Lemon Meringue With Amaretti Cookie Topping Recipes

Steps:

• Position oven racks in the top and bottom thirds of the oven and preheat to 250 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment.
• Beat the egg whites and salt with an electric mixer on medium-high speed in a large bowl until foamy. Add the cream of tartar and continue to beat until soft peaks form. While beating, gradually add the sugar and then continue to beat until stiff peaks form. Beat in the lemon extract.
• Transfer the mixture to a pastry bag fitted with a star tip and pipe 1-inch meringues on the prepared baking sheets about 1 inch apart. Bake until the meringues are no longer glossy and feel light and dry when picked up, about 1 hour. Turn off the oven but leave the meringues inside with the door cracked open until they are completely cool and dry, about 2 hours. The meringues can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.

Steps:

• For the pie crust: Pulse the flour, shortening, sugar, salt and vinegar in a food processor until the mixture looks like damp sand, about 10 pulses. Add the butter and pulse until you can still see large pea-sized pieces. Sprinkle in 3 tablespoons ice water and pulse until the dough begins to come together. Pinch the dough; if it doesn't hold together, add up to 3 more tablespoons ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough holds together when pinched. Lay out a sheet of plastic wrap and dump the dough onto the plastic. Using the edges of the plastic, press the dough into a disc. Wrap tightly and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour and preferably overnight. (Freeze up to 2 months.)
• On a lightly floured work surface, roll the dough out into a 13-inch round. Place in a 9-inch pie dish, gently pressing the dough into the edges and letting the excess dough drape over the sides. Refrigerate for 2 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Trim any excess dough with a paring knife and crimp the edges decoratively or press them down with the tines of a fork. Prick the dough on the bottom all over with a fork. Place a sheet of parchment paper inside the dough and fill with pie weights or uncooked rice or beans. Bake for 10 minutes. Carefully remove the parchment and weights and bake until the crust is deep golden brown on the edges and lightly golden in the center, 10 to 12 minutes more. Let the crust cool to room temperature.
• For the filling: Whisk together the sugar, cornstarch and salt in a medium saucepan. Add the lemon juice and 1 1/2 cups water and whisk to combine. Whisk the egg yolks in a separate medium bowl. Place the sugar mixture over medium heat and cook, continuing to gently whisk, until the mixture begins to bubble and is extremely thick. Temper the eggs yolks by slowly adding half of the hot sugar mixture to the yolks while constantly whisking. Add the tempered yolks to the saucepan and return to the heat. Bring the mixture back to a simmer and cook, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula, for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter and lemon zest until completely melted and incorporated. Pour the filling directly into the pie crust and cover with plastic wrap pressed directly against the surface of the filling (see Cook's Note). Refrigerate while you make the meringue.
• For the meringue: Add the egg whites to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment along with the sugar, cream of tartar and salt. Whisk together to combine. Place the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, making sure the bottom of the bowl is not touching the water. Cook, whisking constantly, until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture feels hot to the touch. Transfer the bowl to the mixer and add the vanilla. Whisk on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form, 5 to 6 minutes.
• Remove the plastic wrap from the pie and gently mound the meringue on top of the filling. Use an offset spatula to make sure the meringue completely covers the filling and meets the crust all around the edges. (This will seal in the filling and help prevent weeping.) Use the offset spatula to create swirls and peaks in the meringue. Toast the meringue using a kitchen torch or broil in the oven until golden brown, keeping an eye on the meringue if broiling, 1 to 2 minutes. Refrigerate the pie until the filling is completely cool and set, about 4 hours.

Steps:

• For the custard: In a small saucepan, bring the milk and lemon zest to a boil over medium heat. Remove the pan from the heat and allow the mixture to cool for 5 minutes.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, flour and egg yolks (the mixture will be thick). Pour the milk mixture into the bowl, whisking until smooth. Return the mixture to the saucepan and whisk slowly and constantly over medium-low heat until smooth and thick, 6 to 7 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the butter. Whisk in the lemon juice and vanilla until smooth. Transfer the custard to a clean bowl and lay a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface. Refrigerate for 2 hours.
• For the meringue: In a small saucepan, combine the sugar and 1/4 cup water over medium-high heat. Stir until the sugar has dissolved. Boil, without stirring, until a candy thermometer registers 240 degrees F, 3 to 4 minutes. Let the syrup cool for 1 minute. While the sugar mixture is cooking, in a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on medium speed until frothy. Increase the speed to high and beat until the egg whites hold soft peaks. Reduce the speed to low and carefully drizzle the hot syrup down the side of the mixing bowl. Beat at high speed until the egg whites hold stiff, glossy peaks, about 2 minutes. Gradually beat in the lemon juice.
• Fold the custard into the meringue, then spoon into serving bowls or cups. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.
• For the topping: Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a small baking sheet with parchment paper. In a food processor, blend together the flour, brown sugar and butter until the mixture begins to form into clumps, about 20 seconds. Add the cookies and pulse until the cookies are crushed into 1/4-to-1/2-inch pieces. Pulse in the almonds until combined. Arrange the mixture in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Bake until the almonds begin to brown, 13 to 15 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes.
• Sprinkle the topping over the meringue custard and serve.
• Food Network Kitchens suggest caution in consuming raw and lightly-cooked eggs due to the risk of Salmonella or other food-borne illness. To reduce this risk, we recommend you use only fresh, properly-refrigerated, clean, grade A or AA eggs with intact shells, and avoid contact between the yolks or whites and the shell. For recipes that call for eggs that are raw or undercooked when the dish is served use shell eggs that have been treated to destroy Salmonella, by pasteurization or another approved method.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment or a silicone baking mat.
• Whisk the almond flour, granulated sugar and salt in a large bowl to combine. Beat the egg whites in a medium bowl with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until soft peaks form, about 1 minute 30 seconds. Add the almond extract and beat to combine. Fold the egg whites into the dry ingredients using a rubber spatula until a shaggy dough forms.
• Put the confectioners' sugar in a small bowl. Using a 1-tablespoon scoop, portion the dough and roll into balls. Toss each ball in the confectioners' sugar, coating thoroughly. Arrange the balls 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheets.
• Bake, rotating the baking sheets halfway through, until golden brown and the tops crack, 23 to 25 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Steps:

• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk together egg whites and sugar until combined.
• Set bowl over (but not touching) simmering water; continue whisking until sugar is completely dissolved and mixture has reached 140 degrees on a instant-read thermometer, 6 to 8 minutes.
• Return bowl to electric mixer and beat on high speed until thick, about 3 minutes. Add cream of tartar and continue beating until stiff peaks form, about 3 minutes more. Add amaretto liqueur and beat until just combined.

Steps:

• Make the meringue: Heat oven to 250 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a small bowl, stir together both sugars.
• Working with an electric mixer, beat the egg white, vinegar and salt on medium-high speed until the mixture forms soft peaks, about 3 minutes. Add the sugar mixture 1 tablespoon at a time, beating after each addition. Once the sugar is incorporated, beat 2 minutes more; you'll have stiff, glossy, white peaks. Put the meringue on the baking sheet and spread it 1/4-inch thick. (It will cover only a small part of the sheet.)
• Bake the meringue undisturbed for 35 minutes. Turn off the heat, prop open the oven door and let it dry for 1 hour. When you're ready to use it, chop it into pieces about the size of chocolate chips. Precision doesn't matter.
• Make the shortbread: Working with a mixer (use the paddle if it's a stand mixer), beat the butter, both sugars and the salt on medium speed for about 3 minutes, until smooth but not fluffy. On low speed, beat in the yolks, one at a time, followed by the vanilla. Add the flour in three additions, mixing on low until the dough comes together in large clumps. Turn out the dough and knead it into a ball. Cut the ball in half.
• Shape each half into a 6-inch log. Wrap it and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. (You could also freeze it for up to 2 months; leave it on the counter for 1 hour before baking.)
• When you're ready to bake the cookies, heat oven to 350 degrees. Coat 1 or 2 muffin tins with butter (or nonstick baking spray).
• Slice each log into 12 rounds (each 1/2-inch thick); drop one into each muffin cup. (If you don't have enough tins, you can work in batches.)
• Bake for 21 to 23 minutes, or until the cookies are golden brown around the rims. Transfer the tin(s) to a rack, cool for 5 minutes, then lift the cookies out and onto racks; cool to room temperature.
• Just before serving, top each cookie with lemon curd, then top with ample chunks of meringue, pressing them into the curd. The meringue will keep in a cool, dry place for a few days, and the cookies can be kept at room temperature for about 3 days. But once you top the cookies, they're best eaten soon after.