Key Lime Pie

Place the flour, Cocoa Powder and sugar in a bowl and mix until all combined. Add the butter to the bowl and rub into the dry ingredients until the form a breadcrumb consistency.

Add the egg yolk and stir through so the mixture begins to clump together. Add the milk and using your fingers begin to bring pastry dough together. Pour the pastry dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead lightly to form a smooth dough.

Roll the pastry out onto a lightly floured surface to a thickness approx. 1/2cm. Using a round cutter slightly larger than your tartlet tins cut 6 circles out of the pastry, re-rolling as necessary. Place the circles of pastry in the tartlet tins a press into place.

Prick the base of the pastry case with a fork a couple of times and place a square of greaseproof paper over each pastry case and fill with baking beans. Place the pastry cases in the fridge to chill for 30 minutes. 10 minutes before baking, pre-heat the oven to 200°C (180°C Fan/Gas Mark 6). 

Once chilled place the pastry in the centre of the oven the blind bake for 20 minutes. Once baked remove from the oven and remove the baking parchment and baking beans and place the pastry cases back in the oven for a further 5-7 minutes to allow the pastry base to firm up. Once baked remove from the oven and leave the pastry cases in their tins to cool.

Once the pastry cases are cooled make the filling; place the condensed milk, cream and icing sugar into a bowl and whisk with an electric hand whisk for 2 minutes so the mixture thickens slightly. Add the lime juice, zest and Green Colour Gel mix until all combined and the green colour is evenly mixed through the filling.

Divide the filling equally between the pastry cases, ensuring it does not spill over the top of the pastry cases. Once filled place the tarts into the fridge to chill for 2 hours or overnight. 

Once the filling has set your tarts are ready to be decorated. Firstly, make the Italian meringue. Make up the egg whites following the instructions on the pack. Whisk the egg whites to form stiff parks and place to one side. Place the sugar and water in a saucepan and gently heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Once the sugar has dissolved increase the heat so the sugar syrup begins to boil, allow to boil until it reaches 120°C. Once the temperature has been reached remove from the heat and begin gently pouring into the egg whites whisk continuously whisking the egg whites. Continue whisking the meringue mixture until it has cooled. 

Once cooled place your meringue into a piping bag and cut a small hole at the end of your piping bag. Pipe small blobs of meringue around the edge of your tarts, leaving a gap between each blob for a blackberry. Gently torch the Italian meringue with a blow torch – if you do not have a blow torch you do not need to do this, the meringue can be eaten uncooked as the egg white powder is pasteurised. 

Place the blackberries in the gaps between the meringue blobs and sprinkle the lime zest and grated chocolate over the top of the tarts. You are now ready to serve and enjoy your tarts.