Dalgona Coffee Custard Meringue Tart

Finally posting my tart recipe! I submitted this to our department cookbook competition and won. Yay! I became so obsessed with the tiktok craze dalgona coffee and had to experiment putting it into desserts. I'm still making dalgona coffee at work!

Dalgona Coffee Custard Meringue Tart

makes one 8-9" tart

Shortbread base
1 cup flour
1/8 tsp salt
1/3 cup powdered sugar
2 tsp finely ground instant coffee
1 stick (1/2 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes

Coffee Custard + Meringue
1/2 cup sugar
3 tbsp flour
2/3 cup half and half
2 tsp instant coffee or espresso
2/3 cup brewed strong coffee
2 egg yolks, lightly beaten
3 tbsp butter, in cubes
1 tsp vanilla extract

2 egg whites
pinch of salt
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
4 tbsp granulated sugar

Dalgona coffee whip
2 tbsp instant coffee
2 tbsp granulated sugar
2 tbsp hot water

• Shortbread crust: 

1. Butter 8-9" tart pan. In a large food processor, pulse together flour, instant coffee, salt and powdered sugar to mix. 
2. Scatter cold butter and pulse continuously until dough comes together into large clumps. The mixture does became very loose and sandy before dough starts to clump together
3. Dump dough clumps into your tart pan and using your fingertips, press dough up the sides of the pan thinly (especially in corners where it tends to get thick) and spread to cover the bottom too. Use the back of your spoon to smooth the surface
4. Using a fork, pierce bottom of the crust several times. Cover and place in freezer for 15 mins or in the fridge overnight to chill
5. Preheat oven to 425F and bake crust for 10-12 minutes or until slightly golden brown. Allow to cool completely

• Coffee Custard + meringue:

1. Preheat oven to 375F. In a medium saucepan on medium heat, mix together sugar, flour, salt, instant coffee and stir in half/half and hot coffee. Cook until slightly thickened while whisking constantly (about 3-5mins)
2. In a small bowl with the egg yolks, add a few tbsps of the hot coffee mixture to temper the eggs and quickly stir to prevent curdling/cooking. Then add the egg yolks to the saucepan and cook for 2 minutes.
3. Remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla extract until well incorporated
4. Pour/spread into your cooked tart crust and bake in oven for 10 mins
5. For the meringue: using an electric whisk/mixer, beat egg whites until foamy. Add salt, cream of tartar and then beat sugar in 1 tbsp at a time until meringue is stiff and shiny. Spread or pipe over the baked tart filling (ok if warm)
6. You can use a kitchen torch to scorch meringue or place in oven also at 375F for 5-10 minutes until lightly golden. Allow baked tart to cool to room temp and then into the fridge to firm up for an hour

• Dalgona coffee whip:

1. This is to be made before serving as it can deflate throughout the day due to the water content. You can also eliminate the water and whisk only instant coffee + 1 tbsp sugar to half the meringue batter and bake at step 6 above. 
2. If making before serving with water: In a medium bowel, stir hot water with instant coffee and sugar. Using an electric whisk, beat until light tan/brown, stiff and can hold it's peak. Pipe in between meringue on tart