Tips for Making Perfect Pre-baked Tart Shells:

Start by making your favourite pastry recipe. This time, I made my Vintage Hot Water Pastry. Roll the pastry, cut it into circles, fill a tart pan with pastry circles, and bake the shells or freeze them, uncooked, for another day.

When ready to bake the tart shells, place a paper cupcake liner inside each raw pastry shell and cover the liner with pie weights. I own clay pie weights, but some people use dried beans. When I bake pastry shells without filling, I bake them in a preheated 425° F oven for 10 minutes. Then, I carefully remove the liners with the weights and return the shells to the oven for 5 minutes. Set the shells aside to cool before filling.

Generously fill each shell with lemon pie filling. Top with meringue. Place the tarts in a 425° F oven for 5 minutes. Check the tarts after 4 minutes to avoid over-browning.

Confession:

These tarts freeze beautifully and are delicious served right from the freezer. As shown above, I ate this frozen tart!

Ideas:

Put filling in an oven-proof custard cup, top with meringue, and bake as you would for meringue-topped tarts. This pudding is delicious without a pastry base.

Serve the filling in small glass bowls for a taste change after a heavy meal. It is particularly refreshing on a hot day or when recuperating from a cold or other illness.

As some of you know, my husband has Crohn’s, and he enjoys eating this treat right from the freezer when he is recuperating from a difficult time. I freeze the pudding in small containers. He eats it slowly, scraping pudding curls from the top. He lets the refreshing frozen pudding melt on his tongue.