Meringue Dreams and Silent Connection

Fond memories tied to a citrus dessert.

First things first, Hi! Hallo! My name is Juliette, and I am a classically trained Pastry Chef. I own a wee little patisserie 30 miles north of New York City which I’ve named Untold, established in 2019. Untold specializes in all things chocolate - chocolate bonbons, chocolate dipped botanical cookies, chocolate adorned wedding cakes…the list goes on. I would like to lean into the recipes I’ve learned, created, and no longer get the joy of making all too often by creating this newsletter. I will share stories, memories, and of course recipes. Although I am rather shy, and not a writer by any means, I’d like to share my journey with you! So here goes nothing…

Today I am reminded of someone who had a big impact on my career and changed the way I approach recipes with both curiosity and creativity. This person would be Chef Sandun. I met Sandun during my first job out of culinary school. I worked at a French restaurant called, Equus. Situated within a stone castle overlooking the Hudson River. Equus is a unique place for the elite city folk to venture out to the countryside and delight their palettes in a medieval inspired castle (allegedly Ryan Reynolds was known to frequent the restaurant, though I never personally encountered him). I was thrown right into the fire in the the hustle and bustle of a fast paced kitchen. There were high teas requiring exotic petite fours plated perfectly upon polished silver tea trays, lavish weddings with Viennese tables including 5 foot tall Croquembouches, and dinner service fit for kings.

Sandun had just begun his J-1 Visa from Sri Lanka when I first met him. He was tasked with the sole responsibility of creating bread for Equus. His bread was to die for. Perfectly golden hued, and a crust that could make just about anyone’s salivary glands activate before putting a single morsel into their mouths. He was soft spoken, kind, and a hard worker. Sandun would be in the kitchen well before anyone else to ensure his dough starters were intact and the dough making/shaping process would be perfectly timed with guest demands. Somehow in the midst of all that work, he sacrificed time to show me tips, tricks, and recipes! I will save these for future blog posts, but today I would like to tell you about THE perfect tart. All thanks to the great Sandun. Scroll down for the recipe and more photos!

My take on lemon tarts (of course must include pansies).

This particular tart dough is fascinating to me. Created with both almond flour and all purpose flour, it creates a very strong shell keeping it from cracking easily or getting soggy. It is versatile enough to be used for most savory fillings, but my very favorite filling is LEMON CURD. Sandun’s lemon curd recipe is buttery, silky, and coats your tongue in a way that is just citrusy bliss.

The Great Sandun’s Lemon Meringue Tart

The Dough

200g Unsalted Butter

175g Confectioners’ Sugar

60g Almond Flour

100g Eggs, room temperature

460g All Purpose flour

5g Salt

Method of Prep:

1. Mix softened butter with sugar until mixed.

2. Add in your eggs.

3. Add flours and salt.

4. Let it rest for 30 minutes before using.

5. Roll out dough thinly and form onto 4” tart rings.

6. Place on parchment sheet lined baking tray.

7. Bake at 375° for about 7 minutes.

The Curd (lemon of course)

216g Granulated Sugar

216g Eggs

320g Softened Butter

160g Lemon Juice

1 ½ Sheets Gelatin

Method of Prep:

1. Place lemon juice in a small pot and bring to a simmer.

2. Temper sugar and eggs with hot lemon juice (use a whisk!)

3. Stir until thick.

4. Add butter and bloomed gelatin.

5. Cool down in fridge.

The Meringue

200g Egg Whites

300g Granulated Sugar

10g Vanilla Bean Paste

Method of Prep:

1. Measure the egg whites and sugar in a stainless steel bowl and place over a pot of boiling water.

2. Whisk until the sugar dissolves. Touch the mixture and if you cannot feel any gritty sugar, you’re good to go!

3. Dry the bottom of the bowl with a rag, and pour into your mixer with a whisk attachment. Whisk on high until stuff peaks form.

Assembly:

1. Once tarts have cooled down, inspect them. are the sides a bit wonky? Even it out using a microplane.

2. Melt 200g of white chocolate and using a pastry brush, brush the inside of those tarts. This creates a barrier between the curd and the tart shell keeping it from getting soggy.

3. Once the chocolate has set, fill a piping bag with lemon curd (no pastry tip needed) and fill those tart shells with the curd.

4. Use an offset spatula to even out the top as best you can.

5. Using any pastry tip you like, filled a pastry bag with that glossy gorgeous meringue. Pipe a fair amount of meringue in any design that brings you bliss.

6. Time to torch! Torch evenly all around to show off your piping skills!

7. That’s it! Serve it to the queen, your husband, or your neighbor. Enjoy and give thanks to Chef Sandun ;-)

Chef Sandun, jack of all trades.

That perfect golden crust I was talking about!

Some of Sandun’s recent work. Galette de Rois. He is now an Executive Pastry Chef in Dubai. Follow him on Instagram to see his incredible creations!

Castle Hotel & Spa

Myself preparing trays for tea service.