makes
24
prep
45 minutes
cook
2:30 hours
difficulty
Mid
makes
24
serves
preparation
45
minutes
cooking
2:30
hours
difficulty
Mid
level
Ingredients
Meringue
- 4 eggwhites, at room temperature
- 220 g (1 cup) caster sugar
- 1 pinch cream of tartar
Lemon curd
- 2 egg yolks
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 80 g (⅓ cup) caster sugar
- ½ tsp grated lemon rind
- 50 g unsalted butter, chopped
Cooling time 2 hours
Instructions
To make the meringue, preheat oven to 120°C. Line 4 baking trays with baking paper.
Place eggwhites into a clean, dry large mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar 1 tablespoon at a time, beating well after each addition. Add cream of tartar and beat a further 2 minutes or until thick and glossy. Working in batches, spoon meringue into a piping bag fitted with a 1.5 cm plain nozzle. Pipe 5 cm rounds onto trays, allow room for spreading.
Lower oven temperature to 100ºC. Place meringues into oven and bake for 2½ hours or until meringues are crisp and sound hollow when tapped.
Turn oven off and allow meringues to cool in oven, about 3 hours.
To assemble: spread the base of a meringue with lemon curd then gently sandwich together with another meringue, repeat with remaining meringues. Best eaten immediately.
Lemon curd:
Strain egg yolks and lemon juice through a fine sieve into a small heatproof bowl. Add sugar and mix well. Place heatproof bowl over a small saucepan of simmering water, ensuring the base does not touch water. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon until mixtures thickens and coats the back of the spoon, about 10 minutes. Remove bowl from simmering water and place onto a wooden board. Stir in lemon rind; gradually add butter pieces, stirring until well combined. Cover the surface of the curd with plastic wrap or baking paper. Refrigerate until cold and firm, about 2 hours.
Cook's Notes
Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.
