Lemon pots with mini meringues recipe

Our lemon pots topped with mini meringues are super dainty and are perfect as a dinner party dessert. You can make them a whole day in advance which means you don’t have to stress about them on the day of your party and can concentrate on having a good time and entertaining your lovely guests. To make our lemon pots you’ll need 6 small 100ml pots or ramekins which are suitable for baking. When making the mini meringues, don’t let the egg yolks go to waste. Freeze them separately for later use like to add to stuffing or to glaze pies. You could also make lemon curd with them, along with the leftover lemon juice. Melt 30g butter with 60g golden caster sugar and the juice and grated zest of 1 lemon, then stir in 3 egg yolks. Heat gently and stir until it’s thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Store in a sterilised jar, in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Two recipes from the same core ingredients – winning!

Ingredients

• 600ml double cream
• 200g golden caster sugar
• finely grated zest of 3 lemons
• juice of 2 lemons (75ml)
• 300g raspberries
• several sprigs of mint

For the mini meringues:

• 3 egg whites
• 150g golden caster sugar
• ¼tsp vanilla extract

You will need:

• 6 x 100ml little pots
• piping bag, fitted with a star nozzle

Method

1. Pour the cream into a non-stick pan and add the sugar. Heat gently, stirring until the sugar is dissolved.
2. Bring to the boil for 1 min, then turn off the heat.
3. Stir in the lemon zest and juice and pour into the pots. Chill for at least 3 hours. (You can make them 1 day in advance.)
4. To make the meringues, heat the oven to 120°C. Whisk the egg whites in a clean, grease-free bowl, until stiffly peaking. (To test, upturn the bowl - the meringue shouldn’t move.)
5. Whisk in the sugar, 1tbsp at a time, adding the vanilla extract last. Spoon the meringue into the piping bag. Pipe little star meringues on to parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake for 1 hour, until they’re firm and sound hollow when tapped.
6. To serve, put a few raspberries and a mint sprig on top of the chilled lemon possets. Arrange 2-3 little meringues on top, just before you serve.