Meyer Lemon Tart & Baked Apples...

Well, if you have any Meyer Lemon Curd left after making this last week, here is a fun and delicious

 way from my cookbook to use it.
(cute lemon curd label designed by Noelle Rawlins)

Meringue Tarts

Now that you are in love with the previous recipe for Lemon Curd, you will make these tarts and then send me a note saying I am wicked as you have just eaten three of them—it’s OK … I did too!

And, a teaser for summer and of course fall..

Fire Pit Baked Apples

This is a perfect, easy, and ready-made dessert for camping or out around the fire pit. I like mine peeled as does my girl. The whole apple becomes a warm gooey delicious mess. You may prefer the peel left on. Do both so everyone is happy. We did. But they wished they asked for peeled after they tasted ours.

Click on this jump to find the recipes in an easy to read format.

I know they are hard to read here.

Fire Pit Baked Apples

This is a perfect, easy, and ready-made dessert for camping or out around the fire pit. I like mine peeled as does my girl. The whole apple becomes a warm gooey delicious mess. You may prefer the peel left on. Do both so everyone is happy. We did. But they wished they asked for peeled after they tasted ours.

Serves 2

2 apples

4 teaspoons brown sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 tablespoons butter

  

1  Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C/Gas 4 if not cooking

over the fire.

2  If you are going to try the peeled version—our favorite—then

peel and core the apples. (I use a melon ball scoop to clean out the core of the apple, and we have an apple peeler—so handy, especially in the fall.

3  Place the apples on a piece of parchment (greaseproof) paper that is laid on top of some foil.

4  Mix the brown sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl and spoon into the center of each apple. 

5  Place 1 tablespoon of butter on top of the sugar mixture and wrap up tightly in the parchment (greaseproof) paper and the foil.

6  Bake in the preheated oven for about 45 minutes, or take them out to the fire pit and place them by the hot coals. Turn every 20 minutes or so and leave them in for about an hour (it depends how hot your fire is.)

Meringue Tarts

Now that you are in love with the previous recipe for Lemon Curd, you will make these tarts and then send me a note saying I am wicked as you have just eaten three of them—it’s OK … I did too!

Makes 4 tarts

1 jar (1 pint) Meyer Lemon Curd (see opposite) for filling

For the meringue:

4 egg whites (general rule of thumb for meringue is 1 egg white to 1⁄4 cup (50 g) sugar)

1 cup (200 g) superfine (caster) sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract (see page 129)

For the crumb crust:

1 1⁄4 cups (125 g) graham cracker (digestive biscuit) crumbs

1⁄4 cup (50 g) granulated sugar

1⁄4 cup (60 g) butter, melted

1  Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C/Gas 4.

2  Beat the egg whites in a stand mixer or with a hand-held electric whisk until they begin to firm up. Slowly start to add the sugar. You may need to stop and scrape down the sides. Keep beating for about 15 minutes until the egg whites are firm and can stand up on their own and the sugar has dissolved completely. Fold in the vanilla extract.

3  Mix the crumb crust ingredients together in a bowl. Press the mixture firmly into individual, lined muffin pans or a pie plate—I used parchment (greaseproof) paper, because if you haven't noticed yet, I use it a lot.

4  Bake the crust in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes. Let the shells cool completely and then spoon in your lemon curd filling.

5  Pile the meringue high as you can on top of the lemon curd—simply because it's fun and looks very cool.

6  Bake the tarts in the oven for another 10 minutes, but keep your eye on them, so the meringue doesn't over-brown. Let cool and then devour.