Monday Morning Cooking Club Recipe Video Series: Number Four
We think this is the BEST do-ahead super-impressive dessert around. Think crisp yet chewy layers of meringue sandwiched together with light lemony custard and drizzled with a tart and sticky lemon syrup.
Make days before you need it and store, well wrapped, in the freezer until just before serving. Yum! This recipe comes from the kitchen of Vivienne Polak.
If you would like to make this recipe KLP, use 2 teaspoons white vinegar in place of the cream of tartar and cornflour.
Frozen Lemon Meringue
Ingredients
Meringue Discs
- 4 egg whites
- 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 2 teaspoons cornflour (cornstarch)
- 225 grams caster (superfine) sugat (1 cup)
Lemon Custard
- 4 egg yolks
- 125 grams caster (superfine) sugat (1/2 cup)
- 125 ml lemon juice (1/2 cup)
- finely grated zest of 2 lemons
- 300 ml thickened (whipping) cream (1 1/3 cups)
Lemon Syrup (Optional)
- finely grated zest of 1/2 lemon
- 60 ml lemon juice, strained (1/4 cup)
- 2 tablespoons sugar
Instructions
- Start this recipe the day before serving. Preheat the oven to 150°C (300°F/Gas 2). Line two baking trays with baking paper which have been marked with three 20 cm (8 inch) diameter circles or 28 x 12 cm (11 x 4 3/4 inch) rectangles.
- To make the meringue discs, sprinkle the egg whites with the cream of tartar and whisk until stiff. Mix the cornflour with the sugar, then add to the egg whites, 1 tablespoon at a time, whisking well after each addition. Whisk for a few more minutes until thick and glossy.
- Using a spatula, spread the meringue inside the marked outlines, smoothing out to the edges. Place in the oven, reduce the temperature to 140°C (275°F/Gas 1) and bake for 1 hour, or until the meringues are crisp to touch and will lift off the paper easily. Place on a wire rack to cool completely.
- Start making the lemon custard as soon as the meringues go in to the oven, as it must be quite cold before the cream is folded in. Put the egg yolks and sugar in a heavy-based saucepan. Over a low heat, mix until smooth and well combined then add the lemon juice and zest. Continue to stir constantly until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon, about 10 - 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir for another minute.
- Pour into a bowl and refrigerate until completely cold, or place over a bowl of ice to cool faster. In a separate bowl, whip the cream until firm, then gently fold it in into the cooled lemon custard one spoon at a time, until combined. Refrigerate until needed
- Set aside the best meringue disc to be the top. To assemble, place one meringue disc on a piece of baking paper and top it with half of the lemon custard. Do not spread the custard all the way to the edge; when you place the next disc on top, it will spread. Repeat with another layer of meringue and the remaining filling, then top with the final meringue layer. Wrap gently in foil then freeze for several hours or overnight.This can be done several days ahead.
- To make the lemon syrup, combine all the syrup ingredients in a small saucepan, stirring over low heat until the sugar dissolves. Simmer, without stirring, for about 5 minutes, or until slightly thickened and tacky. Allow to cool to room temperature.
- Remove the lemon meringue from the freezer 30 minutes before serving. Drizzle the lemon syrup over the top.
Have you seen our other recipe videos?
Chicken Soup and Matzo Balls, Middle Eastern Crunch Salad, Clay Pot Snapper and Chocolate Yeast Kugelhopf.
Just to be clear, I scour the internet like anyone else looking for recipes and ideas and often I pick bits out of different recipes or I compare many many recipes for the same thing till I find what could work for me. So I had not had any thoughts that I might end up making several recipes from one source. But somehow the recipes from the Monday Morning Cooking Club pulled me in. I started with the Chocolate Yeast Kugelhopf, then two recipes from the first book being the Cherry, Almond and Chocolate Cake, and the Mediterranean Fish Stew with Couscous, and they all turned out superbly and are definite keepers. Now I gave the Frozen Lemon Meringue a try. I made it along with other cakes to celebrate my sister-in-law’s 50th birthday. Again it was perfect. I made it a week ahead and put it in the freezer as suggested. What a relief to have this out of the way whilst working through all the other preparations for this occasion. Took the cake out 30 minutes before serving, made the syrup, and it performed on cue. The meringue was more melt in the mouth rather than chewy (which is how I like it) and the lemon cream filling had a refreshing tang. … and yes everyone one was most impressed – thanks again and well done Bob.
Hi Bob thanks so much for your comments – you have made our day 🙂
We are so thrilled that you have found the MMCC recipes to your liking, we love them all and it is just so rewarding to hear from you about all your successes. Keep on cooking, and please send some pics!! Best,
Lisa
Wow, made for family function. Lovely to eat and felt so organised with my dessert made days in advance.thank you
Hi, tried the lemon custard twice and never got really thick. I am going to make the cakes anyway and hope it works after being frozen. The flavor was excellent, so I am hoping it doesn’t get too runny.
Thanks, love all of your videos and books.
Hi there. Hopefully it worked once you froze it? Hope it was delicious!
Thanks for making me look good. Made this last night for a party and had everyone coming up to tell me how fab it was. Every MMCC recipe I have tried has been a winner. I also love how you keep those Mittel Europe recipes alive – they make me think of my grandmother.
Hi Rebecca – so happy to hear you had great success with this delicious torte. We love that so many of our recipes make you think of your grandmother….they make us think of ours too 🙂
Keep on cooking! x
This looks delish!! Would like to make this non dairy n for Pesach (tks for tips) n what could be used instead of cream (other than Hadar or Riches). Would coconut cream work?
(Loved yr visit in Perth last week)