This yuzu meringue tart is a winter delight with its luscious, tangy curd set in a buttery, short crust pastry.

We had a decent yuzu harvest this year. Some went into this yuzu Swiss roll cake and the rest became a luscious yuzu curd for my yuzu meringue tart. It took me two years to get this tart just right, from the crust to the curd. The sharp, tangy lemon curd sets perfectly with the help of gelatin leaves in the buttery, shortcrust pastry. Topped with toasty meringue, edible flowers, and fresh yuzu zest, this yuzu meringue tart is a winter show stopper. Even my little one who’s on team chocolate went crazy for this tart.

How to Make the Tart Shell

Whisk one large egg with 1 tablespoon of iced water. Set aside.
Combine the flour, confectioners' sugar and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment. Beat for 1 minute until the butter becomes pea sized.
Pour in the egg mixture and continue beating until the dough forms.
Transfer the dough to a floured surface and form the dough into a disk. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

How to Shape the Tart Dough

I've had trouble with my tart shell shrinking with uneven size that I decided to try a new method for making tart shell. I shaped the dough on the outside instead of inside the tart pan which has worked wonders.

Roll the dough in between two sheets of parchment papers until you get about 13 inches in diameter and ⅛ inch thickness. Place the dough on a piece of plastic wrap which will help you shape the dough.
Butter the bottom and outsides of the tart pan. Put the tart pan over the dough. Use the plastic wrap to pull up the dough, press it firmly against the sides so it forms around the tart pan.
Use a sharp knife to trim the edges the the level of the tart pan. Use your fingers to press the dough below the edges of the tart pan which makes it easier to remove after baking.
Freeze the tart shell for 30 minutes.

How to Bake the Tart Shell

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Place a flat bowl on top of the baking sheet.
Place the tart pan upside down over the flat bowl.
Place a piece of parchment paper over the dough, then a heavy bottom cake pan or heavy nonstick skillet over the parchment paper to help press the dough down during baking.
Bake it in the oven for 25 minutes at 350 degrees F.
Remove the skillet. Continue baking for another 15 minutes.
Remove from the oven and let it cool for 30 minutes.

Wait until the baked tart shell is cool enough to handle before gently unmolding it from the tart pan. When removing the pan from the baked tart shell, be gentle and use the edge of a knife to loosen the tart shell. As you can see, it baked up beautifully with no shrinkage.

How to Make the Yuzu Filling

The filling for the yuzu meringue tart consists of my basic yuzu curd with gelatin leaves added to make the curd more set. The yuzu curd needs 7 ingredients: freshly squeezed yuzu juice, zest, sugar, eggs, butter, heavy cream, and gelatin leaves.

In a large mortar, add the sugar. Zest the yuzu directly into the bowl containing the sugar. Use a pestle to grind the zest to release the oil and flavor the sugar. You can also use your fingers to rub the zest into the sugar.
Combine the sugar, eggs, juice, and zest in a small saucepan over medium-low heat.
Once the sugar is dissolved, slowly add in the butter and cook it on low heat and continue whisking for 12-15 minutes until the mixture thickens. Whisk in the heavy cream.
Add the bloomed gelatin leaves into the warm curd and whisk until dissolved.
Strain the yuzu curd through a fine sieve to remove any eggs that might have gotten scrambled during cooking. The curd goes directly into the baked tart shell.

How to Make the Swiss Meringue

Place egg whites in a bowl of a stand mixer (or a heatproof bowl) set over a saucepan of gently simmering water to make a double boiler making sure the water does not touch the bottom.
Using a large balloon whisk, gradually whisk in the sugar. Whisking constantly, heat the egg and sugar mixture until it reads 160-170°F on a candy thermometer and the mixture starts to froth and sugar dissolves.
Transfer the bowl to the stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Add cream of tartar. Whisk the mix on medium speed for about 5-7 minutes until stiff peaks form.

How to Decorate the Tart

For the yuzu meringue tart, I used the St Honore pastry tip size 881 to pipe the meringue around the tart. Feel free to use your favorite piping tip.
If you don't want have a piping tip, pile meringue on top of the tart and use a spoon to create swoops and swirls like this lemon meringue tart.
Use a blowtorch to gently brown the meringue. If you don't have a torch, place the tart in your oven and broil it for 30-45 seconds until the peaks are browned, keeping a close eye on it so it doesn't burn.
Garnish with edible flowers and yuzu zest before serving. The flowers are optional.

Make Ahead and Storage

The yuzu meringue tart can be made two days ahead. It's best to make the meringue the day of serving.
Store any left-over in the fridge for 5 days covered.

For more tart inspiration