Meringue nests with lemon curd, a fantastic treat for your Easter dessert menu. Nothing beats a homemade lemon curd and some scrumptious homemade meringue nests that are crunchy on the outside, but soft and chewy on the inside. Together they make a luscious dessert for all tastes.
Lemon curd
Does it need any introduction? The sharp zesty curd is too delicious!!! And can easily be made at home with just a few simple ingredients. The ready-made stuff is nowhere near as tasty.
Just pick up some nice lemons, and job done. If you have some lemons to spare, why not give my Lemon Drizzle Cake a try? It's so lemony and perfect for tea time. Or perhaps you can use the curd to make these awesome Mini Lemon Cheesecakes with Easter Eggs?
All we need for the curd: lemons, butter, sugar and eggs. And nothing more. The process might be a tad tiring, as it requires stirring, but it's well worth it!
How to make perfect meringue nests
Meringues can be tricky, but this really is a no-fail recipe. If you worry about the meringues cracking, there are a few tips to help you get perfect meringues all the time. Believe me or not, you only need 2 ingredients: egg whites and sugar. That's it!
I only had two other previous attempts which resulted in a complete disaster. The meringues, although yummy, had cracks all over. Those bad experiences really put me off making meringues for quite some time. But, as they say, you live and learn. Now l know where l went wrong.
- Firstly, it is crucial to have the egg whites at room temperature. This really is the golden rule in baking.
You will find that, with most recipes, ingredients must be taken out of the fridge at least an hour before you start rolling up your sleeves.
- Then, you must get the oven temperature right. Too high, and the meringues will crack in an instant. Just set the oven at 100 degrees Celsius (200 degrees Fahrenheit) and leave the meringues bake undisturbed for one hour.
After that, turn the oven off, but no matter how tempting it may be, do not open it for at least two or three hours, ideally overnight, so that the meringues can cool down completely.
Opening the oven door straight away will ruin the meringues, due to the difference in temperature. So, patience, and your meringues will turn out just perfect! Pretty amazing, isn't it?
a refreshing dessert
One more tip, if you have guests over and want to impress them with these amazing meringue nests with lemon curd, spoon the lemon curd over the meringues just before serving. The curd is more delicious chilled from the fridge, so do make sure it is nice and cool. Other than that, enjoy your treat!
If you’ve tried my MERINGUE NESTS WITH LEMON CURD or any other recipe on the blog then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, and PINTEREST to see more delicious food and what I’m getting up to.
Meringue Nests with Lemon Curd
Ingredients
- 2 egg whites
- 100 g caster sugar
For the lemon curd
- 2 lemons
- 100 g caster sugar
- 50 g butter
- 1 egg
- 2 egg yolks
Instructions
- To make the meringues, beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Gradually add the sugar, one tablespoon at a time and continue to beat until you get stiff peaks and a shiny smooth consistency.
- Preheat the oven to 100 degrees Celsius (212 Fahrenheit).
- Add the egg white mixture to a piping bag and pipe out nests on a non-stick baking tray.
- Bake in the oven for one hour, then turn the oven off and leave the meringues to cool down undisturbed for at least 2-3 hours before opening the oven door.
- To make the lemon curd, cut the butter in small cubes and place it together with the sugar in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water, making sure that the water does not touch the bottom of the pan.
- Add the zest and juice from the 2 lemons and stir occasionally until the butter is completely melted.
- Beat the egg and egg yolks slightly, then add the egg mixture to the pan, whisking well.
- Leave to cook for about 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the lemon curd coats the back of the spoon.
- Leave to cool completely, then add one or two tablespoons of lemon curd to the meringue nests.
Notes
- If you'd like to see the ingredients listed in cups and ounces, please check the US Customary Link.
- Also, the amount of ingredients changes depending on the servings, so click on the number listed to change it to the number you prefer.
Nutrition
Enjoy!
Alina Delicious Romania
I have to make this lemon curd, I'm really curious about what it tastes like. Never tried it before! I'm sure it's yummy with the sweet meringue 🙂
Daniela Anderson
Thank you ? The lemon curd is absolutely delicious, l always end up eating a lot with the spoon ? I hope you'll like it!
Angie
These look fancy, but the recipe looks so simple! Your pictures are gorgeous! Do you mind if I ask you what backdrop you are using? Your shoot space is so clean looking! Love the yellow against the black. STUNNING!
Daniela Anderson
Thank you so much, Angie! It's actually a very cheap coloured paper bought from a stationery shop, it only cost about £1 or so. I love it, l get to use it a lot, it actually brightens up the photos, which is amazing. The sun rarely comes out in the cloudy England, so l always struggle with taking decent photos, sometimes l have to plan my photo shooting according to the weather ?
Merry Lou Staylor
Can you please tell me the approximate amount of nests this recipe makes? I am having 17 people join us for Easter, and want to make sure there are enough. Thank you.
Daniela Anderson
Hi! Thank you for your comment! I made 6 nests, so l would use at least 6 egg whites to be on the safe side, you should get about 18 nests, depending on their size. I hope it helps! Let me know if l can help further ?
Nancy
Can you store extra meringues filled with lemon curd in refrigerator?