Lemon Tassies with Toasted Almond Meringue
Lemon Tassies with Toasted Almond Meringue have a flaky cream cheese crust filled with tart lemon curd and a marshmallowy topping.
Pecan Tassies have always been one of my most treasured family desserts. For Easter this year, I wanted to create something that could have that same sense of nostalgia, but with a fresh taste of Spring. Lemon Tassies with Toasted Almond Meringue have the flaky cream cheese crust of their pecan cousins, but with the flavors of a classic lemon meringue pie!
The Components for the Lemon Tassies with Toasted Almond Meringue:
The Lemon Tassie crust is easy to make and a joy to handle. Combine the butter and cream cheese in a mixer until fluffy, then mix in the flour until a nice dough forms. Wrap the dough in plastic and chill (I like to do this overnight if I have the time).
Next, prepare the Lemon Curd filling. Whisk the egg yolks with sugar while heating together the lemon juice, butter, lemon zest, and a bit of salt.
Warm the mixture just until the butter is melted, then carefully whisk the liquid into the yolk and sugar mixture in a thin stream to prevent the egg yolks from scrambling.
Transfer the curd mixture back to the saucepan and cook gently over medium-low heat just until it starts to thicken, stirring constantly. Strain the curd through a fine mesh strainer into a heat-proof bowl. This will remove the zest and any bits of egg that might have coagulated, giving the curd a silky smooth texture.
Cover the finished curd with plastic on the surface and refrigerate until cooled.
Assembling and baking the Lemon Tassies:
Form the chilled tassie dough into 24 walnut-sized balls. Press each ball into oiled mini muffin tins. Oiling the tins is key for preventing the shells from sticking.
Fill the tassie shells with about a teaspoon of lemon curd. I have a tiny scoop I like to use for this, but a spoon will work, too!
Bake the Lemon Tassies for 15 minutes or until puffed and the shells are starting to turn golden brown. The filling will settle upon cooling.
Making the Toasted Almond Meringue:
This is a Swiss-style meringue. It is gently cooked to dissolve the sugar and heat the whites slightly. The result is an ultra-smooth, silky, and sturdy meringue that can be used for piping. First, set up a water bath. This is simply a saucepan filled with a small amount of simmering water to create steam for warming the bottom of a mixer or heat-proof bowl.
Whisk the whites, sugar, and a pinch of salt constantly until the sugar has dissolved. Warm the whites to about 130 degrees on a candy thermometer. Honestly, I skip the temperature reading and just test the meringue with my fingers to see if the sugar has dissolved and the whites are warm.
Beat the egg whites on medium speed for about 2 minutes until soft peaks have formed. Add the almond extract and continue beating on high speed for another 4-5 minutes until stiff, glossy peaks can be seen and the mixture has cooled.
Transfer the Almond Meringue to a pastry bag fitted with a tip of your choice ( I used a basic large round tip below). Decorate the tops of the Lemon Tassies as you wish.
To toast the meringue, I prefer to use a blow torch rather than returning the tassies to the oven.
With a low flame, brown the tops and edges of the Almond Meringue until golden.
The Lemon Tassies with Toasted Almond Meringue are now ready to eat! Store them in a container at room temperature for a day, or refrigerate until ready to serve.
I love this Toasted Almond Meringue because it does not “weep” like a traditional meringue and has a wonderful marshmallow flavor.
Lemon Meringue Tassies are perfect for Fika time, Easter, or any time that you need the perfect little lemon dessert!
Lemon Tassies with Toasted Almond Meringue
Equipment
- Pastry torch or blow torch, optional
- Mini muffin tins
Ingredients
For the Tassie Shells:
- ½ cup + 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour
For the Lemon Curd:
- 4 egg yolks (reserve whites for meringue)
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 3 ounces fresh lemon juice
- 2 ounces unsalted butter
- Pinch salt
- Zest of 1 lemon
For the Toasted Almond Meringue:
- 4 reserved egg whites, room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- Pinch salt
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
Instructions
For the Tassie Shells:
- In a mixer, beat butter and cream cheese until fluffy.
- Mix in flour until smooth dough forms. Wrap in plastic and chill for at least 2 hours.
- Form dough into walnut-sized balls. Press balls into bottoms and up sides of oiled miniature muffin tins. Refrigerate until ready to fill.
For the Lemon Curd:
- Whisk together yolks and sugar until pale yellow in a large bowl.
- In a small, heavy saucepan, combine lemon juice, butter, salt and zest, heating gently until butter has melted.
- Temper egg mixture by slowly drizzling in warm butter mixture, whisking constantly.
- Transfer back to saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until thickened but not boiling.
- Strain into a glass bowl and cover with plastic on the surface. Cool completely.
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- Drop about 1 teaspoon lemon curd into each Tassie shell, spreading to the sides.
- Bake for 15 minutes until tassie filling is puffed and the shells are turning a golden color. Remove from oven and cool on a rack. Gently remove the tassies from the muffin tins.
For the Toasted Almond Meringue:
- Combine egg whites, sugar and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer or other heat proof bowl and whisk together.
- Fill a heavy saucepan with a couple inches of water and bring just to a simmer. Place the mixer bowl over the top of the saucepan, making sure the water does not touch the bottom of the bowl.
- Gently whisk the egg white mixture until very warm to the touch and the sugar has dissolved. Test this by rubbing some of the mixture between your fingers to test for granuals.
- Remove the bowl from the water bath and beat the whites with a whisk attachment on the mixer on medium speed for about 2 minutes until soft peaks form.
- Add the almond extract and then beat on high until stiff, glossy peaks form and the meringue has cooled down.
- Transfer the meringue to a pastry bag fitted with a decorative tip. Pipe decorations on top of the cooled tassies and use a pastry or blow torch to carefully brown the sides and tops of the meringues.
- Store Lemon Tassies in a container at room temperature for a day or refrigerate until ready to eat.
