Lemon Meringue Danish
In a collaboration with EtÃkette Candles I decided to combine one of my favourite desserts - lemon meringue pie with a pastry and make a lemon meringue danish.
My partner and I have been together for 9 years and been in our home for 4 so we created this beautiful keepsake candle together to represent our home, our hobbies and our partnership. We picked the scents that captured all of this and added 'Where pottery meets pastries'.
EtÃkette describes these candles as custom blends and thoughtful craftsmanship with meaningful connection. They are hand-poured in small batches, each one is designed to carry your words and intention, bringing your unique story to life, through scent.
Ingredients
Pastry
Lemon Curd
Meringue
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celcius and line a baking tray with baking paper.
- Remove the pastry from the freezer and bring to room temperature (I do this by separating the frozen sheets carefully and letting them sit for 5-10minutes)
Whilst the pastry is thawing, add a tbsp of vegan butter to 4 of the 5 pastry sheets and spread it out evening and layer the sheets on top of each other (leave the top sheet dry - no butter on top).
Cut into 4 even squares by running a cross through the middle. Trim the edges to create an even square.Â
- Cut out a square 2-3cm into the square of pastry and remove 2 pieces of pastry from the inside leaving a square hole in the middle.
- Using a patty pan or cupcake liner - add it to the centre and fill with oven weights, rice or beans to hold the centre of the pastry down whilst it bakes.
- Add to the lined baking tray and bake for 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and carefully remove the weights and cupcake liner exposing the puff pastry.
- Bake again for another 15minutes (total 50 minutes or until golden brown).
- Whilst the puff pastry is in its final 10 minutes of baking, start on the lemon curd.
- Place all the ingredients (except the vegan butter) into a saucepan and place on the stove on medium heat.
- Whisk until well combined, removing any lumps.
- Continue to whisk on the stove until the mixture starts to thicken. Be patient with this part, you may be whisking for 15 minutes (cornflour needs to heat above 70° to thicken). When thick and creamy remove from the heat.
- Whisk in the vegan butter while the mixture is still warm.
- Remove the pastries from the oven and pour the warm lemon curd into the centre of the pastries.
- Let them rest of cool for 20minutes to let the curd set.
- Start on the meringue whilst the curd is setting.
- Add the aquafaba into a mixing bowl and whisk with electric beaters until it forms stiff peaks. Add the rest of the ingredients and whisk until thick and silky meringue forms. It should hold upright on the beaters or whisk.
- Pipe or scoop onto the pastries and lightly toast with a burner.
They are best enjoyed the day they are made. Optional: Lightly dust the pastry with a tsp of icing sugar or drizzle the toasted meringue with extra virgin olive oil for extra flavour.Â
