Apple meringue tartlets
This delicious cream-cheese pastry is a key component in my small campaign to persuade people to make pastry rather than buy it. Make it at least 2 hours before you intend to use it. It’s easy to make, easy to handle and beautifully flaky despite being made in a food processor. It is also very versatile and works with sweet or savoury fillings. The success of these tartlets depends upon using apple purée that is not too sweet and a sharp, fruity jam. With these in place the combination of textures and flavours ensures a small but memorable baking triumph. Photograph by Mike Rooke.
Sep 04, 2015 4:52am- Serves 20
- 1 hr 20 mins preparation
- 40 mins cooking
- 2 hrs marinating
ingredients
Cream-cheese pastry
- 115 gram butter
- 85 gram cream cheese
- 125 gram flour
Apple filling
- 3 tablespoon apricot or plum jam
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 1/2 cup apple purée (cook 2-3 large apples with a little water until soft, then purée)
Meringue topping
- 2 egg whites
- 115 gram caster sugar, plus a little extra for sprinkling
method
Cream-cheese pastry
- 1
Have the butter and cream cheese at room temperature. Put them into a food processor and whiz until they are well mixed. Tip in the flour and pulse until the mixture forms small clumps.
- 2
Tip out onto a floured board, knead briefly until smooth, then halve and form each piece into a flat disc about 1cm thick. Wrap well in waxed paper, chill for 1 hour (or overnight if you prefer). Remove from the fridge and leave on the bench for 1 hour to soften a little before rolling out.
- 3
Preheat the oven to 200°C. On a lightly floured board roll out the pastry to 3mm thick and cut out circles to fit shallow tartlet tins. Combine the scraps of pastry by piling them on top of each other, rather than kneading them together – this keeps the pastry flaky. Chill the tartlet cases for 10 minutes.
Apple filling
- 1
Put ½ tsp jam in each pastry case. Stir the lemon zest into the apple purée then spoon 1 Tbsp of it on top of the jam in each tartlet. The cases should be quite full. Bake for 20 minutes until the pastry edges have turned golden.
- 2
Remove tins from the oven and after 5 minutes remove the tartlets using a round-bladed knife, then place them on a baking tray. (If you leave them in the tartlet tins they will be difficult to remove neatly after the meringue topping is in place.) Reduce the oven temperature to 150°C.
Meringue topping
- 1
Whisk the egg whites until stiff, then gradually whisk in half the caster sugar. Gently fold in the rest of the caster sugar and put the meringue into a large piping bag fitted with a star tip. Pipe a swirl of meringue onto each tartlet and sprinkle them very lightly with a little extra caster sugar for crunch. If you don’t have a piping bag, spoon the meringue on top.
- 2
Bake for 15-20 minutes until the meringue topping is just turning golden. The lower temperature ensures that the meringue is cooked, rather than just browned on the outside.
- 3
Serve tartlets warm or at room temperature. They are best eaten freshly baked, but will keep for 24 hours in an airtight container.