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Meringue nests with lime curd and cherries – fresh summer dessert, that is very easy to make and looks impressive. They look like mini meringue pies.
Hi guys! Happy Friday! Fourth of July is just around the corner.
I have a nice summer dessert idea for you today. While testing a recipe for a cake I wanted to make for a friend last week, I ended up with 9 egg whites, I did not use.
I kept them on my kitchen counter for a day and knew exactly what I wanted to make. Meringue nests! And then I found a recipe for lime curd and it turned out pretty good. Lemon curd could be used instead. Then I garnished my meringue nests with a fresh cherry on top.
Light and airy, crunchy, sweet meringue nests, paired with tart lime curd and sweet cherries, it sounds like the perfect summer dessert.
Their small size, makes them perfect for a party, birthday or a baby shower.
The best part – they are extremely easy to whip up. I rarely make meringue cookies (I make Pavlovas more often), so I was worried about my piping skills. Piping these was actually pretty easy. I had to trace 3 inch circles on a sheet of parchment paper, to make sure the nests have the same size. I used a star tip and and starting at the center of each circle, piper a circle, For the walls, I then reaches the outer rim of the circle and piped two additional layers of meringue.
I’ve also included some tips (some of which well known) on how to create the perfect meringue nests:
1. Make sure that the bowl and beaters are well cleaned and totally dried, this is important in order to achieve stiff peaks.
2. A day old, room temperature egg whites are best for meringues.
3. Baking temperature should be between 225F -250F (107C – 121 C).
Hope you like these! I promise you, they are easier to make, than they look.
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MERINGUE NESTS WITH LIME CURD AND CHERRIES
Ingredients
Meringue Nests:
- 4 egg whites, , at room temperature (preferably a day old)
- 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
- 1 cup minus 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Lime Curd:
- 3 large eggs
- 3/4 cup sugar
- pinch of salt
- 1/2 cup lime juice
- zest from 1 lime
- 4 tbsp butter, , sliced
Other:
- 1 cup fresh cherries
Instructions
For the meringue nests:
- Preheat oven to 225 F.
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. ( Optional: Trace six 3 inch circles over the parchment paper on each sheet).
- Beet egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer until frothy. Add cream of tartar. Beat until soft peaks form. Increase speed to medium high.
- Slowly add sugar, 1 tbsp at a time, until it is dissolved and stiff peaks form. Beat in vanilla extract.
- Fill a piping bag with meringue, use a star tip. Starting in the middle of each circled, pipe a round, then pipe two circles over each other. Repeat until meringue is gone.
- Bake meringue nests for 45 minutes at 225 F.Then turn the oven off and let them stand inside for 1 more hour.
- Fill with lime curd. Top with cherries.
For the lime curd:
- In a deep bowl whisk together eggs, sugar, lime juice, salt and zest. Pour into a medium sauce pan and place over medium low heat. Cook for 5 -6 minutes, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula, until thick.
- Turn the heat to low and add butter, stir to incorporate. Strain and pour into a jar. Store in the fridge.
- Lime curd makes 1 3/4 cups.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Thank you for the meringue tips! I am terrible with meringues so it’s really handy – especially the tip about the eggs.
These are so beautiful, I am always in awe of how pretty your desserts are!
Lemon curd and meringue is one of my favourite summertime flavour combos. It’s so light and fresh. Love the pop of colour from the cherry on top!
These look so cute and taste delicious!