Kitchen Classroom.......

Once again I had a very fun baking class today. Except today the girls were a little older and seemed to comprehend the techniques a little more easily. Our three step project was a little more complicated than our banana bread, the girls followed along nicely! We made Lemon Meringue Tarts. Yum!!!!!! Every girl should know how to make a tart. No matter what time of year, there is always a perfect fruit in season for a tart. Whether it be a french apple tart in the fall, or a strawberry covered cream cheese tart in the summer, If you know how to make a tart pastry crust, then just throw in what ever curd/ cream/custard(or even mousse) filling you can make, arrange some fresh fruit on top, and Wallah!! a perfectly gorgeous dessert! Well, back to my class. I get so carried away when dessert is mentioned!!! The girls did very well at following the directions and I loved having them over for the class. Here is the recipe we did and some pictures! Enjoy!

Marie’s Baking Class

Lemon Meringue Tarts

Sweet Pastry Crust
• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup granulated white sugar
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
Sweet Pastry Crust: In a separate bowl, sift or whisk together the flour and salt. Place the butter in your mixer and beat until softened. Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Gradually add the beaten egg, beating just until incorporated. (Do not over mix or the butter will separate and lighten in color.) Add flour mixture all at once and mix just until it forms a ball. Press the dough into a 10-inch-round or 9-inch-square false-bottom tart pan, making sure that the finished edge is flat. Chill until firm. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. bake 10 mins with weights. Remove and bake for ten more minutes or until golden brown.

Lemon Curd:
• 4 lemons, at room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 4 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

For the lemon curd: Remove the zest of the lemons with a vegetable peeler or zester. Squeeze the lemons to make 1/2 cup of juice and set the juice aside. Add the sugar and mix for 2 to 3 minutes. In the bowl mix yolks, sugar, and zest till thickened. Then add the lemon juice and salt. Mix until combined. Place the mixture over a 2-quart saucepan* one third filled with water and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until thickened, about 10 minutes (or until back of spoon is coated). The lemon curd will thicken at about 175 degrees F, or just below a simmer. Remove from the heat. Add butter. Mix till combined.
Meringue
• 3 egg whites
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• ½ tsp cream of tartar
• ½ tsp vanilla
Whip egg whites on high till foamy. Add tartar. Whip till soft peaks. Slowly add sugar and vanilla until stiff peaks form.
*Double boiler