Pascha Recipes
Lemon-Lime Meringue Nests
End a lovely Easter dinner with these stunningly sweet and tangy tarts.
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients
Meringue
- 3 large egg whites
- 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
Filling and Garnish
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
- 1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
- 1 tablespoon grated lime peel
- 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) chilled butter, cut into small pieces
- Colored jelly beans
- Candied lemon strips
Instructions
- Heat oven to 275 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with wax paper. Using a 3 inch round cookie cutter, trace 6 circles, 2 inches apart, on prepared baking sheet.
Meringue
- Beat together egg whites and cream of tartar at high speed until foamy. Beat in sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, until stiff, but not dry, peaks form.
- Spoon meringue mixture into a large pastry bag fitted with a star tip. Pipe around 1 circle tracing, then fill in completely. Pipe 2 layers of meringue around outside edges of circle, forming a wall for filling. Repeat with remaining tracings and meringue.
- Bake meringues until firm and dry, 45 minutes.
- Turn off oven; let meringues stand in oven with the door closed to dry for 2 hours or overnight.
Filling and Garnish
- In the top of a double boiler set over simmering (not boiling) water, beat eggs and sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in lemon juice, lime juice, lemon peel and lime peel.
- Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens slightly, 15 to 20 minutes.
- Remove from heat. Stir in butter. Pour filling into a bowl. Press plastic wrap onto surface; chill for 2 to 3 hours.
- Spoon filling evenly into meringue shells. Garnish center with jelly beans and candied lemon strips.
Notes
Baking tip: Do not prepare meringues on a wet, humid day. The moisture will make them soggy.
Attribution
Great American Home Baking