Mojito Meriungue Tarts in a fun and refreshing recipe. Shortcrust pastry, mojito flavored custard cream, garnished with a “Cuban” meringue. Ok I made that up but I gave the Italian meringue a mint flavor.
Honestly the mint gets lost a bit in the sweetness of the meringue, but overall the tart is nice and it tastes of mojito!
Summer is almost over and many folks here are hoping for a cooler weather. I am one of them. Finally I’ll be able to run any time of the day. And I will be able to make those preparations that are impossible with 40° C.
But summer has its positive sides right? Like mojito.
I invented this from scratch, in fact I had to try the custard cream 3 times.
In my first attempt I tried a lime paste by blending the lime with sugar. I found out that lime peel is even more bitter than the lemon one.
In my second attempt I added lime juice to the boiling milk. Of course it coagulated. Duh!
Third time a charm: grated lime zest and mint leaves in infusion in the hot milk. Lime juice only when the cream was ready.
I am satisfied with the result. If you decide to try it please read the notes for important pieces of info.
But then you have all the ingredients, why not make a true mojito?! 😁
Mojito Meriungue Tarts
Ingredients
For the mojito custard cream:
- 480 g milk 16.9 oz
- 120 g sugar 4.2 oz
- 45 g cornstarch 1.6 oz
- 3 egg yolks
- 30 g white rum 1.1 oz
- lime juice of 1 e ½ limes
- grated lime zest 1 lime
- mint leaves approx 15
For the shortcrust pastry:
- 350 g flour 12.3 oz
- 80 g confectioner sugar 2.8 oz
- 130 g butter cubed, cold from fridge (4.6 oz)
- 2 pinches of salt Maldon preferably
- tip of a tsp of powdered vanilla bourbon alternatively vanilla extract
- ceramic baking beans or dried legumes for blind baking
For the “Cuban” meringue:
- 100 g egg whites 3.5 oz
- 200 g sugar 7 oz
- 66 g water 2.3 oz
- mint leaves approx 20
Instructions
For the shortcrust:
- In a large bowl (or in the bowl of the stand mixer, if used) put the flour, confectioner sugar and vanilla bourbon powder. Alternatively to vanilla bourbon a vanilla flavored confectioner sugar can be used instead of the normal one.
- Add the cubed butter, cold. If done by hand work quickly with your fingertips to get a sand-like texture. With the stand mixer use the paddle attachment and try not to overwork the pastry.
- Dissolve the salt in the eggs and add them to the dough. Work briefly. Flatten into a disc, wrap with cling film and place in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
- With a rolling pin roll out the dough on a slightly floured surface. Using a ring slightly larger than the tart molds cut out several discs. Place each pastry disc in a mold and pinch holes in the pastry using a fork.
- Place a disc of baking paper inside each mold and fill with the bake beans or the dry legumes of choice.
- Blind bake in the preheated oven at 170° C (338° F) for 20 minutes.
- Remove the bake beans and the baking paper and bake for 3-5 minutes, depending on the oven. The shortcrust should be golden and not dark brown.
- Let them cool off completely.
For the mojito custard cream:
- Break the leaves in half and place them in a pot together the milk, rum, and the grated lime zest. Bring to boil.
- Meanwhile in a medium bowl mix the sugar together with the cornstarch. Add the egg yolks and whisk to combine.
- When the milk is close to boil pour half of it in the bowl passing it through strainer to retain the solids. Mix well to dissolve.
- Add the remaining milk, always passing it through the strainer.
- Put back on medium heat and stir constantly with the whisk until the cream thickens.
- Remove from heat and mix vigorously for a minute or two. Transfer in a different bowl, preferably kept in the freezer for 30 minutes prior. Add the freshly squeezed lime juice and whisk again to incorporate.
- Cover with cling film touching the cream and put in the fridge until completely cold.
For the “Cuban” meringue:
- In a small pot put about 100g of water together with the broken mint leaves. When it starts boiling remove from heat and leave the minty in infusion for approx 15 minutes.
- Filter the water with a strainer and put it back in the pot together with the sugar. Place on medium heat. When it reaches the temperature of 115° C (239° F) start beating the egg whites with the handheld mixer (or stand mixer with whisk attachment).
- By the time the syrup reaches 121° C (249° F) the egg whites should should have gained volume. Drizzle the syrup on the egg whites and keep beating until the meringue has a firm consistency.
- Transfer the meringue in a pastry bag with a round or star tip (see notes at the end).
Assembly:
- Fill each tart with the custard cream and level with a spatula.
- Pipe the surface with the meringue.
- Brown the meringue using a blow torch. Do not overdo it.
- Garnish with a mint leaf before serving.
Notes
For the shortcrust pastry a vanilla flavored confectioner sugar can be used in place of the vanilla bourbon and normal confectioner sugar.
To decorate my meringue tarts I used a piping bag with a round tip. Using a star tip results in a more eye-catching effect when the meringue is flamed.