RECIPE OF THE WEEK: Mini Lemon Meringue Pies

A lemon meringue pie is the perfect warm-weather treat. Full of tangy lemon, bright coloring, and loaded with flavor, it's almost like having sunshine on a plate.

Cutting into a lemon meringue pie can sometimes become a messy ordeal, so these Mini Lemon Meringue Pies let each person have an individual taste that is much more manageable. Enjoy this recipe, courtesy of Jane Patisserie Celebrate! (Sourcebooks) by Jane Dunn.

INGREDIENTS

Pastry

2.5 to 3 cups flour, plus extra for dusting

2 Tablespoons icing sugar

1 cup chilled unsalted butter, cubed, plus extra for greasing

2 egg yolks

2 tablespoons cold water

Filling

Zest of 4 lemons

2/3 cups lemon juice

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temp

1 cup caster sugar

3 eggs

3 egg yolks

Topping

3/4 cup white granulated sugar

1/4 cup water

3 large egg whites

DIRECTIONS: Grease and dust flour over the insides of eight individual 4-inch loose-bottomed tart tins.

Sift the flour and icing sugar into a large bowl. Add the butter, egg yolks, and cold water. Rub the mixture together with your fingertips until it resembles breadcrumbs. Bring together with your hands and knead in the bowl until smooth.

Turn the pastry out onto a lightly floured work surface and roll out until 1/8 inch thick. Cut out eight circles of pastry a little larger than the tart tins. Press each circle into the bottom and sides of each tin, trimming the edges. Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 F. Cover each pastry case with a circle of parchment paper and fill each one with baking beans or rice. Bake blind for 15 minutes.

Remove the parchment paper and the beans from each tin and bake for 10 minutes until the pastry is cooked and golden in color. Leave to cool in tins.

For the filling, add the lemon zest, lemon juice, butter, and sugar to a large pan and heat, stirring, until the mixture has dissolved and is smooth. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs and egg yolks and then add to the pan. Heat the mixture for 7 to 8 minutes until thickened. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of the mixture to each pastry case.

For the topping, add the sugar and water to a heavy-bottomed pan and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon. When the mixture starts to boil, monitor the temperature with a sugar thermometer until it reaches 240 F, a firm ball stage. If any sugar splashes up the sides of the pan while boiling, brush the sides with a pastry brush and cold water to stop the mixture from crystallizing.

Meanwhile, using a clean bowl and whisk, add the egg whites to the bowl until they start forming stiff peaks. When the sugar syrup has reached temperature, slowly trickle it onto the egg whites at the edge of the bowl while continuously whisking. Make sure you do this carefully so that the egg whites stay smooth.

Once all the sugar syrup has been added, continue to whisk the mixture fast and at high speed for 5 to 7 minutes until smooth and cooled. Transfer the mixture to a piping bag, and with a piping nozzle of your choice fitted, pipe the eight individual lemon meringue pies.

If you have a cook's blowtorch, carefully toast the edges of each meringue. Otherwise, place the meringues under the grill in the oven to brown slightly. Chill the lemon meringue pies for 1 hour. Remove them from the tins and enjoy.