Lemon Meringue Bites Food

LEMON MERINGUES

Steps:

• Position oven racks in the top and bottom thirds of the oven and preheat to 250 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment.
• Beat the egg whites and salt with an electric mixer on medium-high speed in a large bowl until foamy. Add the cream of tartar and continue to beat until soft peaks form. While beating, gradually add the sugar and then continue to beat until stiff peaks form. Beat in the lemon extract.
• Transfer the mixture to a pastry bag fitted with a star tip and pipe 1-inch meringues on the prepared baking sheets about 1 inch apart. Bake until the meringues are no longer glossy and feel light and dry when picked up, about 1 hour. Turn off the oven but leave the meringues inside with the door cracked open until they are completely cool and dry, about 2 hours. The meringues can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.

THE BEST LEMON MERINGUE PIE

Steps:

• For the pie crust: Pulse the flour, shortening, sugar, salt and vinegar in a food processor until the mixture looks like damp sand, about 10 pulses. Add the butter and pulse until you can still see large pea-sized pieces. Sprinkle in 3 tablespoons ice water and pulse until the dough begins to come together. Pinch the dough; if it doesn't hold together, add up to 3 more tablespoons ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough holds together when pinched. Lay out a sheet of plastic wrap and dump the dough onto the plastic. Using the edges of the plastic, press the dough into a disc. Wrap tightly and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour and preferably overnight. (Freeze up to 2 months.)
• On a lightly floured work surface, roll the dough out into a 13-inch round. Place in a 9-inch pie dish, gently pressing the dough into the edges and letting the excess dough drape over the sides. Refrigerate for 2 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Trim any excess dough with a paring knife and crimp the edges decoratively or press them down with the tines of a fork. Prick the dough on the bottom all over with a fork. Place a sheet of parchment paper inside the dough and fill with pie weights or uncooked rice or beans. Bake for 10 minutes. Carefully remove the parchment and weights and bake until the crust is deep golden brown on the edges and lightly golden in the center, 10 to 12 minutes more. Let the crust cool to room temperature.
• For the filling: Whisk together the sugar, cornstarch and salt in a medium saucepan. Add the lemon juice and 1 1/2 cups water and whisk to combine. Whisk the egg yolks in a separate medium bowl. Place the sugar mixture over medium heat and cook, continuing to gently whisk, until the mixture begins to bubble and is extremely thick. Temper the eggs yolks by slowly adding half of the hot sugar mixture to the yolks while constantly whisking. Add the tempered yolks to the saucepan and return to the heat. Bring the mixture back to a simmer and cook, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula, for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter and lemon zest until completely melted and incorporated. Pour the filling directly into the pie crust and cover with plastic wrap pressed directly against the surface of the filling (see Cook's Note). Refrigerate while you make the meringue.
• For the meringue: Add the egg whites to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment along with the sugar, cream of tartar and salt. Whisk together to combine. Place the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, making sure the bottom of the bowl is not touching the water. Cook, whisking constantly, until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture feels hot to the touch. Transfer the bowl to the mixer and add the vanilla. Whisk on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form, 5 to 6 minutes.
• Remove the plastic wrap from the pie and gently mound the meringue on top of the filling. Use an offset spatula to make sure the meringue completely covers the filling and meets the crust all around the edges. (This will seal in the filling and help prevent weeping.) Use the offset spatula to create swirls and peaks in the meringue. Toast the meringue using a kitchen torch or broil in the oven until golden brown, keeping an eye on the meringue if broiling, 1 to 2 minutes. Refrigerate the pie until the filling is completely cool and set, about 4 hours.

MINI LEMON MERINGUE PIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 220°C.
• Cut a dozen 10cm circles from pastry and line a 12-hole non-stick muffin tin. Prick the bases and chill for 30 minutes.
• Bake for 10 minutes until lightly golden, then cool.
• Whisk yolks, condensed milk, zest and juice in a bowl and set aside to thicken.
• In another bowl, beat whites to form soft peaks.
• Gradually add sugar, still beating, until you have a thick and glossy "meringue".
• Spoon the lemon filling into the pastry cases and top each with meringue, creating little peaks by drawing the spoon up.
• Bake for 6 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool before serving.

LEMON MERINGUE TARTS IN PHYLLO CUPS

Steps:

• For curd: Whip eggs and sugar until very light and fluffy with a whip attachment.
• Gradually mix in lemon juice and rind. Place over boiling water and cook, whisking until extremely thick, about 5 10 minutes.
• Remove from heat and whisk in butter. Pour into a container, cover with plastic wrap and chill overnight to stiffen.
• For tart dough:
• Lay one sheet of phyllo on work surface. Brush with clarified butter and sprinkle with sugar.
• Repeat the process with the second and third sheets. Cut into 3-inch squares.
• Lay 18 tartlet molds upside down on a sheet pan. Lay 1 square of phyllo over each pan, then place a second one on top of phyllo to help form tartlet shells. The square corners will spread out flat on the sheet pan.
• Bake in this upside down position weighted down with another sheet pan at 375 degrees Fahrenheit until golden brown.
• Let phyllo cool slightly, but while still warm remove from molds. Cool completely then fill with lemon curd by piping with a plain tip.
• For meringue:
• Whip egg whites until stiff but not dry then add the brown sugar gradually and continue whipping until stiff.
• Pipe onto lemon curd with a star tip and brown with a blow torch or under the broiler.

LEMON MERINGUE BITES

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.