Lusciously tart raspberry curd in a buttery flakey crust and crowned with the fluffiest Italian meringue!
Summer is here and berry season is in full swing! From strawberry shortcake and blueberry pie to blackberry cobbler and raspberry sorbet, I’m always trying to get my fix of delicious berry desserts this time of year.
This week I decided to incorporate some of that berry love into one of my favorite summer pies–lemon meringue. While there’s definitely nothing wrong with a sweet and refreshingly tangy slice of lemon meringue pie, sometimes it’s a good idea to change things up a bit.
And in this case, it was a SPECTACULAR idea…
These Raspberry Meringue Tarts are absolutely heavenly. With a tender flakey crust, deliciously tart raspberry curd, and a fluffy toasted crown of Italian meringue, what’s not to adore about these gorgeously scrumptious tarts??
I was actually inspired to make these a few weeks ago after I made my boyfriend some lemon meringue tarts for his birthday. I thought, why not RASPBERRY meringue tarts? Heck, why not blackberry, blueberry, or strawberry meringue tarts?? The possibilities are pretty much endless.
Although lemon curd is ALWAYS a good idea, recently I’ve been exploring other curd flavors. In fact, just a couple of months ago I made some Piña Colada Cupcakes which were filled with the most delicious pineapple curd EVER. Since then, I’ve been absolutely itching to experiment with other berries and fruits. So these Raspberry Meringue Tarts were just the ticket!
Making the raspberry curd really isn’t all that different from making lemon curd. In fact, I ended up using my lemon curd recipe and swapping out the lemon juice for raspberry juice. Well, technically I added a tablespoon of lemon juice along with a bit of lemon zest to make the raspberry flavor really pop.
Typically, lemon meringue pies are topped with French meringue, which is pretty stiff and foamy in texture. It’s not bad, but I prefer something softer and creamier. So for these tarts, I went with an Italian meringue. Aside from its dreamy texture, what I love about Italian meringue is that it’s much more stable than Swiss meringue and French meringue. Although it’s considered the most challenging to make of the meringues, I promise it’s SOOOOOO worth it!
You’ll start off by whipping the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Stiff peaks will ensure that the meringue is nice and THICC. You’ll also want to make sure that the bowl you whip the egg whites in is impeccably clean–no grease, food particles, etc. Any residual grease left on the bowl will prevent the whites from whipping up properly. After the egg whites have been whipped, it’s time to start on the sugar syrup. Place the sugar and water into a medium saucepan, and cook on the stove until the temperature reaches 240ºF. I actually don’t have a candy thermometer, so I usually end up using a meat thermometer. Shhhh! Don’t tell anyone!!
Immediately after the desired temperature is reached, the sugar syrup is slowly AND steadily poured into the whipped egg whites as the mixer is going. Try to avoid hitting the beaters/whisk if you can. The hot sugar syrup cooks the egg whites, making this meringue completely safe to eat. Once all of the sugar syrup has been added, cream of tartar and vanilla are stirred into the meringue. Crank that mixer (or beaters) up to high speed, and continue beating that meringue until it’s extra thick, glossy, and about room temperature. This should take 7-10 minutes.
I should also mention that this recipe makes PLENTY of meringue, so feel free to load up these tarts as much as you want! For these tarts, I transferred the meringue to a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip. Then I started from the center, swirled outward along the border, and finished back in the center.
To toast the meringue, I used a small kitchen torch. It’s probably my favorite tool in the kitchen because it’s not very often that you get to play with a little fire. As opposed to a broiler, a kitchen torch allows for way more control so you can achieve nice even browning.
These Raspberry Meringue Tarts are truly out of this world. The lusciously tart raspberry curd is absolutely heavenly, the crust is exquisitely flakey, and the sweet Swiss meringue is so perfectly fluffy. Do yourself (and maybe your friends, if you’re nice) a favor and make these tarts TODAY!
Raspberry Meringue Tarts
Ingredients
Pie Dough:
- 3 Tablespoons water
- 1 Tablespoon sour cream
- 1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup shortening cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- ¼ cup unsalted butter cold
Raspberry Curd:
- 2 cups frozen raspberries thawed
- 7 egg yolks
- 1 whole egg
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 Tablespoon lemon zest
- ⅛ teaspoon of salt
- 5 Tablespoons unsalted butter cut into half-inch pieces
Meringue:
- 3 large egg whites
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup water
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
Make the Pie Dough:
- In a small bowl, combine the water and sour cream; set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, stir the flour, sugar and salt together. Scatter the shortening over the flour, then use a cheese grater to grate the butter on top. Using a fork or a pastry blender, cut the mixture together until it resembles coarse crumbs.
- Add the sour cream mixture and use a stiff rubber spatula to stir and press the dough together until it forms one big mound. If dough is still too dry and doesn’t hold together, add another tablespoon of water.
- Place dough onto a piece of plastic wrap and flatten into a 5-inch disk. Wrap tightly and refrigerate for at least one hour.
Make the Tart Shells:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Let the chilled dough sit on the counter for 10 minutes before rolling.
- Place eight 4-inch diameter mini tart pans onto a baking sheet.
- On a lightly-floured work surface, roll out the chilled dough until it's about 1/8" thick. Place the rim of a bowl or a circular object with a 5-inch diameter on top of the dough, and use a knife to trace/cut around it.
- Press the dough circle into the tart pan and use your rolling pin to roll over the top edges of the pan to cut the excess dough off. Re-roll the scraps for the rest of your tart shells.
- Use a fork to prick holes evenly along the bottom of each tart shell. Gently form a piece of aluminum foil into the tart shells and fill with pie weights or uncooked beans.
- Bake for 15 minutes, then remove the foil and weights and bake for another 10 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown. Allow the tart shells to cool for 10 minutes before removing them from the tart pans to cool completely.
Make the Raspberry Curd:
- Place the thawed raspberries in a food processor and puree until smooth. Pour through a fine-mesh strainer, then transfer to a glass measuring cup. You should have about 1/2 cup of raspberry juice.
- In a medium saucepan, whisk the egg yolks, whole egg, and sugar together until just combined. Whisk in the raspberry juice, lemon juice, zest, and salt. Add the butter and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture has thickened, about 4-8 minutes minutes.
- Immediately strain the curd through a fine-mesh strainer into a medium-size bowl. Place a piece of plastic wrap onto the surface of the curd to prevent a skin from forming, and allow to cool completely.
- Once the curd has cooled to about room temperature, divide it evenly among the tart shells. Chill the tarts in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or overnight until set.
Make the Meringue:
- Place the egg whites into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment (or use a large mixing bowl and a beater), and whisk on high speed until stiff peaks form.
- Pour the sugar and water into a small saucepan, and cook over medium heat, without stirring, until it reaches 240ºF. This usually takes about 5 to 6 minutes from the time it begins to boil. Immediately pour the hot sugar syrup in a slow, steady stream into the egg whites, with the mixer running on medium speed; try to avoid hitting the whisk.
- Once all the sugar syrup has been added, add the cream of tartar and vanilla. Continue beating the meringue on high speed for 7 to 10 minutes, or until it’s cooled to room temperature and glossy peaks form.
- Transfer the meringue to a piping bag fitted with a large star tip. Pipe the meringue on top of the raspberry curd. Use a kitchen torch to toast the meringue just before serving.