Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: Jacob Kowalski’s Pastry Suitcase
Dear Mr. Kowalski,
You are wasted in a canning factory. Please takes these Occamy eggshells as collateral for your bakery.
A well-wisher
FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: Jacob Kowalski’s Pastry Suitcase – Chocolate Babka and Lemon Meringue Tart
Happy Wednesday, everyone! I’m so happy to share with you the last two recipes in this Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: Kowalski’s Pastry Suitcase series. The recipe today is for lemon meringue tart. This recipe again is inspired by the recipes handed down to Jacob Kowalski from his grandmother. For a recipe for chocolate babka, I used this fantastic one from The Cozy Kitchen. I tried a few recipes but this one from The Cozy Kitchen was one of the best ones and I love that they were individually baked in a muffin tin so they can fit nicely in the suitcase. I really hope you enjoyed this series and enjoy!
Also, last Sunday was the Golden Globe Awards! It was so fun seeing what everyone was wearing and who was winning all the awards. Not surprisingly, La La Land took home SEVEN awards! I have a lot of catching up to do because the Oscars are just around the corner. Hopefully, I can keep up with the posts because I have a few posts planned for Valentine’s Day and Beauty and the Beast starring Emma Watson!
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: Kowalski's Babka and Lemon Meringue Tart
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 3/4 cup all purpose flour (9oz / 250g)
- 2/3 cup powdered sugar (3oz / 90g)
- 1/4 cup almond meal (1oz / 30g)
- 10 tbsp unsalted butter, cold and thinly sliced (5oz / 150g)
- 3 tbsp ice water or as needed
Filling
- 1 cup granulated sugar (7oz / 198g)
- 4 tbsp cornstarch
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup water (8oz / 227g)
- 6 yolks
- 1/2 cup lemon juice (4oz / 114g)
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
Meringue
- 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar (3.5oz / 100g)
- 4 egg whites
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Crust
- In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix together the flour, powdered sugar, and almond meal until combined. On medium speed, add the cold butter and mix until it starts to form a ball of dough. If it looks dry, add some ice water to bring it together. Wrap with plastic wrap and place it into the refrigerator for 30 - 40 minutes or until firm. Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Place the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Roll out the dough to 1/4" thick. If you want to create mini tarts, punch out the dough large enough to fit your mold. Transfer the dough to your mold and gently press in the dough at the edges. Trim off the excess. Prick a few holes with a fork on the base to prevent the dough from puffing up. Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown. Let cool.
Filling
- In a saucepan, combine together the sugar, cornstarch, salt, and water. Mix until combined. Place over medium heat and bring to a boil for one minute. Remove from the heat and slowly temper the yolks with the sugar mixture. Return it back to the medium heat Whisk and bring to a boil for about one minute until it;s thick. Add the lemon juice and butter. Stir to combine. Cover with plastic wrap and let it cool.
Meringue
- In a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, add your egg whites and whisk on medium speed until foamy. Add the cream of tartar, vanilla extract, and sugar on medium speed until you get stiff peaks.
- Pour the filling into the shell and spread the meringue on top. With a spoon, create some peaks to the top with the meringue. Bake the meringue for about 10 minutes or until lightly brown.
