This irresistible mini lemon protein puff pastry pie is the perfect combination of citrus and summer. A sweet short-skinned pastry pie shell filled with bright, rich lemon curd. Sprinkle some charred meringue on top to make these mini lemon protein puff pastry pies the most delicious citrus dessert. It is perfect for sharing with friends or family in the summer.
Instead of baking a lemon pie, I opted for a lemon curd filling that was just right in terms of both lemon sourness and cream sweetness. Once set up, the pie is decorated with a very simple meringue. I share with you all the recipes and steps I learned along the way so that you can enjoy these delightful lemon pies too.
Ingredients for formulation
Sweet puff pastry
- 440 g medium gluten flour
- 80 g powdered sugar
- 2.5 g fine salt
- 230 g unsalted butter
- Beat 2 eggs
- 30-60 ml ice water
Lemon curd filling
- 2 large eggs
- 5 egg yolks
- 240 g granulated sugar
- 12 g lemon zest
- 180 ml freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 5 g cornstarch
- 60 g cream
- 120 g unsalted butter
Meringue puff pastry
- 2 large proteins
- 100 g granulated sugar
Production steps
Sweet puff pastry
1: Make the dough and sift the flour, powdered sugar and salt into a large bowl. Add the butter and stir the butter and flour until well combined. Stir the beaten egg and water into the flour mixture until it turns into dough. Use your hands to put the dough together and make a disc. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
2: Prepare the pie jar with the dough. Take the dough out of the refrigerator and cut it into six equal portions. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough to a coin thickness of a pie and 2 cm larger in diameter than the pie pan on a work table sprinkled with a little flour. Gently place the dough into the mold. Trim off the excess and repeat the process with the remaining dough. Poke the bottom of the pie with the tip of a fork and refrigerate for at least an hour.
3: Preheat the oven to 180°C, spread a layer of baking paper on the bottom of each egg tart shell, and then fill it with baked beans. Bake in an oven at 180°C for 15 minutes. Remove the baking paper and baked beans and return to the oven for another 15 minutes or until the pastries are golden brown and set aside to cool well.
Lemon curd filling
1: Mix the eggs, egg yolks, caster sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, cream and corn flour in a small heat-resistant bowl and place in a pot of boiling water to make sure the pot does not touch the water. Stir constantly until the mixture thickens significantly. It may take 10 to 20 minutes. You can test if the curd is ready by applying curd on the back of the spoon and crossing it with your fingers. If the curd is maintained and not bound together, it is ready.
2: Filter the filling and add butter. Remove the bowl from the heat and filter the mixture with a sieve to remove the lemon zest. Add the butter, stir until completely melted and mixed. Cover the curd directly with plastic wrap to prevent crusts and refrigerate until completely cool. As the curd cools, it continues to thicken.
3. Fill the egg tart shell. After the curd has cooled, add lemon curd to each tart shell. Leave in the refrigerator for an hour before adding the meringue.
Meringue puff pastry
1: Whisk the egg whites to soft peaks, and once the lemon pie solidifies, you can make meringue. In a medium bowl, add the eggs. Use a whisk at high speed until foam and soft peaks are formed.
2: Add sugar and continue to whip. Then add the caster sugar in parts and stir constantly. Whisk for five minutes until the meringue mixture is smooth, shiny and forms a firm spike. Rub the sugar with your thumb and fingers to test if the sugar is completely dissolved, and if it feels grainy, continue to whip.
3: Place the meringue in a framed bag with a mounted spout and squeeze it on top of the lemon pie with the mounting spout. Use a spray gun to scorch the top of the meringue until it turns light brown. Sprinkle with lemon zest and thyme leaves (optional). It's edible.