Meringues with Citrus Curd and Fruit

It’s Mother’s Day on Sunday! YAY! When I asked my mom what she wanted for Mother’s Day, she responded that she wanted a little picnic in the park. Wish granted! I think these would be a great picnic dessert and if they get a little smashed you can then call it an Eton’s Mess. Simple. Classic. Chic.

These meringues are my favorite because they’re airy and crispy on the outside and super chewy on the inside. This is my favorite texture when it comes to meringues.

Before I moved in our new home, I could never make meringues. Our old, janky oven couldn’t hold a temperature of 200 degrees F to save its life. It would always fluctuate up to 350 degrees F randomly and them come back down. I would bake batch after batch and they’d all turn a dark brown and I’d scratch my head. It wasn’t until I put a thermometer in there and realized what was happening. At 350 degrees F my oven was completely fine but put it down to 200 F and it was all wrong—so frustrating.

This new oven tho is perfection and it holds the temperature where it’s supposed to.

I filled them with a lemony-ginger curd that I made from 101 Cookbooks, basically the only curd recipe I use because it’s 100!!

I topped it with a few berries and some powdered sugar. Done and done!

The best part about this recipe is that it can be made ahead. The curd can be made ahead and the meringues can be made the day before. Just assemble them right before you serve them

5 from 1 vote

Print Recipe

Meringues with Citrus Curd and Fruit

Author: Adrianna Adarme

Crispy and chewy meringues filled with citrus curd and topped with fresh fruit. A perfect make-ahead dessert. 

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American, English

Keyword: easter, make-ahead, make-ahead dessert, meringue, meringues, pavlova, spring recipes

Prep Time: 15 minutes mins

Cook Time: 2 hours hrs 20 minutes mins

Total Time: 2 hours hrs 35 minutes mins

Serving Size: 12 meringues; 1 cup curd

Ingredients

Meringues:

• 4 large egg whites
• Pinch of salt
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 ¼ cups white granulated sugar.
• 1 teaspoon white wine or red wine vinegar
• ¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Ginger-y Citrus Curd:

• ¾ cup citrus juice I used a combination of oranges and meyer lemons
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
• ½ cup white granulated sugar
• 2 large egg yolks
• 2 large eggs
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 inch knob ginger finely grated

For Assembly:

• ½ pint of berries I used a combination of blackberries and blueberries
• 12 to 14 sprigs of mint
• 1 tablespoon powdered sugar

Instructions

To Make the Meringues:

• Preheat your oven to 200 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set them aside.
• To the bowl of your stand-up mixer (or you could use a bowl with a hand electric mixer), with the whisk attachment, add the egg whites, salt and corn starch. When the egg whites are foamy, with the mixer still running, pour in the sugar. Beat for an additional 2 to 3 minutes on high, until very stiff peaks form. Pour in the vinegar and vanilla extract and beat one last time until mixed.
• To the baking sheet, spoon out big dollops of meringue and using the back of a spoon, create little cavities. Repeat until you’ve worked through all of the meringue. I got about 12 meringues. You can make them as big or as large as you like.
• Bake for 2 hours, or until the meringues are dry and crisp. Turn off the heat and allow the meringues to come to room temperature.

To Make the Gingery Citrus Curd:

• To a small saucepan, placed over medium heat, simmer the citrus juice until it reduces by half (to about ⅓ cup), about 3-5 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly.
• *In the stainless steel bowl (note: you’ll use this bowl as a makeshift double-boiler later) of your stand-up mixer, add the softened butter and sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
• Add the egg yolks, beat the mixture together, and then add the eggs, beating again until they’re well incorporated. Stir in the salt, and then in a few batches, add the citrus juice and ginger. The mixture will look curdled and you might scratch your head and wonder if it’s right, it will be!
• Rinse out the small saucepan you used earlier, and fill it with a few inches of water. Bring the water to a simmer and place your stainless steel bowl of curd mixture on top. Stir constantly, and heat the curd slowly enough that the sugar has time to dissolve and the whole mess becomes cohesive; this step usually takes about 10 minutes. Pull the curd from the head when it is just thick enough to coat your spoon and until a thermometer reads 166 F. The curd will thicken as it cools.
• I ran the curd through a sieve into a chilled bowl a few times just to ensure it was silky smooth. I highly recommend this step! Transfer the curd to a container a keep in the fridge, in an airtight container, for up to a week.

To Assemble the Meringues:

• So here’s the best thing about this recipe. Both components (the meringues and the curd) can be made the day before.
• Right before you’re ready to serve, spoon the curd into the center of the meringues. Garnish with a few berries, a sprig or two of mint (seriously the mint is a must!) and a sprinkling of powdered sugar.

Notes

You can make this ahead by doing the following:

The day before, make the meringues. Allow them to get to room temperature and store at room temperature on the baking sheet lightly covered with a kitchen towel.

Up to two to three days before, make the curd. Store in the fridge in a airtight container. You can warm it up slightly if it's a bit too stiff. Also, giving it a good stir should help.

Nutrition

Serving: 12g | Calories: 350kcal (18%) | Carbohydrates: 10g (3%) | Protein: 5g (10%) | Fat: 8g (12%) | Cholesterol: 50mg (17%) | Sodium: 4mg | Potassium: 9mg | Sugar: 12g (13%)

Did you make this recipe? Tag me today!

Tag @acozykitchen on Instagram & hashtag it #acozykitchen