LEMON MERINGUES

LEMON MERINGUES image

Categories Cookies Egg Dessert Passover Wheat/Gluten-Free Lemon Kosher

Yield 6 servings

Number Of Ingredients 3

Ingredients

Meringue ingredients: 2 egg whites pinch salt 1/2 cup sugar, super-fine if possible 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/4 teaspoon almond extract Lemon Cream ingredients: 1 1/2 cups sugar 1/3 cup potato starch 2 cups water juice of 3 lemons (about 1/3 cup) 3 egg yolks 1 (8-ounce) container whipping cream
Garnish ingredients: 2 ounces semisweet chocolate 1 teaspoon margarine 6 hazelnuts or cashews
Meringue preparation: Allow the egg whites to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes If you are short on time, place the egg whites in a stainless steel bowl and set it in a bowl of warm water for 2 minutes to bring the whites to room temperature quickly.

Steps:

Cover two baking sheets with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 140-175 degrees. Place the egg whites in the bowl of a mixer. With the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites with the salt about 5 minutes or until soft peaks form; the tips will curl. Gradually add the sugar, beating on high until stiff peaks form; the tips will stand straight and sugar will be dissolved. Fold in vanilla and almond extracts. Evenly spread the meringues into 12 circles. Flatten slightly to a diameter of about 3- to 4-inch circles. Place the two baking sheets in the oven for 4 hours. When they are done, remove from the parchment; if the bottoms are sticky in the center, return them to the oven for longer. You want them completely dried out but not browned. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. When completely cool, place in an airtight covered container. Store at room temperature for up to 3 days. Lemon Cream preparation: In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar and potato starch. Whisk in the water, stirring constantly, until the mixture comes to a boil over medium-high heat. Boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat. Stir in lemon juice. In a small bowl, stir the egg yolks with a fork. Add a spoonful of the lemon cream to the eggs. Slowly stir the egg mixture into the lemon cream. Continue to cook for 1 minute. Remove from heat. Cool for 15 minutes. Cover the top of the filling with plastic wrap, making sure it touches the cream or a skin will form. Cool to room temperature or refrigerate overnight or up to 2 days in advance. In a large bowl, with mixer at a high speed, whip the whipping cream. With a rubber spatula, gently fold in 3/4 of the whipped cream into the lemon cream. Reserve rest of whipped cream on top Garnish : melt the chocolate with the margarine. Roll each nut in the chocolate and gently remove with a fork to a sheet of wax paper. Let stand until chocolate is set and shiny (can be put in fridge for 5 min.) Store in airtight container until ready for use.