Mango Meringue Tarts

OMG you guys. My heart is positively aflutter over these cute little mango tartlets. If they had cheeks, I would pinch them, that's how adorable they are. And it's not just because I'm a complete sucker for anything mini, although if I'm being completely honest that probably has a teeny tiny bit to do with it. 

They're so bright and sunny and pretty, just looking at them makes me do a little happy dance. And when I eat them I feel like a little girl sitting at tea party in my fancy dress with my fancy cup of tea and even fancier pastries. Pretty much the best feeling ever.

Ok, let me break this down for you so you can get to making them and feeling like a fancy little tea party guest in no time. A flaky, buttery pastry crust is baked into tartlet pans and filled with a homemade mango curd that is just the bee's knees. It's incredibly easy to make, but make sure to do it in advance (the day before even) so that it has plenty of time to set before you fill the tarts. You'll definitely want to keep the leftovers around in the fridge to smear on toast, spread on a crepe, swirl into yogurt and about a thousand other delightful things I can think of...

And let's not forget about those perfectly toasted tufts of meringue, the crowning glory of these magnificent treats. You'll probably wind up with a little leftover fluffy goodness- do not let it go to waste. Wanna know what I did? I added a little lemon zest and made mini lemon pavlovas and meringue cookies! And what do you know, they also pair brilliantly with that leftover mango curd, creating a whole new dessert after the original one is long gone. It's the gift that keeps on giving.

makes about 10 mini tarts
Ingredients
for the mango curd:
1 large ripe mango, peeled, pitted, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/4-1/2 cup sugar, depending on the sweetness of the mango and how tart you want your curd to be
3 Tbs fresh lime juice
Pinch of salt
4 large egg yolks
4 Tbs unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

for the tart shells:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup confectioners' sugar
1/2 tsp salt
10 Tbs chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces
2 egg yolks, lightly beaten
1 Tbs cold water

for the meringue:
3 large egg whites
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions
1. To make the mango curd, puree the mango, sugar, lime juice and salt in a food processor, scraping down the sides as needed, until a smooth consistency is reached. Add yolks and puree for another 10-15 seconds. Strain mixture through a mesh sieve into a metal bowl, pressing on solids with back of a spatula. Discard solids in sieve.
2.  Set metal bowl over a saucepan of simmering water (do not allow bottom of bowl to touch water); whisk puree until thickened and thermometer registers 170°F, about 10 minutes. Remove from over saucepan and gradually whisk in butter, 1 piece at a time. Cover and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.
3. To make the tart shells, combine the flour, sugar and salt in a food processor and pulse once to mix. Add the butter and pulse until pea-size crumbs form, about 20-30 seconds. Add egg yolks and water and process for another 10-15 seconds or until large, moist crumbs form.
4.  Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, shape the dough into a ball and divide in half. Flatten each half into a disk, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
5. Position a rack in the center of an oven and preheat to 400ºF. Working with one piece of dough at a time, roll out to 1/4-inch thickness on a floured surface. Using a 3.5-inch round cookie cutter, cut out 10 rounds. Transfer each round to a 3.5-inch tartlet pan and press the pastry with your fingertips to fit up the sides. Poke with the tines of a fork and bake until the tart shells are evenly golden and crisp, 15-18 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and cool for 5 minutes, then remove the tart shells from the pan and cool to room temperature.
6. To make the meringue, place egg whites and sugar in a heatproof mixing bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Whisk until sugar dissolves and mixture registers 160ºF on a candy thermometer. Remove from heat and whisk on high speed until mixture is cool and stiff peaks form, about 6 minutes. Beat in vanilla.
7. To assemble tarts, spoon mango curd into cooled tart shells and pipe meringue around the edge of tarts using a small star tip fitted to a pastry bag. Torch meringue tops lightly with a culinary blowtorch, if desired.