Ingredients

The following ingredients have 4 Servings
  • 40 g unsalted butter (melted)
  • 1 large egg white (lightly whisked)
  • 130 g almond flour
  • 20 g desiccated coconut
  • 2 TB Swerve® sweetener (confectioners)
  • 4 large egg yolks
  • 200 g water
  • 70 g Swerve® sweetener (confectioners)
  • 3 lemons (juice of all 3, zest of 1)
  • 1 TB arrowroot powder ((8g))
  • 60 g unsalted butter
  • 4 large egg whites
  • 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
  • 35 g Swerve® sweetener (confectioners)

Instruction

  • Preheat the oven to 180°C (fan oven). This is 200°C for conventional ovens (or 400°F / gas mark 6).
  • Grease the base and sides of a 23cm tart tin and line the base with parchment paper.
  • Melt the butter over low heat until melted. Allow to cool a little (to avoid cooking parts of the egg) then whisk it into egg white.
  • Combine the almond flour, desiccated coconut and sweetener in a bowl. Pour the melted butter mixture into the bowl of almond flour and mix well to combine.
  • Tip the whole lot into the prepared tin and use a small spatula (or clean hands) to press the mixture down on the base and up the sides of the tin. If the mixture sticks to your fingers, leave it to cool for another minute before trying again. You want an even, compressed layer on the base and up the sides of the tin. This takes some patience, but it is important. Use a fork to make light, superficial piercings on the base. Place the tart tin onto a tray (for easier rotating and removal).
  • Bake in the oven for 12-14 minutes (rotating the tray halfway through to ensure even baking because many ovens have cold and hot spots!). Remove and set aside.
  • Reduce the oven to 160°C (fan oven). This is 180°C for conventional ovens (or 350°F / gas mark 4).
  • Separate 4 eggs: you will use the yolks in the filling and the whites for the meringue. Lightly whisk the eggs yolks in a bowl. Set the bowl of whites aside for now.
  • In a small-medium pan, whisk together the water, arrowroot powder and sweetener. Add the lemon juice and zest. As you will see in the ingredients list, you will use the juice of all 3 lemons, but the finely grated zest of only 1.TIP: Always grate the lemon zest before slicing it in half to squeeze the juice. Trying to grate zest from two squeezed halves is too tricky!
  • Dice the butter into small cubes. This will make it quick and easy to melt into the filling mixture later. LONG STORY SHORT (but I am sure this helps you), this is what you should have ready:
  • Place the pan on a moderately high heat and bring to a strong simmer. Stir continuously until the mixture reduces and thickens, this will take approx. 2 minutes.
  • Remove the pan completely from the heat. Add just a tablespoon of this mixture into the bowl of egg yolks, whisking it in immediately. Repeat the process with 9-10 more tablespoons, whisking well between each addition. TIP: This step is what we refer to as "tempering" eggs. If we added the egg yolks to the hot mixture all at once, it would scramble. Doing it this way, we slowly get the eggs used to a warm mixture, by whisking in a little hot mixture at a time. Its the same process used in homemade custard or when making a homemade ice cream base. It's a great technique to learn! :)
  • Once you are happy with your tempered eggs (which should look smooth), pour the whole lot back into the pan. Now return the pan to the heat source and cook over heat for 3 minutes, whisking continuously to avoid the mixture catching and burning. You also still run the risk of the eggs scrambling, so don't stop stirring for the full 3 minutes.
  • Remove the pan from the heat now completely and add the diced butter, whisking well until the butter has melted into the mixture.
  • Pour this filling mix into your prepared, cooked tart base. Set aside to cool for 15 minutes. You want the surface of this mixture slightly warm, but not piping hot.
  • For the meringue layer, add the cream of tartar to the bowl of egg whites and use a hand blender to whip until it is thick and fairly stiff.
  • Add the sweetener and continue to whip until you achieve stiff peaks and the meringue looks smooth and shiny.
  • Use a large spoon to transfer large spoonful's of the meringue mixture on top of the lemon filling, ensuring that the filling is completely covered. You can create little decorative peaks at this time too.IMPORTANT TIP: Make sure that the meringue layer covers the lemon mixture, so check for any small gaps - especially on the edges. I found that if I didn't do this, the lemon mixture bubbled over (which will make removing your pie from the tin much trickier).
  • Bake in the oven - ON THE LOWEST SHELF - for 10 minutes only.Then reduce the oven to 140°C (fan oven). This is 160°C for conventional ovens (or 325°F / gas mark 3) - and bake for another 20 minutes.If you don't want the meringue to brown too much, you can lay a sheet of tin foil over the top after the first 12-15 minutes of baking.
  • Remove and set aside on a cooling rack to cool completely (at least 2-3 hours) before removing from the tin, slicing and serving.
  • SIGH... I am exhausted just typing this! LOL! I wish you all the success xxxx