I stumbled upon a picture of a grapefruit tart on Pinterest the other day and fell in love with the colours and originality. My fiancé Ari is obsessed with Grapefruit so I knew I would make him happy with this Grapefruit Curd Tart with Lime Meringue!
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This tart was a surprising hit with everyone who tried it. Not only the colour of the Grapefruit Curd looks really cool, it is a really original dessert that you do not see often! With some Grapefruit Curd that was left over, I made mini ‘Amuse-Bouche’ version of it and I couldn’t believe how fast they were gone! If you are looking for a classic French recipe that is a little bit different, this Grapefruit Tart with Lime Meringue is for you!
Grapefruit Tart with Lime Meringue
This tart is a take on the classic Lemon Meringue Tart.
For the fans of French Top Chef reading this right now, I would have a winner for the “revisiting a classic” challenge (feeling so fancy right now!).
The concept of this tart is the same than the Lemon version: a Pate Sablée (shortbread crust), a citrus curd and a meringue.
The meringue part is not usually my favourite element (too sweet) so I decided to make a Lime Meringue to cut the sweetness and only use it as decoration.
The recipe works well without any meringue too so this is totally optional!
Making a Grapefruit Curd is exactly the same as making a Lemon Curd; or as a matter of a fact as making any fruit curd! Even though Lemon Curd is usually the first curd everyone thinks about, you can literally make curd out of any fruit – grapefruit, berries, or even Pineapple like for this recipe!
The process is always the same: mix the fruit juice (or puree) with sugar, eggs yolks and cornstarch in a pot on medium heat. The cornstarch will allow for the liquid to thicken, creating the curd. Once you get the thick paste, remove the pot from the stove and add some butter. Done!
I tried to find the exact translation of “Pate Sablée” in English, but it seems like there are no proper term differentiating it from the “Pate Brisée” (the one used for the Onion, Fig and Feta Tart recipe). Both get translated as “shortcrust” or “shortbread”, even tough they are different pastry.
“Sablée” means “sandy” in French – it has a more flaky, crumbly texture than Pate Brisée and is also sweeter. You can read more about it here if you are (understandably) still confused.
If you do not like bitterness, I warn you… Do not make this tart!
Even though the bitterness is only subtle, I understand that this is not everyone cup of tea; I personally find that the bitterness of the grapefruit adds an interesting dimension to the tart. If you prefer a dessert that is a little bit sweeter, you can also use more of the Lime Meringue to fully cover the tart and bring that sweet element.
Grapefruit Tart with Lime Meringue
Ingredients
For the Lime Meringue:
- 3 Egg Whites
- 50 gr Caster Sugar
- 1 pinch of Salt
- 1 Lime, juice + zest
- 1 tbsp. Cornflour
For the Pate Sablée:
- 250 gr Plain Flour
- 100 gr soft Butter
- 50 gr Caster Sugar
- 1 Egg
- 1 pinch of Salt
For the Grapefruit Curd:
- 100 gr Brown Sugar
- 30 gr Cornflour
- 2,5 Grapefruit, juiced
- 4 Egg Yolks
- 100 gr Butter
Instructions
For the Lime Meringue
- Preheat the oven on 130°.
- Separate the Egg Whites from the yolks, putting the egg white in a large bowl.Add the pinch of Salt and start whisking with a mixer.
- When the Egg Whites start to become thicker, add the Caster Sugar gradually until hard peaks form.You will need to whisk for a few minutes to get the right consistency; the meringue will collapse in the oven if it is not well whisked.
- Gently fold in the Lime Juice and Cornflour
- Line a baking tray with baking/parchment paper.Pipe the meringue with your preferred pipping tip - I made a few different sizes rings (and some other random ones that I ate...whoops!).
Because the meringue is only used as decoration here, pipe small shapes so they do not take over the whole tart. - Sprinkle the Lime Zest over the meringues then place in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes.
- Check on it regularly - the baking time will depend on the thickness of the meringue and you will have to experiment a bit here!If you have piped them really thin, it will probably take less than 10 minutes - make sure they do not burn!
- Turn off the oven and leave the meringue in to rest (about 10-15min).Remove from the oven and let it cool down completely before removing from the baking paper.
For the Pate Sablée:
- Turn the oven on 180°.
- Put the Plain Flour in a large bowl with the pinch of Salt.
- Cut the Butter cut in small cubes and add to the Flour.The butter needs to be malleable but not melted.
- Start working with your finger to incorporate the butter into the flour. Rub the mixture between your hands and fingers to create a sandy-like texture.
- Create a small well in the centre of the batter and pour in the Sugar and Egg.Integrate the Sugar and Egg with the rest of the dough, starting from the centre and going toward the edges of the bowl.
If the dough seems very crumbly and doesn't stick together, add a little bit of water. - Bring the dough into a bowl, wrap into cling wrap and let it rest in the fridge for at least 30min.
- Remove the dough from the fridge, sprinkle a little bit of flour onto the kitchen bench and start rolling it out with a rolling pin, then place into the tart tin of your choice.I made a traditional "round" tart, but you can use any shape of tart tins.This dough can get a bit sticky so you could work on a baking paper instead of your kitchen bench instead.
- Cover the tart crust with a sheet of baking paper, cover with dry beans or baking beads and bake for 15 to 20min.When the crust looks golden, remove from the oven and let it cool down completely.
For the Grapefruit Curd
- In a saucepan on low heat, mix the Sugar, Cornflour and Grapefruit Juice. Stir well to make sure the Cornflour doesn't create little lumps.Tip: use a sieve to add the cornflour; this will make it easier to integrate with the sugar and juice.
- When the mixture starts becoming thicker, remove from the heat.It will get thicker very fast so make sure you keep whisking and remove from the heat when the texture starts to change.
- In a bowl, separate the Egg Yolks from the White and keep the Yolks.
- Pour slowly half of the Grapefruit mixture on the Egg Yolks while whisking.When all incorporated, pour back into the pot with the rest of the grapefruit curd.
- Turn the stove back on low and whisk well until it starts boiling.Remove from the stove and add the Butter, then mix until all the butter is incorporated
- Transfer into a bowl and let it cool down.
To Assemble the Tart:
- Evenly pour the Grapefruit Curd on the Pate Sablée.
- Add the Lime Meringue in your chosen pattern.Cut small slices of fresh Grapefruit and arrange around the Meringue.
- Optional: add some Grapefruit Peels as decoration.
[…] absolutely love making tarts, but they are usually sweet ones like this Grapefruit Tart with Lime Meringue. Tarts are some of the most versatile dishes you can make. Not only you can easily switch from […]