STAR-STRUCK LIME MERINGUE TART WITH AMARETTI CRUST

 (a hybrid from Stella Notte and David Lebovitz)
 
Makes one 9” tart
 
Amaretti crust
 
7 oz. Amaretti cookies
6 tablespoons melted butter
pinch of salt
½ cup blanched almonds (2 oz.)
 
Butter a 9”x1” tart pan with removable bottom and place it on a baking sheet. Place cookies in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a blade attachment. Pulse until coarsely ground; add salt and blanched almonds, pulse a few more times to combine the almonds with the cookie crumbs. Add the melted butter, pulse to combine then turn the mixture out into the tart pan. Spread the crumbs evenly in the bottom and up the sides of the pan, use your fingers to pat into place. Chill the tart shell in the refrigerator while you preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Bake the tart shell until set and lightly colored, about 8 minutes. Set aside to cool while you prepare the filling.
 
Lime Filling
 
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
¾ cup freshly-squeezed lime juice
¾ cup sugar
pinch of salt
zest of two limes
3 large egg yolks
3 large eggs
 
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium saucepan, combine the lime juice, sugar, zest, salt and butter. Warm over low heat until the sugar dissolves and the butter has melted. In a separate bowl, whisk together the whole eggs and the yolks.
Set the bowl with the eggs and yolks on top of a towel so it doesn’t wiggle across the counter. Gradually add the warm juice/sugar/butter mixture to the eggs, whisking constantly. Scrape the mixture back into the saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly with a rubber scraper until the filling thickens and reads 140 degrees on an instant read thermometer. Be careful not to let it boil. Remove from the heat, strain through a fine mesh strainer. Add the lime zest and scrape the filling into the pre-baked tart shell. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes, just until set around the edges. The tart will continue to set up as it cools.
 
Meringue
3 large egg whites, room temperature
¾ cup sugar
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
½ teaspoon vanilla

Fresh raspberries to garnish
 
In a non-reactive metal bowl, whisk together the egg whites, sugar and cream of tartar until combined. Set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Cook, whisking constantly until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture registers 140 degrees F on an instant read thermometer. Remove the bowl from the heat. Using a hand-held electric mixer, beat the meringue for about 8-10 minutes, until thick and glossy. Add the vanilla, beat to incorporate. Place the meringue in a pastry bag fitted with a star tip and pipe decoratively over the middle of the tart. Use a kitchen torch to brown the meringue or place the tart on a baking sheet and brown in a pre-heated 375 degree F oven for 5-8 minutes, until golden.  Cool before slicing. Garnish with fresh raspberries.