Mini Lemon Meringue Pies Food

LITTLE LEMON MERINGUE PIES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Roll out pastry and use to line 8 x 10cm fluted loose-bottomed tart cases, leaving a little pastry overhanging. Prick the cases with a fork and bake blind for 20 mins (removing the paper and beans after 15 mins) until pale golden brown. Set aside to cool. When cool, use a serrated knife to neatly level the pastry.
• Meanwhile, put the zest, juice, butter and 225g sugar into a large heavy-based pan. Heat gently until the sugar dissolves, then remove the pan from the heat. Beat the whole eggs and yolks together, then stir into the pan. Stir over a low heat for 5-10 mins until thickened. Sieve into a bowl, then spoon into the cases. Any leftover curd will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.
• Whisk the egg whites with 50g sugar in a grease-free bowl until stiff peaks form. Whisk in the vinegar, then gradually whisk in the remaining sugar. 4 Put a good dollop of meringue on top of each tart, then dip a palette knife in hot water and make little peaks on each. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 15 mins or until just browned on top. Allow to cool, then serve.

MINI LEMON MERINGUE PIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Beat the 3 yolks in a bowl until smooth; set aside.
• Whisk 3/4 cup of sugar with cornstarch and flour in a saucepan until thoroughly mixed; beat in the water, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat; reduce heat to a simmer. Add the egg yolks and butter, and mix with the whisk until the filling is smooth and thickened; remove from heat. Spoon the hot lemon filling into the mini graham cracker crusts.
• Beat the egg whites in a metal or glass bowl with 1/4 cup of sugar and the almond extract with an electric mixer until the meringue is fluffy and holds stiff peaks, 1 to 2 minutes. Top each lemon pie with about 1 inch of the meringue and spread into decorative swirls and peaks with a spatula. Cover all the lemon filling with meringue.
• Bake in preheated oven until the meringue is lightly golden brown with darker brown peaks and swirls, about 10 minutes. Allow to cool before serving.

MINI LEMON MERINGUE PIES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400 degrees. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to an 1/8-inch thickness. Cut into six 7-inch-diameter circles; place in six 4 1/2-inch pie pans. Crimp edges, and refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes. Remove from refrigerator, and prick bottoms of shells with a fork.
• Line piecrusts with parchment paper, and fill shells with dried beans, rice, or pie weights. Transfer to oven; bake until edges begin to turn brown, about 10 minutes. Remove paper and weights. Continue baking until golden brown, about 7 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
• Sift together 1 1/4 cups sugar and cornstarch in a medium bowl. Stir in 2 cups water, and mix until smooth; set aside.
• In a nonreactive saucepan, combine lemon juice, 5 egg yolks, and pinch of salt. Set over medium heat, and stir in cornstarch mixture; cook, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil, about 14 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in the lemon zest and butter. Pour filling into a bowl, and set aside to cool, stirring occasionally.
• Pour lemon filling into the six piecrusts. Cover; refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.
• Heat broiler. Bring a medium saucepan of water to a simmer. Combine 7 egg whites, the remaining 3/4 cup sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in bowl of an electric mixer. Hold bowl over simmering water; whisk until the mixture is warm and the sugar has dissolved, about 3 minutes.
• Return bowl to mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, and beat until stiff peaks form. Using an offset spatula, spread each pie with meringue so the filling is covered and the meringue touches the edges of the piecrusts. Transfer pies to broiler, and lightly brown the meringue, watching constantly, 30 to 45 seconds. Remove from broiler, and place on a wire rack to cool to room temperature. Serve.

LEMON MERINGUE PIE FOR TWO

Steps:

• For the crust and filling: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place the miniature graham cracker pie crusts on a small baking sheet. Bake until light golden and toasted, about 8 minutes. Cool completely.
• Meanwhile, heat the sugar, cornstarch, lemon zest and 1/4 cup water in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, whisking continuously, until the sugar dissolves and the mixture thickens, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat.
• Whisk together the egg yolks and lemon juice in a medium bowl until smooth. While continuously whisking, slowly add the sugar syrup to the egg mixture until completely incorporated. This will temper the eggs without overcooking or scrambling them. Transfer back to the same small saucepan and return to the stove over medium heat. Cook, whisking continuously, until the mixture thickens to a pudding-like consistency, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat, then whisk in the butter and vanilla until smooth.
• Spoon the filling into the pie crusts and smooth out the tops. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on top of each pie, pressing onto the filling so it doesn't create a "skin." Refrigerate until chilled through and completely set, at least 4 hours and up to overnight.
• For the meringue topping: Add the sugar, cream of tartar and egg white to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and whisk to combine. Place the bowl over a small 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, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer the bowl to the mixer and whisk on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form, 5 to 6 minutes. Whisk in the vanilla until combined. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a medium star tip.
• Remove the plastic wrap from the pies. Pipe the meringue evenly on top of each pie in a circular motion to create a large rosette, making sure to cover the filling completely. 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.

LITTLE LEMON MERINGUE PIES

Steps:

• Beat the butter in a medium bowl with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until smooth. Add the sugar and salt and continue to beat until evenly combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then beat in the egg yolk. Add half of the flour, beating until just crumbly. Scrape down the bowl again; add the remaining flour and the sour cream, beating just until the dough is evenly moistened. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead lightly to bring it together.
• Roll the dough between 2 generously floured sheets of waxed or parchment paper into a circle about 1/4-inch thick. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
• Cut out six 4 1/2-inch rounds using an inverted bowl or round cookie cutter. Place a round in each cup of a nonstick standard 6-cup muffin tin and use a small shot glass or your fingers to press each round into the corners and about halfway up the sides for a snug fit. Freeze the dough in the muffin tin for 15 to 30 minutes.
• Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees F. Spray the outside of 6 standard muffin liners with cooking spray and place 1 on top of each dough cup. Fill with dried beans or pie weights. Bake until the crusts are just brown around the edges, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool for about 1 minute; then carefully remove the muffin liners and baking beans. Return the muffin tin to the oven and continue baking until the crusts are cooked through and evenly browned, 15 to 20 minutes more. Cool slightly, then carefully remove the crusts from the muffin tin and cool completely on a rack.
• Combine the sugar, cornstarch and egg yolks in a nonreactive saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture is smooth and the sugar dissolves, about 1 minute. Add the lime juice and lemon zest and juice and continue to cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture is as thick as sour cream and is just about to simmer, 3 to 4 minutes. (Take care to stir into the sides of the saucepan so that all the curd thickens evenly.)
• Strain through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl. Whisk in the butter a little at a time, until smooth. Stir occasionally until cool. (Setting the bowl in a larger bowl of ice will speed this up.). Fill each tartlet with 1 1/2 tablespoons of the cool lemon filling.
• Bring a few inches of water to a boil in a saucepan that can hold a stand mixer's bowl above the water. Whisk together the sugar, egg whites, cream of tartar and salt in the bowl by hand. Set the bowl above the boiling water and heat, whisking, until the mixture is hot to the touch (135 degrees F) and the sugar dissolves, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer the bowl to the mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat the whites at medium-high speed until they hold soft peaks. Increase the speed to high and continue to beat to make a stiff, cool meringue, about 10 minutes. Dollop or pipe on top of the filling.
• Just before serving, brown the merinque with a kitchen blow torch. (Alternatively, preheat the broiler to high. Set the pies on a baking sheet and place under the broiler until the meringue is evenly toasted, about 2 minutes.) Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve.
• For Busy Bakers:
• They can be refrigerated for up to 2 days These also freeze wonderfully! They can be assembled and frozen up to 1 week in advance. Defrost for 20 minutes before broiling the tops and serving.
• To make ahead in stages:
• - The crusts can be made, baked and frozen up to 2 weeks.
• - The curd can be made up to 3 days in advance and refrigerated.
• - The meringue can be made up to 1 day in advance and refrigerated.

MINI LEMON MERINGUE TARTS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Arrange tart shells on a baking sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven until heated through, about 5 minutes. Remove from the oven; leave oven on.
• Whisk egg yolks, 3/4 cup sugar, butter, lemon juice, and zest together in a medium bowl. Whisk in buttermilk. Add flour and salt; whisk well.
• Pour filling into the tart shells, filling them almost to the top.
• Bake in the preheated oven until filling rises and appears set, about 15 minutes. Watch carefully to avoid overcooking.
• Prepare meringue while the tarts are baking. Beat egg whites with an electric mixer on high speed until frothy. Add remaining 1/2 cup sugar and cream of tartar; continue beating until meringue is stiff and shiny.
• Top baked tarts with meringue. Ensure that you press the meringue down to form a seal around the edges.
• Return tarts to oven and bake until meringue starts to brown, about 10 minutes more. Let cool before serving.

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.

MINI LEMON MERINGUE PIES

Steps:

• To make the lemon filling, combine water, lemon juice, sugar and flours in a saucepan until smooth. Bring to the boil, stirring constantly until mixture thickens. Reduce heat and simmer for 3 minutes.
• Stir yolks, butter and zest into the mixture until butter is completely melted and then remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
• Preheat oven to 200°C Lightly grease three 12-hole, mini muffin pans. Using a 6.5cm round cutter, cut 9 rounds from each pastry sheet. Use pastry to line muffin holes until you have 36. Place pans in freezer for 10 minutes or until pastry is firm. Bake pastry cases for 10 to 12 minutes or until light golden. Remove from oven. Spoon 1 teaspoon of lemon filling into each pastry case.
• Using an electric mixer, beat eggwhites and cream of tartar to soft peaks. Add sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating until meringue is thick and glossy. Spoon the meringue into a piping bag and pipe meringue over top of lemon filling in a swirl that comes to a peak. Bake for 5 minutes or until meringue is set and just starting to brown at the top. Cool completely in pans before serving.