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Versatile Lemon Pudding

(From scratch, using flour, cooked in the microwave oven)

This filling is delicious, chilled in a bowl, or served on a hot summer day from the freezer. Make it with or without meringue. It is also the perfect filling for prebaked tarts or pie shells. 

Make sure you have granulated sugar, all-purpose flour, salt, 3 eggs, a juicy lemon, and butter on hand. 

Instructions:

Place the following ingredients in an eight-cup glass measuring bowl and stir.

1 cup of sugar

4 tablespoons of flour

½ teaspoon of salt

½ cup of water

Add the following ingredients to the above mixture and stir. 

3 well-beaten egg yolks (set aside the whites for meringue) 

1 cup of water

Cook this mixture on high in the microwave for 2 minutes. Then stir well.

Return the filling to the microwave oven and cook on high for three minutes or until thickened.

Add the following ingredients to the mixture. 

2 tablespoons of butter

¼ cup of fresh lemon juice

1½ teaspoons of grated lemon rind

Set the lemon pudding aside to cool. 

Meringue: To make the meringue, whip the three egg whites until frothy and add ¼ cup of sugar, slowly, while still beating. When peaks form, pile the meringue on the pie, tarts, or puddings and bake in a 400°F oven for 5 minutes. Watch this process closely. Meringue browns very quickly. Store your lemon treats in the refrigerator once cooled. 

Tips for Making Perfect Prebaked Tart Shells:

Start by making your favourite pastry recipe. This time, I made my Vintage Hot Water Pastry. Roll the pastry, cut it into circles, fill a tart pan with pastry circles, and bake the shells or freeze them, uncooked, for another day.

When you are ready to bake the tart shells, place a paper cupcake liner inside each raw pastry shell and cover the liner with pie weights. I own clay pie weights, but some people use dried beans for this purpose. When I bake pastry shells without filling, I bake them in a preheated 425° F oven for 10 minutes. Then, I carefully remove the liners with the weights and return the shells to the oven for 5 minutes. Set the shells aside to cool before filling. 

Generously fill each shell with lemon pie filling. Top with meringue. Place the tarts in a 425° F oven for 5 minutes. Check the tarts after 4 minutes to avoid over-browning. 

Confession: These tarts freeze beautifully and are delicious served right from the freezer. As shown above, I ate this frozen tart!

Ideas:

Put filling in an oven-proof custard cup, top with meringue, and bake as you would for meringue-topped tarts. This pudding is delicious without a pastry base. 

Serve the filling in small glass bowls for a taste change after a heavy meal. It is particularly refreshing on a hot day or when someone is recuperating from a cold or other illness. 

As some of you know, my husband has Crohn's, and he enjoys eating this treat right from the freezer when he is recuperating from a difficult time. I freeze the pudding in small containers. He eats it slowly, scraping pudding curls from the top. He lets the refreshing frozen pudding melt on his tongue.