I found this recipe over at Technicolor Kitchen. They looked so good, I just couldn’t pass up the opportunity to make them myself. I changed just a few things, but followed the recipe for the most part. This is a delicious, summery strawberry treat and my family loved it! This goes into the make again soon book. Stop on over at Technicolor Kitchen if you haven’t been there yet, you’ll be glad you did!
Little Strawberry Meringue Tarts
Filling:
400g Strawberries, hulled & quartered
1/2 Cup (88g) Brown Sugar, packed (you might need more depending on how sweet the strawberries are)
1 Vanilla Bean, scraped, seeds only (Optional, but do not substitute with Vanilla Extract) (I used Vanilla Bean Paste)
Juice of 1/2 a Small Orange
Juice of 1/2 a Lime
3 Tbsp. Cornstarch
Brown Sugar Pastry:
50g Unsalted Butter, softened
50g Light Brown Sugar
1 Egg
1 Cup (140g) All Purpose Flour
Italian Meringue: (I doubled the recipe with the following measurements)
1/2 Cup (110g) Caster Sugar
4 Tbsp. (48g) Demerara Sugar
2 Egg Whites
Directions:
For brown sugar pastry:
Beat butter and brown sugar, using an electric mixer for 5 minutes or until pale, then add the egg and beat to combine. Add flour, beat until just combined, turn onto a lightly floured work surface, form into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours.
Meanwhile, place strawberries in a heavy-based saucepan. Add brown sugar and vanilla seeds (or paste). Mix orange and lime juices with the cornstarch, and add to strawberry mixture. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and cook for 5-8 minutes or until strawberries are soft and liquid is reduced and thickened. Set aside to cool, then refrigerate.
Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F. Roll pastry on a lightly floured surface to 1/8 thick and use to line ten 6.5×3.5cm deep pie pans (see note), trim edges and pierce crust all over with fork. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Butter the shiny side of a piece of aluminum foil (or use nonstick foil) and cut roughly into ten squares; place the foil squares, buttered side down, tightly against the crust. Bake blind for 10 minutes, then remove foil and bake for another 10 minutes or until golden and crisp. Cool for 5 minutes in pans, then remove from pans and place on a baking tray. Using a fork to remove some of the liquid, transfer strawberry mixture into pastry cases and set aside*.
For Italian meringue:
Combine sugars and 2 tablespoons water in a small saucepan and stir over low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat to high and cook until syrup reaches 115°C/239°F on a sugar thermometer, then remove from heat. Meanwhile, using an electric mixer, whisk egg white until soft peaks form, then, with motor running, slowly add hot syrup and whisk for 5 minutes. Spoon meringue over strawberry filling, forming into peaks. Place pies under a hot grill for 2-3 minutes or until meringue is golden or use a blowtorch to brown meringue lightly. (It was necessary to double the recipe to have enough meringue to cover my tarts in the tart pans that I used.)
* since this is a very moist filling, assemble the tarts as close as possible to serving them – the juices in the filling will make the pastry soggy (I added the cornstarch so my filling wouldn’t be so moist.)
Note: If you’re unable to find pie pans of this measurement, use individual fluted tart cases instead (they’ll hold less filling).
Serves 10 (My pie pans, made 9 tarts)
Thank you Technicolor Kitchen for such a delicious tasting Strawberry Tart recipe. My family loved it, and the recipe is going in my favorite folder!)
