Limoncello Meringue Pies "The Afternoon Tea"

There are not many things in life that are more enjoyable than a nice cup of tea.
It's almost 5pm where I'm sitting so it's time to prepare my afternoon tea, styled like an English :)

Maybe a little story about the Afternoon Tea...

Afternoon Tea is a tea-related ritual, introduced in Britain in the early 1840s. It evolved as a mini meal to stem the hunger and anticipation of an evening meal at 8pm. Afternoon Tea is a meal composed of sandwiches (usually cut delicately into 'fingers'), scones with clotted cream and jam, sweet pastries and cakes. Interestingly, scones were not a common feature of early Afternoon Tea and were only introduced in the twentieth century. It was initially developed as a private social event for ladies who climbed the echelons of society. It was only when Queen Victoria engaged in the Afternoon Tea ritual that it became a formal occasion on a larger scale, known as ‘tea receptions'. In Britain today Afternoon Tea is usually enjoyed as an occasional indulgence or to celebrate a special event such as a birthday, or a pre-wedding or baby shower party with a group of friends (http://www.afternoontea.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=840&Itemid=35). So..., these are my lovely mini desserts....Limoncello Meringue Pies adapted from "The Women's Weekly Afternoon Tea Magazine" recipe.

Aren't they so tempting?

A not too sweet pie crust with sour lemon curd filling, and the sweetness of meringue on top produces a perfect balance.

I could not resist when I saw this magazine and  I’ve been reading this incredibly inspiring book every day since bought it. I bought this last year when I was at the Page One bookstore, Singapore. It was published by ACP Magazines "The Australian Women's Weekly Test Kitchen". This book stated that with more than 70 million cookbooks sold, every single recipe is carefully Triple Tested and giving the reassuring guarantee that comes with all their cookbooks, wherever you are in the world success first time, every time. It contains 52 mini dessert recipes, including finger sandwiches, scones, pastries, cakes, biscuits and slices. There are also comes with some tips and techniques, glossary, and conversion chart. For me, this book not only has a simple recipe, easy to follow step by step, but it also comes with a beautiful pictures. So here we go with the recipes and instructions, just follow it with patient and I promise you that it’s worth it to try. Limoncello Meringue Pies      Prep + Cook Time 1 hour 15 minutes (+ refrigeration & cooling) Yield: 24 Tip: Curd can be made 2 days ahead. Store the curd in an airtight container in the refrigerator. INGREDIENTS For the pastry 1 3/4 cups (260 g) plain (all-purpose) flour 1/4 cup (40 g) icing (confectioners') sugar 185 g (6 ounces) cold unsalted butter, copped coarsely 1 egg yolk 2 teaspoon iced water, approximately 3 egg whites 3/4 cup (165 g) caster (superfine) sugar For the limoncello curd 3 egg yolks 1/2 cup (110 g) caster (superfine) sugar 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon grind (peel) 1/4 cup (60 ml) lemon juice 90 g (3 ounces) cold unsalted butter, chopped 1 tablespoon limoncello liqueur INSTRUCTIONS For the limoncello curd 1.Whisk egg yolks and sugar in medium heatproof bowl until pale and thickened slightly.  2. Whisk in rind and juice; stir over medium saucepan of simmering water about 12 minutes or until mixture coats the back of a spoon. 3. Remove from heat; gradually whisk in butter until combined between additions. Stir in limoncello; cover; refrigerate overnight. For the pastry 1. Process flour, icing sugar and butter until crumbly. With motor operating, add egg yolk and enough of the water to make ingredients cling together. Turn dough onto floured surface, knead gently until smooth. Wrap pastry in plastic; refrigerate 30 minutes. 2. Grease two 12-hole (1 tablespoon/ 20 ml) mini muffin pans. Roll out half the pastry between sheets of baking paper until 5 mm (1/4 inch) thick. Cut out 12 x 6 cm (2 1/4 inch) rounds; press rounds into holes of one pan. Prick base of cases well with a fork. Repeat with remaining pastry. Refrigerate 30 minutes. 3. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 220 C/ 425 F 4. Bake cases about 12 minutes. Stand cases 5 minutes before transferring to wire rack to cool. 5. To make Meringue; Beat egg whites in small bowl with electric mixer until soft peaks form. Gradually add caster sugar, beating until dissoved between additions. 6. Increase oven temperature to 240 C/ 475 F. 7. Divide limoncello curd into cases. Spoon meringue mixture into piping bag fitted with 1 cm (1/2 inch) plain tube; pipe meringue over curd. Bake about 2 minutes. Cool. NOTE • You can use salted instead of unsalted butter Good luck and enjoy :* luv, Sandra