Meringue Shells With Lemon Curd Recipes

Steps:

• Place egg whites in a large bowl; let stand at room temperature 30 minutes., Preheat oven to 225°. Add vinegar, vanilla, salt and cream of tartar to egg whites; beat on medium speed until foamy. Gradually add sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating on high after each addition until sugar is dissolved. Continue beating until stiff glossy peaks form., Cut a small hole in the tip of a pastry bag or in a corner of a food-safe plastic bag; insert a large star tip. Transfer meringue to bag. On a parchment-lined baking sheet, pipe meringue into twelve 3-in. round disks, building up the sides with meringue to form shells. Bake 45-50 minutes or until set and dry. Turn off oven (do not open door); leave meringues in oven 1 hour. Remove from oven; cool completely on baking sheet. , Meanwhile, in a small heavy saucepan, mix sugar and potato starch. Whisk in water and 1/2 cup lemon juice until smooth. Cook and stir over medium-high heat until thickened and bubbly. Reduce heat to low; cook and stir 2 minutes longer., Remove from heat. Stir a small amount of hot mixture into eggs; return all to pan, stirring constantly. Bring to a gentle boil; cook and stir 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Gently stir in lemon zest and remaining lemon juice. Transfer to a small bowl; cool without stirring. Refrigerate, covered, until cold., Spoon curd into meringue shells. If desired, top with whipped topping and berries.

Steps:

• Place egg whites in a large bowl; let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Beat the egg whites, vanilla and cream of tartar on medium speed until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, on high until stiff peaks form. , Drop meringue into eight mounds on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Shape into 3-in. cups with the back of a spoon. , Bake at 275° for 45-50 minutes or until set and dry. Turn off oven and do not open door; leave meringues in oven for 1 hour. Spread cups with lemon curd and fill with fruit.

Steps:

• Let egg whites stand at room temperature in a large mixing bowl for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, line baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a pencil, draw eight 2-1/4-inch circles and eight 1-3/4-inch circles about 1 inch apart on the paper.* Turn paper pencil-side down on baking sheet; set aside. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
• Add lemon juice and cream of tartar to egg whites. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until soft peaks form (tips curl). Add sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating on high speed about 7 minutes or until very stiff peaks form (tips stand straight) and sugar is almost dissolved.
• Using a pastry bag fitted with a medium (1/4-inch) round tip, pipe a flat base of meringue onto all of the circles on the paper. Pipe a ring of meringue onto edges of each of the 8 larger meringue rounds, building the sides 3/4 inch tall by piping a continuous coil of meringue to form a small shell. For tops, pipe a coil of meringue on smaller rounds to make a cone shape that resembles the top of a beehive.
• Bake 30 minutes. Turn off oven. Let meringues dry in oven, with door closed, at least 1 hour. Remove from paper. Place in an airtight container. Store in a cool, dry place up to 1 week.
• Just before serving, spoon 1 tablespoon of lemon curd into each bottom meringue shell. Place a few berries on lemon curd. Prop top of meringue beehive next to bottom.
• *Note: For free-form meringue shells without tops, make eight 3-inch circles on parchment. Use back of a large spoon to spread meringue over circles, building up sides to form shells. Bake as directed.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
• For meringue, beat egg whites in a glass, metal, or ceramic bowl stiff peaks form. Slowly add powdered sugar and continue beating until mixture is thick and creamy. Beat in vanilla. Mound meringue into two 8-inch circles (one on each baking sheet)
• Reduce the temperature to 245 degrees F (118 degrees C) and place meringues in the oven. Cook for 90 minutes. Turn off the oven and leave meringues in until cooled, 2 to 4 hours. Remove from the oven and set aside until needed.
• While the meringue is cooling, prepare lemon curd filling: Bring water to a steady simmer in a double-boiler pan over medium heat. In the top portion of the double boiler, off the heat, whisk together lemon juice, eggs, and egg yolks. Place the top portion of the double boiler over the simmering water and continue to whisk until mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Add butter and whisk until it is melted into the mixture. Remove from the heat, cover, and place in the refrigerator to chill for at least 2 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spray the bottom and sides of an 8-inch round cake pan with cooking spray. Line the bottom pan with parchment paper and spray that with cooking spray. Dust with flour.
• Prepare cake: Sift cake flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt into a bowl.
• Cream sugar and butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add eggs and beat until incorporated. Mix in milk, lemon zest, and vanilla and lemon extracts until smooth. Slowly add dry ingredients and mix just until blended. Pour batter into the prepared cake pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes.
• Remove cake from the oven and set on a wire rack until completely cool, about 30 minutes. Run a butter knife around the edges to ensure the sides are free; remove cake from the pan and set aside.
• Whip cream for topping in a glass, metal, or ceramic bowl with an electric mixer. Add sugar and beat until incorporated.
• Place one meringue on a platter. Drizzle with some lemon curd and place the cake layer on top. Drizzle more lemon curd and place the second meringue on top. Top with whipped cream and garnish with lemon zest.

Steps:

• Make lemon curd:
• Cut butter into pieces and in a heavy saucepan cook with zest, lemon juice, and sugar over moderate heat, stirring, until sugar is dissolved and mixture just comes to a simmer. In a bowl whisk together eggs and whisk in lemon mixture until combined well. Transfer lemon curd to pan and heat over moderate heat, whisking constantly, until it just begins to simmer. Pour lemon curd through a fine sieve into a bowl and cool slightly. Chill lemon curd, its surface covered with plastic wrap, at least 2 hours, or until cold, and up to 3 days.
• Fill tartlet shells in baking cups with lemon curd. Chill tartlets, covered, 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Make meringue:
• In a bowl with an electric mixer beat whites with a pinch salt until foamy. Add cream of tartar and beat whites until they hold soft peaks. Gradually add sugar, beating until meringue holds stiff peaks.
• Transfer meringue to a pastry bag fitted with 1/2-inch plain tip and pipe meringue 2 inches high onto each tartlet, completely covering lemon curd.
• Bake tartlets in middle of oven 3 minutes, or until meringue tips are just browned, and cool in cups on racks. Chill tartlets in airtight containers at least 2 hours, or until cold, and up to 1 day. Keep tartlets chilled until ready to serve.