serves
8
prep
30 minutes
cook
25 minutes
difficulty
Easy
serves
8
people
preparation
30
minutes
cooking
25
minutes
difficulty
Easy
level
Ingredients
- 300 g gingersnap biscuits
- 150 g butter, melted
- 1 x 395 g can condensed milk
- 3 egg yolks
- 100 ml calamansi, juice only
- Finely grated zest of 2 calamansi, to serve
Italian meringue
- 100 g caster sugar
- 2 eggwhites
- Pinch of cream of tartar
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 160°C/fan 140°C/gas 3.
2. Blitz gingersnap biscuits to crumbs in a food processor (or put in a strong plastic bag and bash with a rolling pin).
3. Stir in the melted butter and press into the base and up the sides of a 22cm loose-based tart/flan tin. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes. Remove and cool.
4. To make the filling, pour a can of condensed milk and egg yolks into a bowl and whisk for 3 minutes, then add the finely grated lime zest and calamansi juice and whisk again for another 3 minutes until well combined.
5. Pour the filling into the cooled base then put back in the oven for 10 minutes.
6. Cool the tart and then chill for at least 3 hours or overnight.
7. To make the Italian meringue, combine the sugar and water in a small pan and bring to the boil, stirring continuously with a spoon until the sugar dissolved.
8. Reduce heat to medium and brush down the sides of the pan with a clean, wet pastry brush to remove sugar crystals. Cook until syrup reaches 115°C (soft ball stage) on a thermometer (approx. 10-15 minutes).
9. Start whisking eggwhites with cream of tartar in the clean, grease-free bowl of an electric mixer until soft peaks form.
10. Bring the sugar syrup to 121°C (hard ball stage). Increase speed to high and with motor running, gradually pour the syrup into meringue. Beat at medium speed until cooled to room temperature and meringue is thick and glossy (approx. 15-20 minutes).
11. When you are ready to serve, carefully remove the tart from the tin and put on a serving plate. To decorate, pipe Italian meringue onto the top of the chilled tart and blowtorch the meringue. Grate more calamansi zest over the top, to taste.
Credit: Grace Guinto, owner of Sweet Cora / Photo by Maysie Lecciones.
Cook's Notes
Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.
