Recipe: Lemon Curd and Meringues

I’m on a lemon kick, you’ve been warned. I had been thinking about lemon curd since we went to tea at L’Espalier and just happened to find this very simple recipe soon after we went. Lemon curd isn’t the healthiest of desserts but hey, it could be worse, it could be cheesecake or something! (*ideas for lemon cheesecake popping into my head*)

Anyways, as I was making the curd I felt bad tossing the egg whites so I thought I’d try my hand at making some meringues for the top. They came out perfectly! You’ve got to give this recipe a try if you want a sweet, citrusy, and simple dessert.

Lemon Curd (as followed by Baker Royale’s recipe)
1 cup lemon juice (roughly 2-3 lemons)
1 cup sugar (I used half brown sugar)
2 tbsp. lemon zest (roughly 2 lemons)
6 egg yolks
10 tablespoons of butter

Meringues
3 egg whites
1 tsp. teaspoon vanilla
8 tsp. sugar

Simmer lemon zest, lemon juice, and sugar on low heat until the sugar has dissolved. Add in the butter, stirring to combine as it melts.

Separate 6 eggs. Put the yolks into a saucepan and slowly temper in your lemon/butter/sugar mixture. Temper = spoon in a little bit at a time, constantly whisking your yolks. You have to do this slowly or you’ll end up with scrambled eggs. Yuck.

Once your two mixtures are fully combined heat the whole thing over low heat until the curd becomes thick and coats the back of a spoon.

At this point fill whatever container you are going to store your curd in and let it cool. I used two sundae dishes and put the rest in a Ball jar. Once they were cool to the touch I put them in the fridge to set. (My curd actually could have gone a little bit longer on the stove but it set up just fine in the fridge.)

Now for the meringue! Beat the egg whites and vanilla on high with your hand mixer or stand mixer. As the eggs become foamy and puffy add in your sugar, one teaspoon at a time. Your meringue will then become denser and glossier. When it forms stiff peaks it’s done.

Spoon your meringue into any shape you want on parchment paper on any baking sheet (I used my pizza stone because I had it out) and bake for 20 minutes at 250 degrees. When the tops are nice and brown your meringues are done!

Put your meringue on top of your lemon curd and voila, you have a delicious, lemony, creamy, sweet dessert!

Needless to say, they didn’t last long…