Grapefruit Meringue Tartlets with Rosemary Crust

A twist on the classic lemon meringue pie using fresh ruby-red grapefruit paired with a surprise hint of fresh rosemary in the crust.

Prep 45 mins

Cook 35 mins

Resting Time 1 hr

Servings: tartlets

1 ½ cups pastry flour
½ cup powdered sugar
½ tsp salt
½ cup cold unsalted butter
½ tsp vanilla extract (optional)
1 ½ tbsp finely minced fresh rosemary (optional, about 1 sprig worth of stripped leaves)
1 egg

Mix the flour, sugar, and salt in a large mixing bowl, or the bowl of a food processor.
Cube the butter and add it into the mixture. If using a food processor, pulse lightly until the mixture forms small, loose crumbs. If mixing by hand, cut the butter in with a pastry cutter.
Add the egg, vanilla extract, and fresh rosemary to the mixture and pulse or cut in until the dough starts to come together, but hadn't formed a large ball yet.
Form the dough into a ball and wrap tightly to keep it from drying out. Chill in the fridge for at least an hour. You can also freeze the dough for a couple of months if you'd like to store it for future use.
Preheat your oven to 350°F with the rack in the center.
Once the dough is chilled, unwrap it on a lightly floured surface. If making tartlets, divide into as many equal-weight pieces as you have tins. Roll out into circles an inch or two larger than your tartlet pans, around ⅛" thick. If the dough is too stiff to work easily, allow it to rest for a few minutes at room temperature.
Press the dough gently into the tartlet pans and trim away the excess.
Press parchment paper or aluminum foil on top of the dough and fill with pie weights. You can also use dried beans or uncooked rice in place of ceramic pie weights.
Blind bake for around 8 minutes if using small tarlet pans, or around 15 minutes if using a full-size 9" tart pan. Remove the weights and covering and bake another 3-5 minutes until the inside of the shell is golden brown.

Combine sugar, cornstarch, and grapefruit juice in a cold sauce pan. Stir until well combined. Turn the heat on to medium-high and heat until thick and bubbling, stirring frequently. Remove from heat.
While stirring the egg yolks vigorously, drizzle around ½ cup of the still-hot filling mixing into the egg yolks to bring them up to temperature. Then while stirring the filling constantly, add the yolk and filling mixture back into the filling.
While still stirring, add in the butter until melted and the mixture is completely combined, glossy and uniform. Pour immediately until tart crusts. The mixture will begin to set right away, so it wouldn't hurt to take a small time-out to clean your sauce pan now - it'll be easier than waiting until later!

In a completely clean glass or metal mixing bowl, add the three egg whites and cream of tartar. Mix lightly with a fork to combine.
Beat the egg whites until frothy. Slowly add in the powdered sugar, a tablespoon at a time. Continue beating until the egg whites are lofty and hold a stiff peak; if using, add the vanilla extract right at the end.
If you're feeling fancy, you can gently add the meringue to a piping bag and pipe it onto the tartlets. If you intend to top with fresh fruit, you can leave a little open space without meringue to place the fruit. Or feel free to simply spoon the meringue on top.
Bake for another 12-15 minutes until the topping reaches the desired level of golden or dark brown.
Allow to cool on a rack for at least an hour before popping the tartlets out of their pans. They can be served at room temperature or chilled, and optionally can be topped with a little fresh segmented grapefruit.