Meringue shells with lemon curd and mixed berries

Ingredients for 4 persons:

For the meringue shells: 150 g egg whites at room temperature, 300 g sugar, 1 vanilla pod

Lemon curd: 2 lemons, 3 whole eggs + 2 yolks, 220 g sugar, 100 g butter, 30 g cornstarch (cornflour)

For the garnish: berries to taste, candied orange peel

Directions:

For the meringues:

Combine the seeds contained in the vanilla pod with the sugar. Whip the egg whites to stiff peaks (in a mixer or with an electric whisk) and when they have turned white, gradually add the sugar, continuing to whisk for 5-10 minutes more.

Transfer the beaten egg whites to a pastry bag. Lay small silicone domes on the baking sheet lined with the provided paper and coat them with the egg whites to form shells. Alternatively, you can make nests directly on the drip pan by forming spirals with the pastry bag.

Bake at 100 degrees for about 3 hours, leaving the oven door ajar so moisture does not form inside (we recommend using a wooden spoon to keep the door ajar).

For the lemon curd:

Grate the zest of the 2 lemons, squeeze and strain the juice, and incorporate the sifted cornstarch.

Melt the chopped butter in a double boiler while keeping the heat gentle, then add the sugar and stir with a spoon until creamy.

Separately beat the eggs with a whisk and pour them into the cream while continuing to mix, add the lemon juice with the cornstarch and the grated zest of the lemons while still mixing.

Let the cream thicken over a very low heat (the water in the water bath should only quiver), to prevent the egg from curdling. The cream should never boil. Turn off the heat when the cream sticks to the wooden spoon without slipping.

Sift the cream to remove the lemon peel and any lumps.

Compose the cake by filling the shells with lemon curd and finish with plenty of berries and orange zest.

Wine pairing:

Valdobbiadene Superiore di Cartizze Dry Drusian

Straw yellow with golden hues with fine, persistent perlage. On the nose fruity notes of apple and pear, white acacia flowers. On the palate finely aromatic and elegant taste.

Production area: the Docg hills of Valdobbiadene, Cartizze area. Altitude of the vineyards 350-400 meters, southern exposure, calcareous clay soil, sandstone. The hilly morphology combined with exposure to the sun and the particular microclimate present give this wine structural elegance and aromatic finesse.

Grape varieties: 100% Glera with double inverted training system, density of 3,000 vines per hectare.

Harvest: harvesting is done exclusively by hand from the third decade of September.

Vinification: in white with soft pressing. Sparkling in autoclave, according to the Martinotti Charmat method for 70-80 days at 15-16 C°.

Alcohol content: 11% vol.

Sugar residue: 19-21 g/l.

Serving temperature: 6-8°C.

Recommended pairings: a dessert wine especially paired with leavened desserts, panettone and pandoro and with dry pastries. It can also be paired with refined shellfish dishes and lightly spiced Asian dishes.

THIS RECIPE IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY DRUSIAN