Ingredients
Milk crumbs
Meringues
Method
Lemon curd tarts with milk crumbs and ginger
1.Grate the zest of the lemons, and squeeze the juice.
2.Set aside half the zest with 2 tablespoons lemon juice, putting the rest in a stainless steel bowl.
3.Add eggs and stir in half the sugar. Bring a saucepan of water to a simmer and place the bowl over the top.
4.Add the butter, cook for about 20 minutes, stirring frequently, until the mixture starts to thicken. Use leftover zest and juice to achieve desired tartness. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
Milk crumbs
5.Preheat oven to 170°C. Place all the ingredients in a mixer or food processor and blitz to a sandy texture.
6.Spread mixture onto an oven tray and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven, stir mixture with a spoon and bake for a further 10 minutes.
7.Break into a rough crumb when cool.
Meringues
8.Whisk egg whites until firm peaks form.
9.Add half the sugar, continue to beat well and slowly add the remainder sugar. Beat until mixture is stiff and glossy.
To assemble
10.Evenly distribute milk crumbs in the bottom of each glass, follow with lemon curd and a dollop of the meringue mix.
11.Using a brûlée torch or oven grill, toast the meringue top until golden. Sprinkle with ginger and coconut to serve.
Mike’s Top Tips: I used a brûlée torch to caramelise the top of the tart but if you don’t have one, put your oven on grill as high as it will go. Once it’s heated, slide the tart under the grill and watch it brown. Be sure not to walk away as it burns very quickly! By burning the sugar on top of the tart, you add a new flavour element – bitterness –so it’s not too sweet We’re smack in the middle of citrus season, so there’s an abundance of fruits around. Swap lemons for limes, mandarins or grapefruit for a new spin on these tarts
Note