St Clement’s tarts with toasted meringue and caramel lace

Serves 8 Desserts and puddings

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Method

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/ Gas 6. Put a baking sheet in the oven to heat. Divide the pastry into 8 pieces, roll out thinly and use to line the tart tins. Press the pastry into the flutes and roll off excess. Prick bases with a fork and chill on a baking tray for 20 minutes.

Line each tin with squares of baking paper large enough to fit up the sides. Add baking beans and blind bake for 7 minutes. Turn the tray around and bake for another 7 minutes. Remove the beans and paper, brush the bases with the egg yolk to glaze,then bake for 3 minutes.

Reduce the oven temperature to 170C/325F/Gas 3. To make the filling, crack the eggs into a medium-sized bowl, add the sugar and stir gently using a balloon whisk to just break them up (don’t let the mixture get frothy). Stir in the lemon and orange juice with the orange essence, if using. Put the cream in a small saucepan and gently heat until bubbles start to appear around the sides. Stirring gently with the balloon whisk, gradually add the hot cream to the mix. Transfer to a jug.

While the pastry is still warm, pour the mixture into the tart shell until it is a few millimetres from the top then carefully put it in the oven. Bake for about 12 minutes until just set. Check it regularly to avoid overcooking. As soon as it has just a tiny wobble in the middle when the tin is moved gently, it’s ready. Turn off the oven and leave the door ajar slightly for around 10 minutes, then close and leave to cool.

When cool, take the tins off the tray, remove the tarts and store in a cool place, not the fridge, unless keeping for more than 2 days.

To make the caramel lace, cover a workbench with foil. Place the sugar in a small saucepan with a splash of water and stir over a medium heat until dissolved. Boil for 5 minutes until golden caramel. Remove from the heat and let it sit for a minute, allowing the mixture to cool and thicken slightly.

Dip a spoon into the caramel and, working as quickly as you can, twirl backwards and forwards to form individual lacy star shapes all over the foil. Leave to set.

To make the meringue, put the egg whites in a bowl. Add the sugar and orange essence to a small pan with a tablespoon of hot water and gently heat until dissolved. Meanwhile whisk the egg whites with electric beaters until they leave a pattern. If you have a thermometer, place in the syrup and when it reaches 116C it’s ready. Or, let the syrup boil for 21⁄2 minutes, making sure that it doesn’t caramelise.

Gradually pour the sugar syrup into the whites, whisking until stiff. Place the bowl in a bigger basin of cold water, so water comes halfway up the sides of the meringue bowl and continue to whisk for 4 minutes until the mixture has cooled.

Spoon the meringue into quenelles to top each tart with. Blowtorch until lightly brown. Pop a caramel lace shape onto the top of each tart, to serve.