Best Lemon Meringue Custards Recipes

LEMON CUSTARD IN MERINGUE CUPS

Steps:

• For meringue, in a large bowl, beat the egg whites, vinegar, vanilla and 1/8 teaspoon salt on medium speed until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in 1 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, on high until stiff glossy peaks form and sugar is dissolved. , Line baking sheet with parchment. Spoon egg white mixture into 8 mounds on paper. Shape into cups with a spoon. , Bake at 300° for 35 minutes. Turn oven off and leave door closed; let shells dry in oven at least 1 hour. Remove shells from paper. When thoroughly cooled, store in an airtight container. , For custard, in a small saucepan, combine the cornstarch and remaining sugar and salt. Stir in water until smooth. Cook and stir over medium-high heat until thickened and bubbly. Reduce heat; cook and stir 2 minutes longer. Remove from the heat., Beat egg yolks. Stir a small amount of hot mixture into egg yolks; return all to pan, stirring constantly. Bring to a gentle boil; cook and stir 2 minutes longer. Remove from the heat; gently stir in the lemon juice, zest and butter. Cool to room temperature without stirring. Chill. , Just before serving, fill meringue shells with custard and top with whipped cream.

LEMON CUSTARD PIE

Steps:

• Combine milk, sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir constantly until mixture thickens to the consistency of pudding, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat.
• Whisk egg yolks in a bowl until smooth. Add lemon juice and whisk until smooth.
• Return pudding to the heat; slowly stir in egg yolk mixture. Increase heat to high and boil, stirring constantly, for at least 2 minutes. Stir in butter and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Pour thickened custard into the pie shell.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Combine egg whites, remaining vanilla extract, and brown sugar in a large bowl. Whip with an electric mixture until a fluffy meringue forms. Spread meringue over the custard.
• Bake pie in the preheated oven until meringue is golden brown, about 10 minutes. Let cool. Chill for at least 1 hour before serving.

LEMON MERINGUE CUSTARDS

Steps:

• Make the custard:
• In a food processor grind the sugar and the zest until the zest is chopped fine and transfer the mixture to a large saucepan. Add 1/4 cup water, bring the mixture to a boil over moderate heat, stirring until the sugar is dissolved, and boil the syrup for 5 minutes. Stir in the milk, the cream, and the salt and cook the mixture until it is hot, but do not let it boil. In a bowl whisk together the yolks and the whole eggs, add the hot milk mixture in a stream, whisking, and stir in the lemon juice. Strain the custard through a fine sieve into twelve 2/3-cup ramekins set in a large baking pan, add enough hot water the pan to reach halfway up the sides of the ramekins, and bake the custards in the middle of a preheated 325°F. oven for 40 minutes, or until they are just set. (Alternatively, the custard can be baked in the same manner in a 1 1/2-quart shallow baking dish for 1 hour, or until it is just set.) Remove the ramekins from the pan, let the custards cool completely, and chill them, covered loosely with wax paper, for at least 3 hours. The custards may be made 1 day in advance and kept covered and chilled.
• Make the meringue:
• In a small saucepan combine the sugar with 1/3 cup water and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Boil the syrup until it registers 248°F. on a candy thermometer and remove the pan from the heat. While the syrup is boiling, in a bowl with an electric mixer beat the whites with a pinch of salt until they hold soft peaks. With the mixer running add the hot syrup in a stream, beat the meringue on medium speed until it is cool, and beat in the lemon juice.
• Transfer the meringue to a pastry bag fitted with a star tip, blot the top of the custard dry with paper towels, and pipe the meringue decoratively onto it. Sprinkle the meringue with the dragées, transfer the custards to a large baking pan filled with ice, and bake them in the top third of a preheated 450°F. oven for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the meringue is golden. The lemon meringue custards may be made 3 hours in advance and kept in the large baking pan filled with more ice.

MOM'S LEMON CUSTARD PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to a 1/8-in.-thick circle; transfer to a 9-in. pie plate. Trim crust to 1/2 in. beyond rim of plate; flute edge. Refrigerate while preparing filling., In a large bowl, beat sugar and butter until well blended. Add egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add milk, flour and salt; mix well. Stir in lemon juice and zest; set aside. In a small bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form; gently fold into lemon mixture., Pour into crust. Bake until lightly browned and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Cool on a wire rack. If desired, garnish with whipped cream, lemon and mint. Store in the refrigerator.

LEMON CUSTARD TARTS

Steps:

• Pate Sucree Extra:Pulse flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor to combine. Add butter and pulse just until mixture resembles coarse meal, about 10 seconds. In a liquid-measuring cup, whisk together ice water and egg yolks. With machine running, add egg-yolk mixture in a slow, steady stream just until dough holds together without being wet or sticky, about 30 seconds. To test, squeeze a small amount together; if it is crumbly, add more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time. Turn dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap and divide in half. Shape each half into a disk, wrap tightly, and refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour.
• Divide one disk into 6 equal pieces (reserve remaining disk for another use). On a lightly floured surface, roll each piece into a ball and flatten into a 6-inch round with a rolling pin. Using your fingers, press rounds into bottom and up sides of six 4-inch round tart pans. Trim edges and refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line each tart shell with parchment, pressing it into corners and edges, then fill with dried beans, rice, or pie weights. Place on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until sides are golden, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove parchment and beans. Continue baking until bottoms are cooked through and lightly golden, about 10 minutes more. Let cool completely.
• Filling:Whisk together condensed milk and egg yolks until thoroughly combined. Whisk in lemon juice. Divide filling among tart shells. Bake until filling is set, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely. Refrigerate until well chilled.
• Italian Meringue:In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring sugar and 1/4 cup water to a boil. Continue boiling until a candy thermometer registers 238 to 240 degrees (soft-ball stage). Meanwhile, in the bowl of a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat together egg whites, salt, and cream of tartar on medium-high speed until stiff (but not dry) peaks form (do not overbeat). Increase speed to high and add sugar syrup in a slow, steady stream, beating until mixture stops steaming, about 3 minutes.
• Transfer meringue to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch round tip; pipe as desired. Using a small kitchen torch held at a 90-degree angle, move flame back and forth 3 inches from surface of meringue until it starts to brown (or broil 6 to 8 inches from heat source, about 1 minute). Serve immediately.