sweet shortcrust pastry, passion fruit curd and meringue…

To be honest, the summer 2011 sucks. Temperatures jump from one day very hot (but always rain), next day 10 degrees less, and right now it’s fall, it really is…goodbye summer, see you next year, hopefully!
So, to cheer at least the taste-buds up I made these today and summer feeling was at least dancing on my tongue.

If you are a passion fruit lover, you’re gonna love this curd and the combination of the very fresh fruity and crunchy seeds in a silky curd with the sweet shortcrust pastry and the fluffy meringue.
Out of the fridge, a real refreshing summer dessert. You should make them.

Sweet shortcrust pastry (Donna Hay’s Baking Book, modern classics)

Ingredients

2 cups (220g) flour
3 tablespoons sugar
5 oz. (150g) butter or lactose free margarine, chopped
2-3 tablespoons iced water

Mix the flour, butter and sugar until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add enough iced water to smooth the dough and mix until combined. Knead the dough lightly and wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Roll out the pastry on a floured surface and line the tart tin (the recipe makes about 350g pastry, so I just used as much as I needed for 6 mini tartlette tins and put the rest in the freezer).
Preheat the oven to 350 F (180 C) and place a piece of baking paper over the pastry and fill with baking weights or uncooked rice or beans. Bake for 10 minutes then remove the weights and bake for further 10 minutes or until the pastry is golden.

Passion fruit curd (adapted from here)

Ingredients
(I halved the recipe)

4 eggs
2 egg yolks
3/4 cup caster sugar
3/4 cup passionfruit pulp (see note)
125g butter, chilled, chopped

Place eggs, egg yolks and sugar in a 6-cup capacity heatproof, microwave-safe jug or bowl. Whisk with a balloon whisk until well combined. Add passion fruit pulp and butter. Stir to combine.
Microwave passion fruit mixture, uncovered, on MEDIUM (50%) for 6 to 10 minutes, whisking every minute, or until thick enough to coat a spoon.

Fill the pastry shells with the curd and preheat the oven again to 350F (180 C) and make meanwhile the meringue. (I only made a real small amount)

Meringue

1 egg white
1/4 cup (55g) sugar

Beat the egg white with an electric mixer on high speed until it peeks form, then start adding slowly the sugar while still beating until it’s stiff.

Put the meringue on top of the passion fruit filled tartlettes and put them in the oven until edges get golden brown. Refrigerate for an hour until serve.

Now I got summer in my tummy!