January 28, 2008...12:01 am
How to do acid…
…well, using lemon of course. Even though this isn´t really the best season for lemon desserts here, I have always been a sucker for lemon meringue pie, so when Jen chose it for our January challenge I was delighted. Yes, the lemons wouldn´t be the most lemony they can be, but it was the first challenge with something I had made before, so I must admit deep inside a little voice said “hell, yeah, something easy!”
But then I started reading comments by other Daring Bakers in our blog crying over liquidy lemon curds and I started to worry a little bit, maybe 15 minutes in the oven after the curd had set were a bit too much… I didn´t really fancy the idea of lemon-meringue soup.
Yet luckily, it all turned out fine, except for the fact that the meringue started “weeping” after a few hours, which was very annoying and made a mess, and ended up with one sticky Phoebe… though that should teach her not to be around begging for food when I´m unmolding a tart!
The curd wasn´t my favorite either, but that could be the weaker lemons anyway. As for the meringue and the weeping-shrinking problem, I´ll go back to my usual French meringue or Italian meringue recipe and that should fix it (French meringue requiring you to heat up the whites with the sugar a little bit and then whisking the meringue, and Italian meringue using a hot water-sugar syrup instead of granulated sugar: what you want to do is cook the egg whites so that the meringue sets better and has a better staying power.)
As for the decoration, there wasn´t really much going on except for the variation I did using lemon curd topped with softened guava paste I had laying around and wanted to use somewhere. Oh, and I do use cherries to decorate EVERYTHING these days, can´t help it!
Check out Jen´s blog for the recipe, and the other DBs takes on the recipe, it´s bound to be hilarious with all the mixed reactions to the recipe and the disaster stories!
32 Comments
January 27, 2008 at 11:31 pm
yummy!
January 28, 2008 at 12:40 am
Very nice! Are cherries rather inexpensive there? Here they are costing a pretty penny this season. The guava paste sounds interesting, I bet that was a nice combination. Great job!
January 28, 2008 at 1:39 am
Gauva paste is a wonderful addition.Makes the pie more interesting.
January 28, 2008 at 1:59 am
Oooh, guava paste. Now that sounds interesting!
Great job with the lemon meringue pie!
January 28, 2008 at 1:00 pm
Lovely job on your lemon tarts. I’ll have to try finding some guava paste to put with my left over lemon filling. It sounds very unique.
Natalie @ Gluten A Go Go
January 28, 2008 at 2:02 pm
Wonderful job on these pies - they certainly look gorgeous!
January 28, 2008 at 4:15 pm
So many pies and so lovely!
January 28, 2008 at 4:34 pm
I love seeing everyone’s different takes on the pie — and the guava paste is very unique and appealing!
January 28, 2008 at 4:40 pm
I started getting worried after reading the comments as well! Your pies do look wonderful, even if they weren’t your favorite!
January 28, 2008 at 5:44 pm
I didn’t read any comments before making it. In the end, I poured off the runny bits put them back on the heat and added a little gelatin.
January 28, 2008 at 7:14 pm
Beautiful job! The cherries and the guava paste make it even better.
January 28, 2008 at 8:06 pm
Cherries and lemon, that’s a match!
January 28, 2008 at 10:25 pm
Boy~ you aren’t kidding about mixed reactions! I think it’s been really interesting this month to see everyone’s take. Guava paste?!?! Whodda thunk? Very creative.
January 29, 2008 at 1:15 pm
I like the photo with half and half. I think the minis had less problems. Good job
January 29, 2008 at 5:24 pm
Beautiful pies - and I love the guava, to set off the lemon!
January 29, 2008 at 5:38 pm
Such cute pies, marce! And cherries make great decorations!
January 29, 2008 at 9:01 pm
I love your photos, very creative. And your pie looks great!
January 29, 2008 at 9:29 pm
What a cool idea! I wondered about having a different flavor, but not that creatively! Yes, I loved the cooked meringue. I’m glad I tried it because it was the most amazing thing — both texture and flavor were wonderful! Great photos, Marce.
January 29, 2008 at 10:41 pm
Fantastic!! both the regular and the Guava variation look soo yummy!!
January 30, 2008 at 12:20 am
Hmmm - never had guava….sounds tasty. Your tarts look great!
January 30, 2008 at 3:54 am
I love the idea of guava with the lemon (remind me to make you my guava danish pastries when you come visit!). Glad everything turned out good in spite of the weak lemons. Fabulous job!
January 30, 2008 at 8:39 am
Oh how your title made me giggle.
I would have to leave the guava out since that is an allergy no-no for me…but it makes for a beautiful presentation.
January 30, 2008 at 2:11 pm
Brilliant idea with the guava paste; the color looks really lovely and I bet the flavor went well with lemon. Those cherries are making me long for Summer…
January 30, 2008 at 3:14 pm
First of all fantastic title of your post, made me feel like I was in college (oh sorry did I say that out loud). I think your pies and your merengue is lovely.
January 30, 2008 at 7:34 pm
Guava paste-what a creative addition! Your pie looks delicious with its sauce and cherries. Wendy
January 31, 2008 at 2:54 am
Love the title- and the tarts! SO creative!!! They look awesome, great job :O)
February 1, 2008 at 8:55 pm
These look like the best blue plate special dessert ever! Love the title…a true teaser…and that you decorated with cherries, too. Beautiful LMPs!
February 3, 2008 at 12:51 am
I also love the idea of guava, especially mixing half meringue, half guava - looks pretty!
February 4, 2008 at 12:53 am
Those cherries look great… wish they were in season to use as garnish in this part of the world…
Great job on January’s challenge!
February 4, 2008 at 2:48 am
Yummy! I think the guava and lemon would be fanfarkintastic!
So Pheebs got sticky again, eh? She’s probably getting use to that by now, yes? heheeee!
I watched a “cutest puppy in America” contest today and there was a lil goldie and all I could think about was Phoebe. Do you think I’m obsessed with your dog?
Love you!!!
xoxo
February 9, 2008 at 1:24 am
Looks like it turned out great! I love that last picture.
February 11, 2008 at 5:01 am
whooooaa!
we are going to do some cookin when you come here you know - wink.
i always end up going to the kitchen after visiting your blog… hmmm….
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