Elderflower & Lemon Meringue Tart

Most people will agree that lockdown has caused a massive increase in home baking. I don't know how I'd cope without the daily Instagram updates on influencer's banana breads and sourdoughs.

I guess it's a comfort to know that, while everything is "unprecedented" and everyone is behaving differently, mixing flour butter and sugar still does the exact same thing. And let's face it, fat and sugar is always has been a comfort!

Other main activity on the list, like most people, is the daily walks to maintain a low level of sanity. So when those two activities combine, you get a good bunch of foraged elderflower and a pie to go with it. Elderflower goes great with acidity, hence lemon and elderflower being a classic combo. Therefore, a lemon meringue pie seemed like a good use for it.

And let's not forget to take a moment to appreciate Elderflower season... love it so much!! It doesn't last as long as my personal favourite: Wild Garlic season; so it's good to make the most of it. My mum's been going wild making syrups, sodas and wines so she made me want to go forage myself.

To infuse this traditional desert with elderflower, I put a few bunches of it in sugar and left it covered for 24 hours, very happy with the result and would truly recommend. Then I just made my lemon meringue pie traditionally but replacing all sugar with the one infused with elderflower. It worked especially well in the meringue which would've been really nice to eat on it's own. I also used the flowers in the sugar as a decoration in shortbread made from the spare pastry so nothing went to waste!

If you want the curd to taste strongly of elderflower I would recommend also infusing it with a bunch while melting the butter to get more impact.

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Ingredients:

For the pastry

• 200g Plain Flour

• 132g Salted Butter

• 60g Elderflower Sugar

• 1 tsp Salt

• 2 Tbsp Water

• (Spare egg yolk from the meringue for an egg wash if you wish)

For the lemon curd

• 3 Lemons

• 2 Eggs and 1 Egg Yolk

• 70g Elderflower Sugar

• 140g Salted Butter

• 1 Tbsp Corn Flour

For the Italian meringue

• 115g Elderflower Sugar

• 2 Egg Whites

• 1 Tbsp Water

• 1/2 Lemon - Juiced

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Method:

Make the Elderflower Sugar:

Put 2 bunches of Elderflower in 300g of sugar and leave in an airtight container for 24 hours.

Make the pastry:

1. Rub the room temperature butter with the flour between your fingers until you get a breadcrumb consistency.

2. Zest one of the lemons and add to the mix.

3. Add the sugar and stir through slightly.

4. Put an ice cube in a glass of water and add 2 Tbsp to the mix.

5. Press together until it combines and store in the fridge (do not overwork the dough!)

Make the curd:

1. Zest 2 lemons into a pan with the butter and melt on a low heat.

2. Whisk together the eggs and sugar in a bowl until the mix goes pale.

3. Juice the lemons and add to the butter once melted.

4. Pour the butter mix over the eggs slowly while whisking continuously.

5. Pour back into the pan and put over a medium heat.

6. Mix the cornflour with 2 Tbsp of water and add to the saucepan.

7. Stir continuously with a spatula until the curd thickens. It should coat the back of the spatula so that when you trace your finger through it it stays in place and doesn't drip.

8. Let it cool and then store in the fridge or freezer for a few hours until completely thickened.

Cook the pastry:

1. Preheat oven to 180C.

2. Butter a tart dish.

3. Roll out the pastry until quite thin, but probably close to 1cm.

4. Transfer to the tin, remove excess and cut into biscuits.

5. Place biscuits on a baking parchment.

6. Prick the bottom of the case with a fork. and brush with the egg wash if desired (egg yolk mixed with a tsp of water).

7. Top the biscuits with elderflower and sugar and press it into the top of them.

8. Cook the biscuits for 12 minutes and the pastry case for 18 minutes or until golden brown (the pastry is not going back into the oven)

9. Leave to cool (in the tin).

Make the Italian meringue:

1. Whisk the egg whites to a stiff peak

2. Mix the sugar, lemon juice and sugar together in a pan

3. Put the pan onto a medium heat a let it boil until the bubbles get larger. Keep testing to see if it reaches the right temperature (I don't have a thermometer). When you drop some syrup into a glass of water using a teaspoon, it should solidify into a ball that is easily pliable with your fingers.

4. Slowly pour the syrup over the egg whites while whisking and then keep whisking for 5 minutes (10 by hand) until it reaches room temperature.

Assemble:

1. Pour the curd into the pastry case and top with the Italian meringue creating swirls with the back of a spoon.

2. Put the tart under the grill for 3 minutes or until it goes golden brown.

3. Bon appétit!