Chocolate Almond Lemon Meringue Tart

It is interesting how the weather can effect our mood. After I jinxed the weather last week, we got snow for couple days. However, the snow didn't stay that long, pretty much all gone by now. For the past couple days, the weather has been very nice, sunny. The temperature is above the zero. It feels like the day is longer. People are happy and alive. That's a very good sign telling me that Spring is coming soon!  

To celebrate the nice weather and the sign of the spring season, I decided to make these tangy, lip-smacking lemon meringue tarts. Playing around the the tart dough's recipe, I added cocoa powder and ground almond. The sweet nutty tart is well-balance with the tangy flavour of the lemon filling. Enjoy!

Chocolate Almond Lemon Meringue Tart

(Adapted from Lemon meringue pie from Gourmet Traveller;7-8 servings)

Chocolate Almond Tart Dough

1/3 C ground almond
1/3 C sugar
1 C all-purpose flour
1/3 C unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
1 large egg yolk
1 large egg
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
6 tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut
1 tbsp water, cold

Lemon Curd
3 lemons, juice and finely grated rind only
1/3 C cornflour
3 egg yolks
3/4 C caster sugar 
6 tbsp unsalted butter

Meringue
1/2 C sugar
4 eggwhites
 
For Chocolate Almond Tart
Combine the ground almond, sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Add butter, use the pastry cutter, cut until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Add egg, egg yolk and water, mix until the mixture comes together. Turn on the floured surface. Form 1/2 " thick disk. Wrap it with plastric wrap and refrigerate it for 1 hour. Roll pastry onto a floured surface to 1/4 inch thick. Line the tart pans and refrigerate for 20 mins. Preheat the oven at 350 F. Line pastry with baking paper, fill with pastry weights or rice and bake blind for 15 minutes. Remove paper and rice and bake for a further 5 minutes or until golden. Remove and cool to room temperature.
 
Lemon Curd
Combine lemon juice and rind in a heatproof bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water. In a separate bowl, combine cornflour and 2 tbsp water and stir to combine, then add to lemon mixture and whisk to combine. Add 1 cup boiling water and whisk over simmering water until thick. Remove from heat, whisk in egg yolks, sugar and butter until combined and refrigerate until cold. Spoon mixture into the tart shells and smooth surface.
 
Meringue
Preheat the oven at 350F. Whip the whites on high speed to soft peaks. Gradually add the sugar, while whipping on high speed, until the meringue is shiny and stiff. Then pipe or spread over the tart. Bake for 10 mins or until golden brown.