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Lemon-Lavender Meringue Tarts

Lemon-Lavender Meringue Tarts | ZoëBakes | Photo by Zoë François

These lemon-lavender meringue tarts may seem a little upside down, we usually think of the meringue piled high above the lemon filling, not the other way around. This is a simpler twist on the classic, but all the same tangy-sweet allure. The best part is there is no crust to deal with, which makes them lighter and faster to make. The meringue shell is whipped until it is as light as air, spooned into little clouds and baked just until they are set, but still slightly soft in the middle. Once cooled they’re topped with lavender scented lemon curd. The tartness of the curd is always a perfect match for the sweet meringue, and a bit of lavender creates a gentle floral touch, without going overboard. It tastes like spring, which I am desperately in need of on this April day, when we’re anticipating a snow storm.

Whipped meringue | ZoëBakes | Photo by Zoë François

A Meringue Primer: The difference between French, Swiss and Italian Meringues

There are three different types of meringue, with three distinct characteristics and three countries laying claim to them.

1. The simplest is the French Meringue, which is just egg whites with sugar sprinkled over them as you whip them to peaks. If consuming raw egg whites makes you nervous, the French meringue needs to be baked to make the egg whites perfectly safe and keeps them from deflating. There are also pasteurized eggs whites on the market that eliminate any fear, but I find they don’t whip up quite as well. It is the least stable and most likely to be over whipped, but the fastest and easiest to prepare of the three types. It helps to create a lofty, shiny French meringue by starting with room temperature egg whites.

2. The Swiss Meringue is made by heating the egg whites and sugar together over a double boiler until all the sugar melts. This process cooks the eggs enough to make them edible without having to bake them and gives the meringue great strength. It CAN be baked (its what I used for these tartlettes) or used to make buttercream, mousse or toasted meringue topping.

3. An Italian Meringue is the most stable of the three types, but also requires the most effort to create. A sugar syrup is heated to about 242°F on a candy thermometer and then very carefully poured over whipping egg whites. This creates a very stable meringue, which will hold up in a buttercream, toppings for pies and folded into mousses or Baked Alaska.

You could make these tart shells using any of the three techniques, and it may be interesting to try them each way. For this particular go of it, I chose a Swiss meringue and here’s how…

How to Make Lemon-Lavender Meringue Tarts

See how I make these step by step and find the full recipe at the bottom of this post.

To make the meringues:

Preheat oven to 200°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper, set aside

Combining sugar, salt and egg whites for meringue | ZoëBakes | Photo by Zoë François

In the bowl of a stand mixer combine the egg whites, sugar and salt. It will be very thick and grainy.

Mixing egg whites, sugar and salt for meringues  | ZoëBakes | Photo by Zoë François

Put the bowl over a double boiler and stir with a rubber spatula until the sugar is completely melted. This can take several minutes. You want to brush the sides down with the spatula to make sure all the sugar is melted and no grains are clinging to the sides.

Testing meringue mixture with fingers | ZoëBakes | Photo by Zoë François

Feel the egg mixture between your fingers to check for graininess. Once it is completely smooth, put it on your stand mixer and beat with the whip attachment on medium high speed.

Beating meringue mixture | ZoëBakes | Photo by Zoë François

Beat it until it is light, fluffy, glossy and the bowl feels just about room temperature. Add the scraped vanilla seeds and whip until they are evenly distributed.

Spooning meringues onto baking sheet | ZoëBakes | Photo by Zoë François

Use a spoon to create mounds of the meringue on the parchment.

Spooning meringues onto baking sheet | ZoëBakes | Photo by Zoë François

Wet the spoon and make a well in the center of the mound.

Meringues on baking sheet | ZoëBakes | Photo by Zoë François

Bake the meringues for an 1 1/2 hours. Turn off the heat and allow the meringues to sit in the oven for 30 more minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool completely before filling.

Fresh lemons for lemon curd | ZoëBakes | Photo by Zoë François

To make the curd:

Boiling lemon curd | ZoëBakes | Photo by Zoë François

In a bowl set over a double boiler, with an inch of simmering water below, whisk together the yolks, egg, sugar, lemon juice, zest and lavender.

Adding butter to lemon curd | ZoëBakes | Photo by Zoë François

Stir the mixture constantly until it starts to thicken, this can take several minutes. Add the butter and continue stirring until the butter is incorporated into the curd and

Lemon curd recipe | ZoëBakes | Photo by Zoë François

It is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. When you draw a line through the curd, it should be thick enough to stay put. Strain the curd into a container, cover with plastic (place it directly on the surface of the curd, to prevent a thick skin from forming) and place in the freezer for about 15 minutes or until cool, but not frozen.

Lemon-Lavender Meringue Tarts | ZoëBakes | Photo by Zoë François

Once it is cooled, fill the meringues with the lemon-lavender curd.

Lemon-Lavender Meringue Tarts | ZoëBakes | Photo by Zoë François

Sprinkle with the lavender buds and serve.

Lemon-Lavender Meringue Tarts

Lemon-Lavender Meringue Tarts

The tartness of the curd in these lemon-lavender meringue tarts is a perfect match for the sweet meringue. The lavender is a great touch.
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Ingredients

Meringues

  • 4 egg whites
  • 1 1/4 cups sugar
  • pinch salt
  • 1 vanilla bean scraped of its seeds or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Lemon-Lavender Curd

  • 4 egg yolks
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp lemon zest
  • 1 tbsp fresh or dried lavender buds plus more for sprinkling over the top of the tarts
  • 1 stick unsalted butter or non-dairy butter substitute, cut into 1-tablespoon pieces

Instructions

To Make the Meringues

  • Preheat oven to 200°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper, set aside.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer combine the egg whites, sugar and salt. It will be very thick and grainy. Put the bowl over a double boiler and stir with a rubber spatula until the sugar is completely melted. This can take several minutes. You want to brush the sides down with the spatula to make sure all the sugar is melted and no grains are clinging to the sides.
  • Feel the egg mixture between your fingers to check for graininess. Once it is completely smooth, put it on your stand mixer and beat with the whip attachment on medium high speed.
  • Beat it until it is light, fluffy, glossy and the bowl feels just about room temperature. Add the scraped vanilla seeds and whip until they are evenly distributed.
  • Use a spoon to create mounds of the meringue on the parchment. Wet the spoon and make a well in the center of the mound.
    meringue tart shells
  • Bake the meringues for an 1 1/2 hours. Turn off the heat and allow the meringues to sit in the oven for 30 more minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool completely before filling.

To Make the Curd

  • In a bowl set over a double boiler, with an inch of simmering water below, whisk together the yolks, egg, sugar, lemon juice, zest and lavender.
    Lemon Lavender Curd in a saucepan
  • Stir the mixture constantly until it starts to thicken, this can take several minutes. Add the butter and continue stirring until the butter is incorporated into the curd and it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. When you draw a line through the curd, it should be thick enough to stay put. Strain the curd into a container, cover with plastic (place it directly on the surface of the curd, to prevent a thick skin from forming) and place in the freezer for about 15 minutes or until cool, but not frozen.
    Lemon Lavender Curd in a saucepan
  • Once it is cooled, fill the meringues with the lemon-lavender curd. Sprinkle with the lavender buds and serve.
    Lemon-Lavender Meringue Tarts
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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27 thoughts to “Lemon-Lavender Meringue Tarts”

  1. These look simply beautiful! I have a jar of homemade lemon curd that is begging to be used for these… thanks for the inspiration! And here’s hoping this silly April snowstorm isn’t as bad as they say it is…

  2. Hi Zoe! Thanks SO much for clearing up the meringue issue!

    I’ve been looking for the perfect creamy meringue to go with lemon curd. I tried French and Italian, and Italian was quite creamy- but I can’t wait to try the Swiss!

  3. These look stunning! I’m always after different ways to use lavender in my cooking so that it does a little more than smell nice in the garden, this recipe is perfect!

    1. Hi Heidi,

      It depends on how large you make the meringues. I got about 30 2-inch meringues and enough curd to fill them, plus more to enjoy on toast!

      Thanks, Zoë

  4. i don’t normally post but I had to sing it from the roof tops. I normally make meringue the French way which is hit or miss with me, but this way was not hard at all and they came out AMAZING! I am so excited to take them to my pot luck. Thank you for the original post!

  5. Would you say the meringue you used is more creamy than frothy? I’m looking for a creamy meringue recipe for lemon meringue pie

  6. I found these on Pinterest and was mesmerized (as 10k+ other people :-)). Camouflaged as beautiful poached eggs, these meringues couldn´t be prettier!

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