Butterscotch Meringue Tarts Recipes

BUTTERSCOTCH TARTS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Roll out dough to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut into 5 five-inch rounds, and fit into 3-inch tart pans with removable bottoms. Prick bottoms with a fork. Place a second tart pan inside each dough-lined pan, and place them all on a baking sheet; bake 20 minutes. Remove top pans, and continue baking until light-golden brown, 5 to 10 minutes more. Remove from oven, and allow to cool completely.
• Prepare butterscotch: In a medium bowl, lightly beat egg yolks; set aside. Pass brown sugar, flour, and salt through a medium sieve to remove any lumps. Transfer to a medium saucepan, and place over medium heat to melt sugar, whisking frequently. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, bring milk to a simmer. Whisk milk into melted sugar, and cook, whisking constantly until thick, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Add 1/4 hot sugar mixture to beaten egg yolks, and whisk to combine. Whisk egg yolks into sugar mixture, and return to heat very briefly to cook the eggs and thicken slightly, about 30 seconds. Remove from heat, and whisk in butter. Pass mixture through a fine sieve.
• Prepare meringue: In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat egg whites until foamy, about 1 minute. Add granulated sugar, and beat until stiff.
• Pour butterscotch into baked shells. Mound meringue on top of tarts, and bake until meringue is browned, about 10 minutes. Refrigerate until well chilled, at least 1 hour, before serving.

BUTTERSCOTCH MERINGUE TART

Steps:

• For crust: Put butter, flour, sugar and ground hazelnuts in processor, process until mixture resembles coarse meal; add 2-3 tblsps ice water and the egg yolk and process using on/off turns until stiff dough forms; gather dough into a ball, flatten into a disk, cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes; preheat oven to 400F; roll out and pastry to fit 8 inch-diameter tart pan and press in to fit bottom and sides; place a sheet of foil over crust and fill with dry beans or pie weights; bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes, carefully remove foil and beans and bake 5 minutes longer; remove and cool.
• For filling: Mix cornstarch with sugar in a small saucepan over medium-low heat; slowly add the milk, whisking constantly, and cook until the cream thickens; remove from heat and cool for 10 minutes; whisk in butter, egg yolks and vanilla; pour cream into crust.
• For meringue: Beat egg whites until soft peaks form; add sugar and beat until stiff, but not dry, peaks form; cover cream filling with meringue, sealing to edge of pastry and make decorative peaks and swirls in meringue; sprinkle over 1 tblsp dark brown sugar and flaked almonds.
• Bake at 400F for 10-12 minutes, until meringue is a nice golden colour.

INDIVIDUAL BUTTERSCOTCH MERINGUE TARTS

Steps:

• For the pastry, beat the butter and icing sugar together until smooth. Push the hard-boiled egg yolk through a sieve and add this to the butter along with the raw egg yolk and vanilla. Add this to the butter mixture and stir until blended. Add the flour and salt to the butter mixture and stir until blended. Shape the dough into a cylinder (it will be very soft), wrap in plastic and chill until firm, about 2 hours.
• Unwrap the chilled dough and slice it into 8 pieces. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out each piece into a circle that is just under 1/4-inch (6 mm) thick and line eight ungreased 4-inch (10 cm) removable bottom fluted tart shells with each piece of pastry, pressing the dough into the shell and trimming away excess dough. Chill the tart shells for 30 minutes or until firm.
• Preheat the oven to 325°F (160°C). Place the tart shells on a baking tray, dock the bottoms of each shell with a fork and bake them for about 18 minutes, until the edges begin to brown a little. Cool the shells before filling.
• For the pudding, first make a butter caramel by placing the water and lemon juice in a medium saucepan and measure the sugar over top. Bring this to a boil over high heat without stirring and continue to boil, occasionally brushing the sides of the pot with cool water, until it turns a light amber colour (or if you like an intense caramel taste, let it go until a deeper amber). Remove the pot from the heat and carefully (watching out for steam) but quickly whisk in the butter until smooth. Whisk in the vanilla and salt. You may find the butter separates out as the caramel sits, but once cooled, it can be whisked back in and will remain blended.
• In another medium pot, whisk the brown sugar and cornstarch. Whisk in 2 cups (500 mL)of the milk, and have a bowl with the egg yolks ready, whisking the remaining ¼ cup (60 mL) of milk into them. Whisk the butter caramel into the egg yolks and set aside. Bring the pot with milk and sugar up to a full simmer on medium heat, whisking constantly (but vigorously is not necessary) until the mixture bubbles and has thickened. Slowly pour the pudding into the egg yolk mixture while constantly whisking the yolks, until at least half of the hot pudding has been mixed in (you can add all if you wish). Transfer the whole mixture back to the pot and continuing whisking on medium heat until bubbles just begin to break the surface. Pour the pudding through a strainer into a bowl and cover the surface of the pudding with plastic wrap. Cool for an hour and then chill completely, at least 2 hours.
• To assemble, whisk the chilled pudding a little and spoon this into the cooled tart shells. Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
• Whip the egg whites and cream of tartar using electric beaters or in a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment on high speed until foamy. Stir the granulated and icing sugars together and pour these into the whites while whipping and continue to whip until the whites hold a medium peak when the beaters are lifted. Dollop the meringue onto each tart and bake for about 5 minutes, until lightly browned. Let the tarts cool on a rack and then chill until ready to serve.
• The tarts are best enjoyed that day they are assembled, although the crust and filling can be prepared a day or two ahead.

BUTTERSCOTCH MERINGUE PIE

Steps:

• Bake pie crust as directed.
• Cool.
• Preheat oven to 400°F Mix flour and salt together in a small bowl.
• Add 2/3 cup milk and beat until smooth.
• Melt butter in a pot over medium heat: add brown sugar and cook until thick and fluffy.
• Add 1 1/2 cups milk all at once.
• Cook over medium heat until butterscotch dissolves.
• Stir a small amount into flour mixture.
• Add to cooked mixture in pot.
• Cook over medium heat until thick.
• Cook additional 5 minutes stirring constantly.
• Stir a small amount of hot mixture into beaten egg yolks.
• Add eggs to mixture in pot and cook stirring for 1 minute longer.
• Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
• Pour into baked, cooled shell.
• Prepare meringue and spread on filling.
• Bake for 5-7 minutes until meringue is lightly browned.
• MERINGUE: Beat egg whites until stiff but not dry.
• Gradually add sugar, while beating.
• Pile gently onto pie filling.
• Bake.

BUTTERSCOTCH MERINGUES

Steps:

• Prepare the tray. I prefer to line it with baking parchment. The book says: rub a few drops of oil over the tray, dust with flour, tip it and knock of the excess.
• Beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar and the salt until stiff.
• Stir in the brown sugar, a tablespoon at a time, beating until stiff again after each addition.
• Fold in chopped walnuts.
• Heap in rounds on prepared tray and bake in a very slow oven (150C/350F) for between 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Remove immediately from tray and allow to cool.
• Sandwich with whipped cream.