Lemon Meringue Tart

When life gives you lemons—one of my all-time favourite ingredients—you make a kick-ass lemon meringue tart! That was my stroke of luck on episode 1 of MasterChef Canada, and I ran with it.

In my house, we’re not huge fans of sweets, but when special occasions call for dessert, 9 times out of 10 it’s some kind of lemon situation. My lemon meringue tart features a crumbly, buttery press-in tart shell (the easy kind—no rolling required!) topped with silky-smooth, torched Italian meringue. But the real hero? A super tart, make-you-pucker, salty-sweet lemon curd with just a hint of lime to elevate the citrus punch. This recipe isn’t quick, but it’s a classic, show-stopping dessert that will have even those who, like me, prefer appetizers to sweets, puckering their faces and going back for more.

Credit to Serious Eats’ Leah Colins for her tart shell recipe, which I’ve used time and again, and adapted to create my own version. I absolutely love this method for an easy, shortbread-like crust.

Lemon Meringue Tart

Yields: one 9” tart, or four 4” tarts, serves 8–12
Total time: ~2 hours

Ingredients

Tart Crust

• 160 g (1 ¼ cups) all-purpose flour
• 30 g (3 Tbsp) almond flour
• 50 g (¼ cup) granulated sugar
• ¼ tsp kosher salt
• 113 g (8 Tbsp) salted butter, melted & slightly cooled
• 30 ml (2 Tbsp) water

Lemon Curd

• 130 g (⅔ cup) granulated sugar
• 2 Tbsp finely grated lemon zest (~5 lemons)
• 160 ml (⅔ cup) fresh lemon juice (~5 lemons)
• Juice of 2 limes — brings total citrus juice to 180 ml (¾ cup)
• 170 g (¾ cup) salted butter, cut into cubes
• 3 large eggs
• 3 large egg yolks (reserve whites for meringue)
• Pinch of salt, to taste

Italian Meringue

• 3 large egg whites, room temperature (~120 g)
• 200 g (1 cup) granulated sugar
• 120 ml (½ cup) water
• ½ tsp cream of tartar
• Pinch of salt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Make the Crust: Preheat oven to 350 °F / 175 °C, rack in centre. Place a baking sheet on the lower rack to catch drips.
2. In a bowl, whisk together flour, almond flour, sugar, and salt.
3. Stir in melted butter and water until dough forms a shaggy ball.
4. Press dough evenly across the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. (Dough will feel quite wet — that’s fine.)
5. Use the flat bottom of a glass (with a right-angle edge) to smooth the base and press up the sides.
6. Trim any excess from the rim for a clean edge. Poke holes in the base with a fork.
7. Chill in the freezer for about 10 minutes if possible — this helps reduce shrinkage (it’s fine to bake right away; it may shrink just a bit more).
8. Bake on centre rack, 24–28 minutes (start checking at 22 minutes) until golden-brown.
9. Cool completely in the pan.
10. Make the Lemon Curd: In a medium saucepan, whisk sugar, zest, citrus juice, eggs, and yolks.
11. Cook over medium-low, whisking constantly, until thickened and temperature reaches 170–172 °F / 77–78 °C, about 5–8 minutes (it thickens suddenly).
12. Remove from heat. Whisk in butter one cube at a time until smooth & glossy.
13. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl.
14. Pour warm curd into cooled crust. Smooth the top by gently shaking the pan to level the filling.
15. Bake filled tart at 350 °F / 175 °C for 10–12 minutes, just until edges are set but the centre still jiggles slightly; the top should look matte, not glossy. If making mini tarts, start checking for doneness at about 8 minutes.
16. Cool completely before removing tart from the pan and topping with meringue.
17. Make the Italian Meringue: Combine sugar and water in a small saucepan. Stir just to moisten.
18. Brush down any sugar crystals on the pan sides with a wet pastry brush.
19. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat until syrup reaches 240 °F / 115 °C (soft-ball stage). Let sit about 1 minute to calm bubbling before adding to the egg whites.
20. Meanwhile, beat egg whites with a pinch of salt on high speed until soft peaks form, about 1 minute.
21. With mixer running on medium-high, slowly drizzle the hot syrup in a thin stream down the inside of the bowl (avoid the whisk).
22. Once incorporated, add the cream of tartar and vanilla.
23. Increase speed to high and whip until stiff, glossy peaks form and the bowl feels warm but not hot — about 3–5 minutes.
24. Assemble & Finish: Pipe or spoon the meringue decoratively over the cooled tart.
25. Lightly toast peaks with a kitchen torch until golden, or place under the broiler and watch closely.
26. Best served the same day. Keep at room temperature until ready to serve.

Shopping List

⬜ 160 g (1 ¼ cups) all-purpose flour
⬜ 30 g (3 Tbsp) almond flour
⬜ 380 g (≈ 1 ¾ cups) granulated sugar
⬜ ½ tsp cream of tartar
⬜ 2 pinches kosher salt + ¼ tsp kosher salt
⬜ 283 g (≈ 1 ¼ cups) salted butter
⬜ 6 eggs
⬜ 5–7 lemons
⬜ 2 limes
⬜ 120 ml (½ cup) water
⬜ 1 tsp vanilla extract
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