Looking for an elegant tartlets recipe? Make Mango Meringue Tartlets! A classic shortbread crust paired with an exotic Mango Curd and toasted Meringue Topping make these beautiful little mini tarts something special.
My heart is positively aflutter over this mango meringue tartlets recipe. If these little beauties 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.
Mango Meringue Mini Tartlets – the perfect mini dessert for Mother’s Day Brunch or any special occasion!
These mini mango tartlets are so bright and sunny and pretty, just looking at them makes me do a little happy dance.
Ok, let me break this down for you so you can get to making this mango meringue tartlets recipe and feeling like a fancy little tea party guest in no time.
How to make this Mango Curd Tartlets recipe:
This tartlets recipe starts with a flaky, buttery pastry crust that is made in the food processor, chilled for an hour, then baked into tartlet pans. Once the pastry shells have cooled down, we fill them with a homemade fresh mango curd that is just the bee’s knees.
The mango curd we use as a tart filling is incredibly easy to make, but make sure to do it in advance. I recommend the day before even so that it has plenty of time to set before you fill the tartlets.
You’ll definitely want to keep the leftover mango curd 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 mango curd tartlets.
For making the meringue topping for this tartlets recipe, we heat egg whites and sugar over a hot water bath before whipping to fully dissolve the sugar. By doing so, we create a smooth, dense, stable meringue after whipping that is perfect for piping. You can torch the egg whites lightly using a culinary blowtorch.
The egg whites are already cooked, torching a meringue is merely decorative so you can skip this step, if you want.
What can I do with leftover raw meringue?
After you’ve made the mango tartlets recipe, 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 little 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.
Variations on this tartlets recipe:
- You can top these with some lightly sweetened whipped cream with a hint of vanilla instead of the meringue .
- Or skip the meringue and serve these with diced mango with fresh mint on top.
- A hint of cinnamon and allspice and 1/4 tsp of ground cardamom would be a great way to spice up the crust.
Tips for making Mango Curd Tartlets:
- Taste your mangoes . If they taste bland and boring, your tarts will too. Be sure to use good and ripe ones. Use manilla mangoes if you can. Due to their smaller size, you should use 2.
- Mangoes vary in sweetness so start by pureeing the mango and taste your mango puree to determine how much sugar and lemon juice you need.
- You can also taste the filling before you add the butter to make sure you have the right balance.
- Mangoes vary in the amount of liquid. If you have especially juicy mangoes, the curd may take longer to thicken up. My mangoes produced a fairly thick puree. If your filling isn’t thickening up, add half tablespoon of cornstarch or some more butter.
- If you do not have a thermometer, make sure to heat the curd long enough so that it really noticeably thickens. It might take up to 15 minutes but the egg yolks will eventually get there.
- A runny curd can be fixed by throwing in some bloomed gelatin and heat it just enough to melt it in. You will need maybe a sheet per quart.
Thanks for reading! To keep up with me in the kitchen, follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest. If you make this tartlets recipe, please share it using the hashtag #LePetitEats!
This post was first published on Aug. 25, 2014 and last updated on Sept. 18, 2020.
Mango Meringue Tartlets Recipe
Looking for an elegant tartlet recipe? Make Mango Meringue Tartlets! A classic shortbread crust paired with an exotic Mango Curd and toasted Meringue Topping make these beautiful little mini tarts something special.
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 Tbsp chilled unsalted butter cut into pieces
- 2 egg yolks lightly beaten
- 1 Tbsp cold water
For the Meringue
- 3 large egg whites
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
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 the back of a spatula. Discard solids in sieve.
Set metal bowl over a saucepan of simmering water (do not allow bottom of the bowl to touch the 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.
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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Recipe Notes
- Taste your mangoes . If they taste bland and boring so your tarts will be so make sure to use good and ripe ones. Use manilla mangoes if you can. Due to their smaller size, you should use 2.
- Mangoes vary in sweetness so start by pureeing the mango and taste your mango puree to determine how much sugar and lemon juice you need.
- You can also taste the filling before you add the butter to make sure you have the right balance.
- Mangoes vary in the amount of liquid. If you have especially juicy mangoes, the curd may take longer to thicken up. My mangoes produced a fairly thick puree. If your filling isn't thickening up, add half tablespoon of cornstarch or some more butter.
- If you do not have a thermoter, make sure to heat the curd long enough so that it really noticeably thickens. It might take up to 15 minutes but the egg yolks will eventually get there.
- A runny curd can be fixed by throwing in some bloomed gelatin and heat it just enough to melt it in. You will need maybe a sheet per quart.
I love these tarts!!! I can’t wait to make them while mangoes are in season here. Thanks for sharing this one.
Thanks Maureen! Hopefully you won’t have to wait too long!
Simple n wonderful 👍
Booooo