Yuzu & Lemon Meringue Tarte

A twist on a classic Lemon tarte, fragrant Japanese yuzu fruit brings a nice alternative. Feel free to swap for lemons if Yuzu is hard to find.

Ingredients

For the pastry shell:

• 1/4 cup sugar

• 115g unsalted butter

• 170g plain flour

• 1 egg yolk

• 1/2 tablespoon milk

• 1/8 teaspoon salt

For the Filling:

• 1/2 cup yuzu juice

• 1/2 cup lemon juice

• Grated zest of 1 lemon

• 7 egg yolks

• 5 eggs

• 160g unsalted butter

• 1/8 teaspoon salt

For the meringue:

• 100g egg whites

• 100g caster sugar

For the Candied Yuzu peel:

• Peel of 1 lemon

• 1 cup Water

• 165g Sugar

Method

In a medium bowl, combine the flour and the salt, set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the butter and sugar until light in colour and fluffy. Add the egg yolk and the milk and whisk until combined. Begin to add the flour/salt mixture in stages, whisking as you go to combine. Bring all ingredients together just until combined, take care not to over whisk. Bring the dough into a ball, flatten slightly into a disk, wrap in clingfilm and refrigerate for 1 hour.

When cooled, remove dough from fridge, and roll out until the thickness of a £1 coin. Carefully place into a tarte pan, pressing gently on to the sides. Leave 1cm overhang, prick the base with a fork a few times, then put back in the fridge for a further 30 minutes.

Pre-heat oven to 190ºc

When shell is cooled, place in centre rack of oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, until shell is golden brown. Remove from oven, allow to cool slightly, then with a microplane grater, grate the overhang pastry until the edges are flush with the wall of the tarte case. Set aside to cool.

To make the filling, in a medium heavy bottomed pan, on medium-low heat, combine 1 cup of yuzu juice, zest of one yuzu, sugar butter and salt. Stir ingredients occasionally, and allow sugar to dissolve and butter to melt. Make sure not to allow it to boil.

In a large bowl, whisk together eggs and egg yolks until combined and frothy. Slowly begin to add hot lemon mixture, whisking continuously so as not to cook the eggs. When fully combined, put mixture back into the pan, and on low heat, slowly whisk the mixture until it thickens to the texture of a custard. Remove pan from heat, continue to whisk until mixture has cooled further. Put mixture in a bowl, covering the filling with cling film, ensuring the cling film is touching the surface of the mixture. Allow to cool completely. 

When filling is cooled, pour into the pastry shell, and bake in the oven for between 20-30 minutes - the centre should have a slight wobble. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.

To make the candied peel, using a vegetable peeler, remove the peel from the yuzus and cut to the desired shape (I did thin strips)

In a small saucepan, place 1 1/2 cups cold water and the yuzu peel. Bring the water to a boil on medium-high heat, and allow rolling boil to run for 30 seconds. Remove pan from heat, drain water, then add another 1 1/2 cups cold water, add the yuzu back in, then repeat the process again, bringing the water to a running boil for 30 seconds, then removing water and draining peel. This process will remove the bitterness from the peel.

In the same pan, add 165g sugar and 1 cup of water. On medium heat, bring water to a simmer and whisk until sugar is dissolved. Add drained yuzu peel, lower heat to a low simmer, and allow to cook for between 30-40 minutes, until syrup is reduced and peel has a transparent quality. Drain syrup into a jar, and place peel on to a kitchen towel to cooled slightly. Once cooled, toss the sticky peel in a little caster sugar to coat. Set aside. 

For the Meringue, in a large bowl, place egg whites and sugar. Whisk slowly over a pan of simmering water to allow the sugar to dissolve completely. Test with your fingers as you go to see if all sugar granules have dissolved. Make sure not to overcook the syrup.

Once ready, remove the bowl from heat, and whisk for 2 minutes on low speed. Add two tablespoons of the saved yuzu syrup from the peel, then continue to whisk on medium speed until stiff peaks have formed. When you pull your whip up, the peak should be stiff and shooting straight up, with possibly a slight bend at the top. You will know it’s ready when you can start to see distinctive streaks formed by the whisk.

Pipe the meringue on to the cooled tarte, and with a blow torch, carefully toast the meringue tips. Sprinkle the candied peel as desired.