mini lemon meringue pies

INGREDIENTS:

1 x Empire Pastry Vanilla Sweet Shortcrust Sheet, defrosted.

400ml Lemon Juice

Grated zest of 1 lemon and 1 lime

75g Cornflour

4 free range egg yolks

250g caster sugar

Meringue:

4 free range egg whites

225g caster sugar

Method:

Step 1: Pre heat oven to 180c fan. If using a pastry sheet, lightly grease your mini tart tins and gently push the pastry into the corners. Blind bake by lining the pastry with tin foil and bake with baking beads for 12 minutes, reduce oven to 160c, take off beads and bake for a further 5 mins until golden. Cool.

Step 2: In a saucepan, place the juice and zest and whisk in the cornflour. Add 250ml water and bring to the boil. Turn down to a simmer and stir constantly until the mixture thickens. Remove from the heat and whisk in the egg yolks and sugar, returning to the heat for 2 minutes, stirring. Remove and spoon into tart shells.

Step 3: For the meringue, beat egg whites until soft peaks, then keep whisking on high speed adding one tbsp of caster sugar at a time until stiff peaks form and the mix is glossy.

Step 4: Place meringue mix in a piping bag and top the lemon tarts. Use a blow torch to cook the meringue.