Lemon Ginger Meringue Drops Recipes

MERINGUE DROPS

Steps:

• Place egg whites in a large bowl; let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Line baking sheets with parchment., Preheat oven to 200°. Add vanilla, cream of tartar and if desired food coloring to egg whites; beat on medium speed until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, on high until stiff peaks form., Cut a small hole in the corner of a pastry or plastic bag; insert pastry tip. Fill bag with meringue. Pipe 2-in. circles or shapes 2 in. apart onto prepared baking sheets. If desired, sprinkle with pearl sugar. , Bake 20-25 minutes or until set and dry. Turn oven off; leave meringues in oven until oven has completely cooled. Store in an airtight container.

GINGERED LEMON MERINGUE PIE

Steps:

• Stir flour, salt and sugar in medium bowl to blend. Add butter and shortening and rub in with fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal. Mix in enough ice water by teaspoonfuls until moist clumps form. Gather dough into ball; flatten into disk. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate at least 1 hour. (Can be prepared 2 days ahead. Keep chilled. Soften slightly at room temperature before rolling.)
• Roll out dough on floured surface to 12-inch round. Transfer to 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish. Trim dough, leaving 1/2-inch overhang. Fold edge under and crimp. Freeze crust 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 375°F. Line crust with foil. Fill with dried beans or pie weights. Bake until crust is set, about 20 minutes. Remove foil and beans. Bake crust until golden and baked through, about 8 minutes. Cool completely.
• Finely chop ginger with 1 cup plus 6 tablespoons sugar in processor until moist paste forms, about 25 seconds. Combine lemon juice, water and ginger paste in heavy medium saucepan. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Bring to boil. Remove from heat. Let steep 1 hour at room temperature.
• Strain lemon mixture into bowl, pressing on solids. Discard solids in strainer. Return liquid to saucepan. Add cornstarch; whisk until dissolved. Whisk in yolks. Whisk over medium-high heat until mixture boils and thickens, about 5 minutes. Transfer mixture to bowl; cool. Cover and chill until cold, about 3 hours. (Can be made 1 day ahead. keep chilled.)
• Preheat oven to 400°F. Spoon filling into crust,smoothing top. Using electric mixer, beat egg whites in large bowl until foamy. Gradually add 1/3 cup sugar, beat until stiff and glossy. Mix in vanilla. Spoon meringue over filling, spreading to edge of crust to seal. Bake pie until meringue is light golden, about 5 minutes. Let stand at least 5 minutes and up to 1 hour before serving.

LEMON-GINGER MERINGUE DROPS

Steps:

• Allow egg whites to stand at room temp for 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 325°F Line two large cookie sheets with foil or parchment paper; set aside.
• In a medium mixing bowl, combine egg whites, vanilla, cream of tarter and ginger.
• Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until soft peaks form (tips curl).
• Gradually add the sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating on high speed until stiff peaks form.
• Gently fold in candy.
• Spoon mixture into a decorating bag fitted with a ½ inch round tip.
• Pipe into 1 ½ inch teardrop shapes, 2 inches apart on prepared sheets.
• Bake both sheets on separate racks in preheated oven for 10 – 15 minutes.
• Turn off oven and let cookies dry in oven with door closed for 1 hour.
• Transfer cookies to wire rack and let cool completely.
• To store: Place cookies in layers separated by waxed paper in an airtight container.
• Store at room temp for up to 3 days.

LEMON MERINGUE NAPOLEON WITH GINGER CREAM

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Draw two 4-by-13-inch rectangles about 2 inches apart on the parchment, then flip it over so it is marked-side down.
• Make the meringue: Beat the egg whites in a medium bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until foamy, about 1 minute. Gradually beat in the granulated sugar and continue beating until stiff shiny peaks form, about 6 minutes. Gently fold in the confectioners' sugar with a rubber spatula (do not overmix).
• Transfer the meringue to a pastry bag fitted with a 3/4-inch round tip. Using the rectangles as a guide, pipe 4-inch-long lines of meringue side by side in each rectangle. (The lines should touch each other.) Transfer to the oven and bake, rotating the baking sheet occasionally, until the meringue is firm and crisp but not brown, about 2 hours. Remove from the oven and let cool completely on the baking sheet.
• Meanwhile, make the lemon curd: Combine the egg yolks, lemon zest, lemon juice and granulated sugar in a medium saucepan; cook over medium heat, whisking, until thickened, about 7 minutes. Whisk in the butter, a few pieces at a time, until incorporated. Transfer the curd to a small bowl, then set in a larger bowl of ice; stir occasionally until the curd is completely cool, then refrigerate until ready to use.
• Make the ginger cream: Combine the heavy cream, confectioners' sugar, crystallized ginger and vanilla in a bowl and beat with a mixer on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form, about 5 minutes.
• Assemble the napoleon: Place a meringue rectangle on a platter. Spoon the lemon curd on top, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Top with the ginger cream. Place the other meringue rectangle on top and gently press; refrigerate 1 hour. Dust with confectioners' sugar before serving.

GRANDMA'S LEMON MERINGUE PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• To Make Lemon Filling: In a medium saucepan, whisk together 1 cup sugar, flour, cornstarch, and salt. Stir in water, lemon juice and lemon zest. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until mixture comes to a boil. Stir in butter. Place egg yolks in a small bowl and gradually whisk in 1/2 cup of hot sugar mixture. Whisk egg yolk mixture back into remaining sugar mixture. Bring to a boil and continue to cook while stirring constantly until thick. Remove from heat. Pour filling into baked pastry shell.
• To Make Meringue: In a large glass or metal bowl, whip egg whites until foamy. Add sugar gradually, and continue to whip until stiff peaks form. Spread meringue over pie, sealing the edges at the crust.
• Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes, or until meringue is golden brown.

EXTRA-LEMONY MERINGUE PIE

Steps:

• Prepare the crust: On a lightly floured surface, and using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll pie dough into a 12-inch circle, about 1/8-inch thick. Transfer to a 9-inch pie pan (not deep dish); fold the edges over and crimp them together. Prick crust all over with a fork and chill in freezer for 30 minutes until frozen. (Cover with plastic if freezing for longer than a few hours. Well wrapped, it will last in the freezer for up to a month.)
• Heat oven to 425 degrees. Line chilled crust with foil, fill with pie weights or dried rice, then bake for 12 minutes. Remove foil, lower oven temperature to 350 degrees, and bake until pale golden, 10 to 16 minutes longer. Transfer to a rack to cool while you prepare the filling. (Leave the oven on if baking the pie immediately.)
• In a heavy saucepan, whisk together egg yolks, egg and sugar. Stir in lemon juice, zest and salt. Add pieces of butter and cook, whisking constantly, over medium-low heat until the mixture thickens enough to coat a spoon, about 7 to 9 minutes. An instant-read thermometer should register 180 degrees. Inspect the filling: If you think there are any coagulated bits of egg, strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl.
• Pour filling into pie crust and return to the oven to bake until filling is set (it should jiggle only slightly in the center), about 18 to 40 minutes. (Pies prepared in glass and ceramic dishes can take much longer to bake than those prepared in metal dishes. Don't give up: The curd will eventually set.) Remove pie from oven and increase oven temperature to 400 degrees for baking the meringue.
• As the filling bakes, make the meringue: Fill a medium pot with 1 inch of water and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Using a large metal bowl, whisk together egg whites, sugar, vanilla, cream of tartar and salt. Set the bowl with the egg white mixture into the pot above the water, and whisk constantly by hand until sugar dissolves and mixture is warm (160 degrees on an instant thermometer) and has thickened and lightened in color, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove bowl from heat.
• Using an electric mixer, beat on medium-low speed and gradually increase speed to high, until mixture is thick and fluffy, and stiff peaks form, about 5 to 8 minutes. Be careful not to overbeat.
• Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in lemon zest. Mix with care to not deflate meringue: A few strokes should do it. Spread the meringue over the hot filling, making sure it meets the edges of the crust. Using a knife or spatula, swirl in a design, if you like, and bake until lightly browned, about 8 to 12 minutes.
• Allow to cool completely and top with more lemon zest before serving.

LEMON GINGER DROP COOKIES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment; set aside. In an electric mixer, use paddle to mix butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes, scraping down sides of bowl twice. Add egg; mix on high speed to combine. Add zest; mix to combine.
• In a bowl, whisk together flour, ground ginger, baking soda, salt, and crystallized ginger; add to butter mixture; mix on medium-low speed to combine, about 20 seconds.
• Using two spoons, drop about 2 teaspoons of batter on baking sheet; repeat, spacing them 3 inches apart. Bake for 7 minutes. Sprinkle cookies with sugar, rotate sheets between oven shelves, and bake until just golden, about 7 minutes more. Slide parchment with cookies onto a wire rack; let cool 15 minutes. Store in an airtight container.