Lemon Raspberry Italian Meringa
So light and airy, with a slight crunch of meringue, this delicate lemony cream filling sandwiched between two meringue disks, rises to heavenly bliss with the addition of raspberry puree. A dessert fit for angels!
Heavenly clouds of meringue and light cream, floating delicately neath raspberry puree. A winner of a dessert - oh my soft pillowy mouthbites with the subtle crunch of the meringue, the gentle tange of the lemon and a bit of crunch. Cant imagine a more perfect dessert for when the meal itself was heavy. And its colors, when nothing but cool will do.
Reminsecent of a Pavlova the pillow meringue - i was surprised at who easy it is too make. Don’t let the meringue scare you - it’s meant to be fragile and delicate sojust handle it that way. And don’t forget the “holding the bowl of whipped meringue over your head to see if its ready” - a trick made popular on the Great British Baking Show. You would assume a recipe called Italian Meringue isn’t made with the Itlaian version but uses instead the easiest of all to make, often called French Merginue, as opposed to Italian or Swiss Meringue which both require heating the egg white, what you might also call American or basic meringue creates the least fragile of the meringues.
The filling is super easy if you are adept at beating heavy or whipping cream to soft peaks - meaning peaks, not mounds - the mounds come befor ethe peaks and the peaks before butter. Use store=bought lemon meringue (so many delicous brands these days) to add to the cream with some and that with some sugar, cream of tartar and vanilla extract. And finished, in about 5 minutes!.
Then you make giant sadwich of the meringue = filling - meringue then freeze for several hours. The rspberry puree on top is just for fun - but fun in the form of a bit more tang and freshness - Fun is after all, what it’s all about
Lemon Raspberry Italian Meringa
6 egg whites at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups heavy or whipping cream
1/3 cup lemon curd
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 cup powdered sugar
pinch of salt
raspberry puree (recipe below)
-Preheat the oven to 225 degrees. Trace an 11 - inch circle on one side of each of 2 sheets of parchment paper. Place each sheet of paper on a separate baking sheet.
-In a large mixing bowl, whisk the egg whites with the cream of tartar at medium high speed until foamy. Increase the speed to high and beat until soft peaks form. Add the granulated sugar 1 tablespoon at a time, beating for 5 seconds between additions. Add the vanilla and beat until the whites are stiff and glossy, about 5 minutes.
-Transfer half of the meringue to a pastry bag fitted with a large plain round tip and pipe a ring of meringue just inside of each drawn circle. Spoon the remaining meringue into the circles and spread it evenly. to create a solid, even, round of meringue. Bake the meringues for 1 1/2 hours, until very pale and dry. Turn off the oven, prop the door open slightly and let the meringues cool in the oven until completely cooled (about 2 hours)
-Using an electric mixer, whip 2 cups of the cream with the confections sugar until firm. Stir in lemon curd until combined. Spread the cream evenly over 1 of the rounds. Top with the second round, pressing down gently. Freeze until the cream is firm, about 4 hours.
-Slice into wedges with a serrated knife, pressing gently while slicing. Serve with raspberry puree. Garnish with whole raspberries on the sides or tops of each slice.
-Serves 8 - 10
RASPBERRY PUREE
2 cups fresh or frozen raspberries 1/4 cup white granulated sugar 1 - 2 teaspoons lemon juice
-Place raspberries in medium saucepan, stir in sugar and add lemon juice. Slowly heat raspberries over medium-low heat, stirring frequently. Increase heat to medium and allow mixture to come to a low boil, until berries break up and mixture thickens. (Thin with water if your prefer a thinner puree) Remove from heat and let cool completely.
Bake the meringue discs until they are dry and crunchy - about 1 1/2 hours.
Spread lemon curd cream in an even layer over the top of one disc and then cover with the other disc.
Serve with raspberry puree garnished with fresh whole raspberries.
So light and gently delicious, it’s fit for more than just mortals!
