Raspberry Meringue Mountains

CRUST
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup ground toasted almonds
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup unsalted butter

LIME CURD
1 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
Zest of 2 limes
1 1/4 cups sugar
5 egg yolks
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 cups fresh raspberries

MERINGUE
5 egg whites
Pinch of cream of tartar
1 cup sugar

To prepare the crust, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter 8 tartlet pans and set aside. Put the confectioners' sugar, salt, flour, almonds, and almond extract in the bowl of a food processor and process to mix. With the machine running, add the butter in the feeder tube about 2 tablespoons at a time. Process until the dough collects on top of the blade. If the dough is too soft and sticky to handle, cover it in plastic wrap and refrigerate until it is firmer and less tacky. Press the dough into the prepared tartlet pans and bake in the oven until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool.

To prepare the curd, put the lime juice, zest, sugar, and egg yolks in a metal bowl, and whisk together. Add the butter and place over the gently simmering water. Whisk until the curd thickens and coats the back of a spoon. Pour into prepared tartlet shells. Pile the fresh raspberries in a pyramid on top of each tartlet.

To prepare the meringue, put the egg whites and cream of tartar in the bowl of a heavy-duty mixer and mix on high speed until the egg whites are very fluffy. With the machine running, add the sugar about 1 tablespoon at a time until all of the sugar is incorporated. Continue to whip on high speed until the whites are shiny and stiff peaks form. Place the meringue in a pastry bag fitted with a star tip and pipe strips of meringue over the raspberries. To brown the outside of the tartlets, place the tartlets on a broiler pan and brown under the broiler for 2 to 3 minutes. Alternatively, brown with a propane torch held 6 inches away from the tartlets.

Set tartlets on individual plates and serve immediately.

Serves 8