Passionfruit Meringue Tart

Passionfruit Meringue Tart

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Passionfruit is one of those fruits that makes my mouth water just thinking about it. But its definitely not my favourite to eat. The flavour is so amazing but I hate the harsh texture of the seeds and eating just the pulp/juice is pretty tricky. That’s why I wanted to incorporate passionfruit into a dessert, to get all of the benefits without any of the faff. Behold, the passionfruit meringue tart!

passionfruit meringue tart

passionfruit meringue tart

So before I go into the actual tart, I wanted to talk about the tart ring I used. I ordered it recently after looking at them for agessss. A tart ring is literally just a ring of metal, rather than a tart tin which has a base. So in theory you should get a better bake, as the pastry would only have baking parchment between it and the baking tray. Also I really like the fact that tart rings are straight-edged, whereas most tart tins are fluted. Don’t get me wrong, I think fluted can look really pretty. But there’s something about a straight edged tart that I think looks really professional.

Anyway, I bought it and was excited. And then I realised how hard it is to bake with one!! This pastry here was my third attempt…and I’m still not completely happy with it. But if I’m honest, I’d lost my patience with it by that point so I just went with it. I think perhaps I started with a tart ring too large, and I should have worked my way up to this. But with a passionfruit meringue tart in it? It still tasted delicious and that’s the main thing!

passionfruit meringue tart

So back to the actual tart!

The recipe is remarkably similar to my lemon curd and swiss meringue tart that’s been on the blog for a couple of years now. That tart is a real favourite and I wanted to create a variation on it. Especially as I feel like I make an awful lot of things with either lemon, raspberry or almond in! Apparently they’re my favourite flavours..!

So for a passionfruit meringue tart, you’re obviously gonna need some passionfruit in it right?! And in this case its 11! I know it seems a lot, but passionfruits are small little blighters. A little tip though – try buying fruits that are larger or feel heavier, as they’ll have a higher juice content. For the curd; I scoop all the flesh, pulp, seeds and juice out of them and blitz in a food processor for a minute or so, just to loosen the seeds a little. Then it can be passed through a sieve and the seeds discarded. Of course you could keep the seeds in if you wanted a textural change in the curd, but that’s a matter of personal preference.

The curd can be made in advance of making the tart, just remember to keep it in an air-tight container in the fridge. Once lockdown is over, its a pretty great dessert for a dinner party actually as it needs some time in the fridge to properly set.

passionfruit meringue tart

The pastry is my usual shortcrust recipe – super easy to bake with and always holds up well if there’s any patchwork needed! I prefer a plain pastry rather than sweet when I’m making tarts – as usually there’s enough sweetness in the tart filling I don’t think its necessary!

The swiss meringue is another staple in my baking repertoire. I love using this method for topping tarts; as you cook the egg whites before whipping them – meaning you don’t have to then bake the tart! And I think it adds a really gorgeous marshmallowy texture that complements the set curd perfectly.

I really hope you like this passionfruit meringue tart and give it a go!

passionfruit meringue tart

Passionfruit Meringue Tart

Aimee Field
Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 45 minutes
Chilling Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time 3 hours 15 minutes
Course Tarts
Cuisine British
Servings 8 Slices

Ingredients
  

Passionfruit Curd:

  • 11 passion fruits
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 large egg yolks
  • 150 g caster sugar
  • 100 g unsalted butter

Pastry:

  • 225 g plain flour
  • 1 tbsp caster sugar
  • pinch of salt
  • 120 g unsalted butter cold and diced
  • 2 tbsp ice-cold water

Meringue:

  • 3 large egg whites
  • 240 g caster sugar

Instructions
 

  • For the curd: Halve the passion fruits and scoop the flesh, pulp, seeds and juice into a food processor and blitz for a minute to release the seeds. Then pass through a sieve and discard the seeds.
  • In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, egg yolks and sugar. Then, in a medium pan melt the butter over a low heat. Once melted, stir in the egg/sugar mixture and the sieved passion fruit juice. Continuously stir until thickened, and then take off the heat to cool.
  • For the pastry: Mix the flour, caster sugar and salt together in a large bowl. Add the diced butter, rubbing in with your hands until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add the water a little at a time, until it forms a rough dough – you may not need all the water. Turn it out onto a lightly floured worksurface and knead until it comes together to form a uniform dough. Flatten into a disc, wrap in clingfilm and put into the fridge for 30 minutes.
  • Once chilled, roll the pastry out onto a lightly floured worksurface and roll into a large circle about 2-3mm thick. Carefully line your tart ring or tin, and prick the base all over with a fork. Then put back in the fridge for 30 minutes, and preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas Mark 4.
  • Once the pastry is firm, line with baking paper and fill with baking beans. Bake for 20 minutes, then remove the baking beans and baking paper and bake for another 5 minutes until the pastry on the base of the tart is dry. Leave the tart to cool completely.
  • Once the tart is cool, spread the curd evenly over the tart and then put into the fridge for at least 30 minutes to set. At this point, you could leave this in the fridge overnight.
  • For the meringue: Whisk together the egg whites and sugar in a large bowl and place over a pan of simmering water. Making sure the base of the bowl isn’t touching the water. Whisk very often to ensure the eggs don't cook, and keep over the heat until the mixture reaches 60C on a sugar thermometer. Then remove from the heat and using an electric whisk, whisk until you reach stiff peaks and the outside of bowl feels lukewarm. This will take 10 minutes or so. Finally, place the meringue into a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle and pipe over the tart.

Notes

Best served on the day of baking, but can be kept in the fridge for 2 days in an air-tight container.
Keyword passionfruit curd, shortcrust pastry, swiss meringue


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