No-Fuss Lemon Meringue Tart

 

I have to admit I'm not a good baker. In fact, I'm pretty terrible at making desserts. 

Faced with the prospect of a three course dinner party at the weekend, I roped in the help of my friend David to help me tackle pudding. 

I was recently sent a jar of luxury lemon curd, so decided to make a lemon meringue tart (using ready-made ingredients isn't cheating - it's resourceful, right?!).

We made a pastry case (I followed this recipe) however mine came out rather cracked/dry so if recommend you to buy a ready-made one if you're not a keen baker. 

We filled the case with zesty lemon curd and added dried lavender (remember lavender is potent, so start with a pinch and work up from there).

[TIP - I recently learnt that fresh lavender can be substituted in most savoury recipes that call for rosemary - just use twice as much lavender as rosemary.]

The hardest part of the recipe was the meringue - after separating eggs and adding sugar/vanilla paste, David spent hours whisking the mixture in 29 degree heat as we didn't have an electronic whisk (somehow I don't think he'll be making it again...). 

We finished the tart by piping the meringue over the filling and lightly toasting the outside with a blow tourch.

And voila, a sweet sign-off to our main meal whipped up in no time at all.