Raspberry Lemon Curd Meringue Nests

One of our biggest challenges as a fledgling hospitality business is accommodating guests with different dietary restrictions without compromising the authenticity of French Cuisine. I have never cooked with restrictions and I have a certain disregard for following a recipe exactly .

Invariably I add more garlic, or decide the acid-fat ratio is off and start adding white vinegar toasted sesame oil or miso paste.

So it has been a creative challenge for me to find recipes that are naturally Gluten and Dairy free ( or have low occurrences of those ingredients and are their for easily replaced without altering the taste or texture of the dish)

These are surprisingly easy to do and I highly recommend them especially since the filling can be altered so easily for taste. If someone wants to make the lemon curd more or less sour.

So these are Gluten and Dairy Free Raspberry Lemon Curd Meringue Nests.

The Meringue

Ingredients:

6 large egg whites

1 teaspoon white vinegar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

11/2 cups sugar

Instructions:

Use room temperature egg whites, since we are in France all the eggs are unwashed and we can easily store them at room temperature.

Preheat oven to 225°F (110°C).

Add vinegar, vanilla, salt and cream of tartar to egg whites; beat on medium speed until foamy.

I used a white Pineau des Charentes vinegar which added an unique flavor and tied the meringue to the filling.

Add sugar 1 tablespoon at a time, while beating on high, continue until stiff glossy peaks form.

Cut a small hole in the tip of a pastry bag or in a corner of a food-safe plastic bag; insert a large star tip. Transfer meringue to bag. On a parchment-lined baking sheet, pipe meringue into twelve 3-in. round disks, building up the sides with meringue to form nests.

I found the first ones were easier to pipe and as I worked my hands warmed the bag and I got droopier nests (they still held the filling and were delicious), so work fast.

Bake 45-50 minutes or until set and dry. Turn off oven and leave meringues in oven1 hour.

I ended up leaving them a few hours since I made them in advance.

The Filling

Ingredients:

1/2 cup sugar

2 tablespoons potato starch

1 cup water

1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon lemon juice, divided

3 large eggs, beaten

2 teaspoons grated lemon zest

1 small bin os Raspberries

optional:

A tablespoon of Creme de Cassis

Instructions:

Mix sugar and potato starch in a saucepan. Whisk in water and 1/2 cup lemon juice until smooth. Whisk on medium-high until thickened and bubbly. Reduce heat to low; cook and stir 2 minutes longer.

Remove from heat. Stir a small amount of hot mixture into eggs; return all to pan, stirring constantly. Bring to a gentle boil; cook and stir 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Gently stir in lemon zest and remaining lemon juice. Refrigerate to gel.

The first time I made this I was lazy and bought a jar of lemon curd and blended it with lemon zest, lemon juice, Creme de Cassis, and fresh raspberries. Then strained the filling and put it in the fridge to gel. The amount of raspberries is more of suggestion, but the cassis will make the filling thinner so I don't recommend putting in much more than a tablespoon.

Depending on you ratios the color may not be the most appetizing, but that is easily fixed with more raspberries.

Pipe or spoon the filling into the nests and top with raspberries tossed in sugar and lemon juice.