A tart made with a sweet and crunchy biscuit base, topped with a creamy tart passion fruit filling and finished with marshmallow textured sweet meringue torched to perfection.

Passion Fruit Meringue Tart

Passion fruit is one of my favourite fruits and for so long I have been trying to find a way to incorporate it to my desserts, so I thought why not use to make a delicious tart perfect for the summer days. The base of this tart is made with simple digestive biscuits and butter, they add a bit of salty flavour to the tart while keeping it simple and not overpowering the passion fruit. The filling is made simply with passion fruit puree, vanilla extract, double cream and condensed milk, it’s sweet but also tart and citrus like. Finally, the tart is topped with sweet meringue beaten until still slightly soft for a marshmallow like texture. The combination of all of these flavours makes for the most delicious summer dessert.

So, what is it made of?

As I said, this tart is super easy to make and doesn’t require that many ingredients, although it may sound complicated, you’ll be surprised how easy it is to make. This is all you’ll need:

• Digestive biscuits (graham crackers)
• Butter
• Passion fruit puree
• Double cream
• Condensed milk
• Vanilla extract
• Egg whites
• Sugar

About the passion fruit puree

For the passion fruit puree I bought this one from Amazon which I found to be very nice, it’s also great for cocktails, so if you have any left, you can always pour yourself a drink while making it!

Passion Fruit Meringue Tart

Ingredients:

For the base:

• 230 of digestive biscuits (graham crackers)
• The zest of 1 lime 
• 70 gr of butter melted 

For the filling:

• 140 gr of passion fruit puree
• 50 ml of condensed milk 
• 330 ml of double cream
• 2 tsp vanilla extract 

For the meringue:

• 60 ml of egg whites 
• 120 gr of sugar 
• Pinch of salt 

Method:

1. Start by making the base of the tart. Using a rolling pin or a food processor, blend the biscuits until they turn into crumbs. Then, transfer the biscuit crumbs into a bowl and add the lime zest, finally, pour melted butter over it. Mix well using a spatula.
2. Transfer the mix into a 20-22 cm lose base fluted tart tin greased with some butter and spread it over the bottom and up the sides, firmly pressing down using your hands or the bottom of a glass. Put it in the freezer until ready to use.
3. Once the base is done, start with the filling. In a large pot, cook the double cream, condensed milk and vanilla extract over medium to low heat until it starts simmering, use a spatula to stir often and make sure it doesn’t burn. Make sure you use a larger pot than you think you’ll need, the cream will start to raise in the pot and it can spill over. Allow to simmer for 2-3 minutes and then take off the heat. If for any reason your double cream burns a little bit (happens to all of us!) simply sieve it before you transfer it into a bowl.
4. Transfer into a glass bow or jar and add the passion fruit puree. Mix well using a hand whisk, we just want to combine it. Feel free to try the mix as you are adding the passion fruit so it’s to your taste.
5. Pour the filling onto the crust and allow it to sit at room temperature until it has cooled down and the mix has thickened up, then transfer to the fridge and allow to cool down for a further 2 hours or overnight.
6. Before serving, make the meringue. For the meringue you just need to double the amount of sugar you need in relation to the eggs, so if you want more meringue simply do that. In a large clean bowl, add in the egg whites, pinch of salt and sugar and place it over simmering water making sure the water doesn’t touch the bowl. Whisk constantly until the sugar has dissolved into the egg whites. Check to make sure that the mixture is done cooking by rubbing some of it between your fingers and feeling if the sugar has fully dissolved. If it is fully dissolved, turn off the heat and remove the bowl from the pot.
7. Allow to cool down for 2 to 3 minutes and then using a hand mixer whisk the egg whites at high speed until the mix thickens up, becomes glossy and almost stiff peaks form. Place on top of the tart and toast with a kitchen blow torch.