Mini Tarts with Meringue
To prepare a delicious fruit-filled tart with meringue, we start by making the dough. In a large bowl, we combine all the necessary ingredients: flour, cold diced butter, powdered sugar, a pinch of salt, and the egg. We gently knead until we obtain a homogeneous dough. It is important not to overwork the dough, as we want to keep the flaky texture. Once the dough is ready, we wrap it in plastic wrap and let it chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. This step not only cools the dough but also helps it become easier to roll out.
During this time, we can prepare the fruit filling. In a saucepan, we bring water with sugar to a boil, stirring constantly until the sugar completely dissolves. Once the syrup starts to boil, we add the fruit cut into small pieces. The choice of fruit is versatile; we can use strawberries, blueberries, peaches, or even a mix of berries. We let the mixture boil until it thickens, ensuring that the fruits release their juice and combine with the syrup. Finally, we add gelatin, which has been previously soaked in cold water, mixing well to dissolve completely. We let the filling cool.
Meanwhile, we move on to the meringue. In a clean bowl, we separate the egg whites from the yolks and beat them with a mixer on high speed. As the egg whites start to foam, we gradually add the sugar and lemon juice, continuing to mix until we obtain a firm and glossy meringue. Vanilla flavor can be added at this point for extra flavor.
After the dough has rested, we roll it out on a floured surface and cut out the necessary shapes for the tarts. We line the tart pans with oil and flour, and then carefully place the pastry sheets. We bake the tarts in a preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius for about 15 minutes, or until they turn golden. After taking them out of the oven, we fill them with the previously prepared fruit filling and decorate each tart with a generous layer of meringue.
We return the tarts to the oven for 5-10 minutes at a lower temperature to lightly brown the meringue. When they become golden and fluffy, we take them out and let them cool before serving. This fruit-filled tart with meringue will surely become a favorite dessert, full of freshness and delicious flavors.
Ingredients: Pie dough 125g butter 75g powdered sugar 2 egg yolks 2 tablespoons milk 250g flour a pinch of salt Filling 300g fruit - I used plums 1/2 cup water 1/2 cup sugar 1 tablespoon gelatin (I used 12g gelatin) Meringue 2 egg whites 6 tablespoons sugar 2-3 drops lemon juice vanilla
