Smoked Lemon Meringue Tart

Smoked lemon meringue tart is a perfectly sweet, delightfully tart, and smoked dessert. The speculaas cookie crust gives it a warm holiday flavor. You can certainly make this recipe indoors, but that wood-fired kiss makes this tart extra special. I baked my speculaas cookie crust on my Traeger, and used some Traeger Smoked Simple Syrup in the meringue. You can substitute a teaspoon of vanilla for the simple syrup or you can pick some up here: Traeger Smoked Simple Syrup.

Smoked Lemon Meringue Tart

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Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Equipment

• 8" tart pan
• sauce pot
• food processor, optional, see notes
• stand mixer, optional, see notes
• whisk
• bowls

Ingredients

  

Tart Crust

• 25 each Biscoff Speculaas cookies alternatively graham crackers or vanilla wafer cookies can be used
• 3 T butter melted
• 3 T granulated sugar

Lemon Curd Filling

• 1 cup lemon juice fresh squeezed
• 2 each zest of lemons
• 1 cup sugar
• 8 T butter
• 2 each eggs
• 2 T water cold
• 0.25 oz unflavored gelatin 1 envelope
• 1 T Traeger Smoked Simple Syrup or 1 tsp vanilla

Smoked Swiss Meringue

• 225 g granulated sugar or 1 cup
• 125 g egg whites about 4 large egg whites
• 1 pinch cream of tartar
• 1 pinch salt
• 3 T Traeger Smoked Simple Syrup or 1 tsp vanilla

Instructions

 

Speculaas Cookie Crust

• Preheat your grill (or oven) to 350F.
• In a food processor*, place the cookies and sugar and pulse into small crumbs.
• Add the melted butter and pulse a few times to combine.
• Press the cookie crumbles into an 8″ tart pan.
• Bake for 8 minutes at 350F, then allow to cool while you make the Lemon Curd filling.

Lemon Curd Filling

• Ina small bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over the water to bloom it.
• In a medium sauce pot, add the lemon juice, zest, eggs, butter, and sugar and whisk to combine.
• Cook over medium low heat, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula.
• The lemon curd mixture will start to thicken and coat the back of a spoon.
• It should read at least 160F on an instant read thermometer, then remove it from the heat.
• Add in the bloomed gelatin and Smoked Simple Syrup or vanilla and stir until the gelatin has melted.
• If there are any egg white bits, you can pass the curd through a strainer before poring into the prepared tart crust.
• Allow to cool at room temperature before refrigerating for at least two hours before topping with the meringue.

Smoked Swiss Meringue

• In a heat-safe bowl of an electric mixer**, place the egg whites, sugar, cream of tartar, and salt.
• Place the bowl over a simmering pot of water and whisk by hand until it reads 160F on an instant read thermometer.
• Carefully transfer the bowl to the mixer with the whisk attachment and whip on medium speed until the meringue is glossy and holds stiff peaks.
• Add 3 T Traeger Smoked Simple Syrup, or a tsp of vanilla.
• Whisk to combine and transfer to a piping bag fitted with a pastry tip, or spoon over the cooled tart.
• Toast with a kitchen torch, and enjoy!
• I topped mine with some sugared lemon zest and pomegranate seeds.

Notes

*If you don’t have a food processor, you can certainly crush the cookies with the sugar in a plastic bag with a rolling pin. Then transfer to a bowl to add the butter and stir to combine.

**If using a hand mixer instead of a stand mixer, use a heat safe bowl and place a towel underneath it while you finish making the meringue after it has been heated.

While you can used grilled lemons for the juice, but be sure to use fresh lemon zest for the best flavor. I omitted this step in my test version and found the flavor of the fresh lemon juice delightful.

The gelatin can be omitted if you would like to use the curd recipe for other things, but I found it best to stabilize the curd a bit for easy cutting.

Keyword dessert