Lemon cream meringues
These meringues — which are, in fact, baby pavlovas, in that they should be crisp outside and plush inside vs. crisp all the way through — are the way I combine these flavors for guests. I started making these for Passover a few years ago and despite the fact that it was a room full of chocoholics, everyone, at least briefly, forgot chocolate existed. I haven’t stopped since. I’m not usually big on these kinds of assembled desserts; I do not have the space or patience for plating, but these actually work wonderfully for planning ahead, which is the only way to stay sane when you’re feeding a lot of people at once. You’re better off, schedule-wise, making the meringues as they need a long baking and cooling time. You might as well make the lemon curd while you’re at it, since it keeps fantastically and tastes best cooled. And if you use the Nancy Silverton trick of adding sour cream or crème fraîche to your whipped cream, it not only makes it more delicious and complex, it stabilizes the whipped cream so you can dollop it from the fridge when you’re ready, even a day or two later. I’ve served these both already assembled, as shown, and also more a-la-carte, with a big tower of meringues and spoons for serving your own curd and cream to taste. There’s never anything left.
Ingredients:
- 4 large egg whites
- Two pinches of salt
- 1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch, potato starch or arrowroot powder
CURD
- 2 medium/large lemons
- 3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated sugar
- 4 large egg yolks
- 3 tablespoons (45 grams) unsalted butter