There’s no reinventing the lemon meringue pie, so why not reimagine it—as Lemon Meringue Nests? Taking flavor cues from its classic inspiration, this recipe puts delicate, crunchy meringue in the spotlight with a sweet-tart lemon curd centerpiece.
Lemon Meringue Nests
Makes 12 to 14
Ingredients
- 4 large egg whites (120 grams), room temperature
- ½ teaspoon (2 grams) vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
- ¾ cup (150 grams) granulated sugar
- Lemon Curd (recipe follows)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200°F (93°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat egg whites, vanilla, and cream of tartar at medium speed until foamy. Increase mixer speed to high, and beat in sugar, 1 tablespoon (12 grams) at a time, until stiff glossy peaks form, 5 to 7 minutes.
- Spoon half of meringue into a piping bag fitted with an Open Star Tip #32 by Wilton.Pipe meringue into 3-inch-round nests on prepared pans by making a flat bottom spiral, followed by 2 stacked rings on the outer edge. Pipe remaining meringue into kisses on prepared pans.
- Bake until set and dry, about 2 hours. Turn oven off, and let meringues stand in oven with door closed for 1 hour.
- Spoon Lemon Curd into center of each meringue nest, spreading to edges.Top with meringue kisses. Serve immediately.
Lemon Curd
Makes about 2 cups
Ingredients
- 3 large eggs (150 grams), lightly beaten
- 1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup (80 grams) fresh lemon juice, strained
- ½ cup (113 grams) cold unsalted butter, cubed
- ½ tablespoon (1 gram) lemon zest
- ⅛ teaspoon rose water
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, whisk eggs until combined and a lemon-yellow color. Add sugar and lemon juice, stirring to combine. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat, and immediately pour through a fine-mesh sieve into a heatproof bowl, discarding solids. Add cold butter, zest, and rose water, stirring until combined. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before using. Lemon Curd can be stored in an airtight container in refrigerator for up to weeks.
Meh. They were ok. I have made lots of meringue so that was easy and no trouble. The lemon curd however did not set even remotely. I usually make the Ball recipe for freezable lemon curd and have no trouble but this didn’t work. Still it was fine just very messy.