Lemon Curd Frangipane Tart

TART BASE
155g plain flour, plus extra for dusting               80g cold unsalted butter, diced
20g almond meal                                                60g pure icing sugar, sifted
1 small egg

For shortcrust pastry, combine flour, butter, almond meal, icing sugar and ½ tsp fine salt in an electric mixer fitted with a paddle, until crumbs form (1 minute). Add egg and mix until dough just comes together (do not overmix as it will toughen the pastry). Form dough into a disc, wrap and refrigerate to rest (1 hour).

FRANGIPANE
60g unsalted butter, softened                             75g brown sugar
100g almond meal                                                 1 egg

For frangipane, beat butter and sugar in an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment until light and fluffy (1-2 minutes). Add almond meal and beat to combine. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until creamy. Refrigerate until required.
Preheat oven to 160°C. Bring pastry to room temperature (10 minutes). Grease a 25cm diameter tart tin with cooking oil spray. Roll out pastry on a floured bench to a 3mm-thick circle and line tin, pushing pastry into the edges. Trim excess and refrigerate to rest (1 hour). Once pastry is firm spoon frangipane into tin and smooth top. It should fill 1/4 of the height of the tin at most. 

Bake for 1hr, turning halfway to cook and colour evenly. Remove from oven and set aside to cool. Once cool, remove from tart tin and place on serving plate.

LEMON CURD
4 egg yolks (reserve whites for meringue)            2 whole eggs
205g butter, chopped                                             245g sugar
Juice of 3 lemons and rind of 1 lemon                 

1 leaf platinum strength gelatine (optional). Adding a little gelatine can help stabilise the curd to make the tart easier to top with meringue and serve neat slices. If using gelatine soften it first for 5 mins in a bowl of cold water and squeeze out before adding to curd. 

Whisk eggs, yolks and sugar in a bowl to combine, then whisk in lemon juice and rind. Transfer to a saucepan, add butter and stir continuously over medium heat until just simmering (5-6 minutes). 

Remove from heat, stir in gelatine (if using) and fill tart to top. Refrigerate until thick and cold (1-2 hours).

MERINGUE
200 gm caster sugar                                               4 egg whites (reserved from curd recipe)
Pinch of cream of tartar

Combine sugar and 200ml water in a small pan and bring to the boil, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon until sugar dissolves. Reduce heat to medium and brush down sides of pan with a clean, wet pastry brush to remove sugar crystals. Cook until syrup reaches 115C (soft ball stage) on a thermometer (10-15 minutes). Start whisking eggwhites with cream of tartar in the clean, grease-free bowl of an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Meanwhile, bring sugar syrup to 121C (hard ball stage). Increase speed to high and with motor running, gradually pour syrup into meringue. Beat at medium speed until cooled to room temperature and meringue is thick and glossy (15-20 minutes).

Spoon meringue on top of lemon curd an use a butter knife to make a swirling pattern. Toast lightly with a blowtorch. Serve!