemon Meringue tartlets are topped, bake in very hot oven, 400°F (200°C) for about 5 minutes. (Alternatively, brown with a kitchen torch, which is what I did.) Remove from oven and chill until ready to serve.
- Variations: You can just use lemon juice (100ml), rather than adding the passion fruit; you can serve these without the meringue and topped with fruit, or make a chocolate pastry instead.
Notes
- Use tartlet molds for shaping the pastry and a kitchen torch for browning meringue if available.
- Passion fruits ripen as their skin wrinkles; use ripe fruit by scooping the seeds for juice.
Nutrition Information
Show Details
Serving
1 tartlet
Calories
587kcal
(29%)
Carbohydrates
92g
(31%)
Protein
8g
(16%)
Fat
24g
(37%)
Saturated Fat
14g
(70%)
Polyunsaturated Fat
1g
(6%)
Monounsaturated Fat
6g
(30%)
Trans Fat
1g
(50%)
Cholesterol
127mg
(42%)
Sodium
371mg
(15%)
Potassium
760mg
(16%)
Fiber
2g
(8%)
Sugar
60g
(120%)
Vitamin A
2.049IU
(0%)
Vitamin C
126mg
(140%)
Calcium
45mg
(5%)
Iron
2mg
(11%)
Nutrition Facts
Serving: 8Serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories 587 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Serving | 1 tartlet | |
| Calories | 587kcal | 29% |
| Carbohydrates | 92g | 31% |
| Protein | 8g | 16% |
| Fat | 24g | 37% |
| Saturated Fat | 14g | 70% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 1g | 6% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 6g | 30% |
| Trans Fat | 1g | 50% |
| Cholesterol | 127mg | 42% |
| Sodium | 371mg | 15% |
| Potassium | 760mg | 16% |
| Fiber | 2g | 8% |
| Sugar | 60g | 120% |
| Vitamin A | 2.049IU | 0% |
| Vitamin C | 126mg | 140% |
| Calcium | 45mg | 5% |
| Iron | 2mg | 11% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
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Overall Rating
5
48 reviews
Excellent
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