Black sesame meringue tart
- Prepare
- 1-2 hours
- Cook
- 30 mins to 1 hour
- Serve
- Serves 8–12
- Dietary
- Pregnancy-friendly
This black sesame tart combines a chocolate biscuit base with a nutty black sesame and almond frangipane, a layer of tangy orange curd and a toasted Swiss meringue topping. The piped meringue makes it a striking centrepiece for a celebration. You’ll need a 23cm/9in tart tin for this recipe.
Ingredients
For the biscuit base
- 265g/9¾oz Oreo biscuits
- 20g/¾oz black sesame seeds
- 100g/3½oz browned unsalted butter
For the orange curd
- 2 oranges, finely grated zest only
- 30g/1oz caster sugar
- 35ml/1fl½ oz orange juice
- 2 large free-range egg yolks
- 1 tsp cornflour
- 35g/1¼oz unsalted butter, chilled
For the black sesame frangipane
- 125g/4½oz black sesame seeds, ground
- 85g/3oz ground almonds
- 30g/1oz plain flour
- 120g/4oz butter, softened
- 60g/2¼oz caster sugar
- 2 large free-range eggs
- 30g/1oz tahini
- 1 tbsp vanilla bean paste
For the Swiss meringue
- 2 large free-range egg whites
- 95g/3¼oz caster sugar
- ⅙ tsp cream of tartar
- pinch salt
Method
To make the biscuit base, crush the biscuits in a food processor until they resemble fine breadcrumbs. Alternatively, put them in a sealable food bag and crush with a rolling pin.
Toast the black sesame seeds in a dry frying pan for 5–7 minutes. Add to the biscuit crumbs and mix together.
Melt the butter in a saucepan over a low heat and continue cooking until browned. Pour over the biscuit mixture and stir until combined.
Transfer the mixture to a 23cm/9in tart tin and press firmly over the base. Refrigerate until firm.
To make the orange curd, put the orange zest and sugar in a small saucepan. Rub together with your fingertips to release the oils from the zest. Add the orange juice and whisk to combine. Warm gently over a low heat.
Whisk the egg yolks in a separate bowl, then gradually whisk in the cornflour until smooth.
Slowly pour the warm orange mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly. Return everything to the saucepan and cook over a low heat for approximately 7 minutes, stirring continuously with a spatula, until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
Remove from the heat, add the chilled butter and whisk until melted. Pass the curd through a sieve, discarding anything left in the sieve.
Remove the tart case from the fridge and spread the orange curd over the base in a thin layer. Return to the fridge to set.
To make the black sesame frangipane, blitz the sesame seeds in a food processor until finely ground. Mix with the ground almonds, flour and salt in a bowl.
In a separate bowl, beat the softened butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, tahini and vanilla bean paste and beat until combined. Fold in the dry ingredients.
Preheat the oven to 190C/170C Fan/Gas 5.
Remove the tart case from the fridge and carefully spread the frangipane over the orange curd, smoothing the surface.
Bake for approximately 20 minutes, or until the frangipane is springy and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Leave to cool.
To make the Swiss meringue, bring a saucepan of water to a gentle simmer. Put the egg whites and sugar in a heatproof bowl and set over the pan, making sure the base of the bowl doesn’t touch the water.
Whisk until the sugar dissolves. Continue heating and whisking, checking the temperature with a sugar thermometer. The contributor specifies 43C, but this temperature needs to be reviewed for food safety before publication.
Transfer the mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Add the cream of tartar and salt, then whisk on high speed until stiff peaks form.
Transfer the meringue to a piping bag and cut a small opening at the tip.
Once the tart has cooled slightly, pipe long, ghost-shaped peaks of meringue in a circular pattern over the top. Lightly toast the meringue using a kitchen blowtorch.
