Meringue Shells with Lemon Filling

Meringue Shells with Lemon Filling
4 egg whites
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
1 cup sugar
4 tsp. cornstarch
2 tsp. vinegar

  Filling:
        1/3 cup butter
        1/3 cup sugar
        3 egg yolks
        2 tsp. finely grated lemon rind
        1/3 cup lemon juice
        1/8 tsp. salt
        1/2 cup heavy cream, whipped
        3 tablespoons powdered sugar

  Raspberry Puree:
        1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries
        2 tab. sugar
        1 tsp. lemon juice

        2 finely minced fresh mint leaves (optional)

        -Beat egg whites and cream of tartar until foamy.  
            Continue beating adding sugar 1 tab. at a time.  Add
            vinegar and salt after half of the sugar has been added.
            Continue beating egg whites, adding rest of sugar 1
            tablespoon at a time, until stiff, glossy peaks form.
  
         -Place pachment paper on cookie sheet.  Fill piping bag
             with meringue (egg white mixture) and using a large
             star tip pipe a flat tight circle on the parchment paper, 
             beginning in the center until your circle disk is about 2 
             1/2 inches in diameter.  Pipe two ringsof the meringue
             around the edge of the circle, on top of the circle's edge
             one of top of the other.
             (Alternately, you can simply place a large spoonful,
              about 1/3 cup, meringue onto paper and with the back
              of a spoon form a circle and mold a hole in the center, 
              raising the edges up to form a cup.)

          -Bake at 250 degrees for 1 hour.  Turn off heat and prop
              oven door open with the handle of a wooden spoon and
              leave meringue shells in oven to cool, about 1 hour.

          -Meantime, prepare lemon filling by mixing soft butter
              and sugar in mixer until smooth, about 3 minutes.  
              Add the egg yolks one at a time until smooth, then stir 
              in lemon juice, lemon rind and salt

           -Place mixture in a medium sized non-aluminum 
               saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring very
               frequently, until thickened and mixture is about to
               boil, or after you see the first bubble - about 8 
               minutes.  Remove from heat and allow to cool - 
               about 30 minutes.

           -Beat 1/2 cup heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Stir 
                in 3 tablespoons powdered sugar.

           -Gently fold whipped cream into lemon curd (mixture)
                until smooth.  Chill until ready to use or up to 30
                minutes.

       -Prepare raspberry puree by placing raspberries, sugar, 
               lemon juice and mint (if used) in a small saucepan.
               Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until
               mixture thickens and becomes shiny, breaking up
               berries with wooden spoon or potato masher.
               Remove from heat and allow to cool to room 
               temperature.

     To Assemble:
          Fill each meringue shell half full (1 - 1 1/2 tab.) with
          lemon filling.  Spoon 1-2 tsp. of raspberry puree in center
          of lemon filling.  Cover the raspberry puree with another
          1 - 1 1/2 tab. of lemon filling.  Chill in fridge for at least
          1 hour.  Garnish with a couple of fresh raspberries, blue-
          berries and a mint leaf.

           Makes 10 merginue lemon tarts.  Can keep up to 3 days
           in frefrigerator, loosely covered with plastic wrap or
           foil.
         

Beat egg whites with sugar until glossy and 

stiff peaks form.

Using a star tip, pipe meringue shells.

                                             Lemon curd 

                                             

 Fill shells with lemon filling, dollop 

     raspberry in center and cover with more filling.

PERSNICKETY NOTES:

**Lemon reacts with metal, to take on a metallic taste, particularly when cooked in aluminum pots, so be sure to cook your curd in a stainless steel, teflon-coated, or ceramic pot.  Remove from pot to cool in a plastic or glass bowl.

**To grate lemon, orange or lime rind, use a micro-plane to get a very fine grate.  This device is essential in my kitchen and use it for this purpose as well as for grating fresh nutmeg.

**If piping frightens you, use the shaping method described, where you plop down a spoonful of meringue and sculpt it into a bowl-shaped shell with the back of a spoon.  But meringue is a great medium to practice your piping skills with as it is pipes out so easily and holds its

shape beautifully.