Lemon Meringue Bites

By LoriCaputo

Ingredients

• 6 tbs. butter
• 1 tbs. finely grated lemon peel
• ½ cup lemon juice
• ½ cup sugar
• 3 eggs
• 24 sweet tartlet shells, baked
• 3 egg whites
• ½ tsp. cream of tartar
• ¾ cup sugar

Preparation

Step 1

Cut butter into pieces and place in a heavy saucepan, and cook with the zest, juice, and sugar over medium heat, stirring until the sugar is dissolved and mixed, and the mix comes to a simmer.

Whisk together the eggs, and temper with the curd, return mixture to heat, stirring just until it simmers. Sieve the mixture and cool. Fill tartlets, and chill 1 hour. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Beat whites with salt. Add the cream of tartar; slowly add the sugar until stiff peaks form. With a pastry bag pipe 2 inch mounds of meringue onto each tartlet, making sure to completely cover the lemon curd. Bake until browned about 2 hours.