Meringues with Citrus Curd

To Make the Meringues:

1. Preheat your oven to 200 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set them aside.
2. To the bowl of your stand-up mixer (or you could use a bowl with a hand electric mixer), with the whisk attachment, add the egg whites, salt and corn starch. When the egg whites are foamy, with the mixer still running, pour in the sugar. Beat for an additional 2 to 3 minutes on high, until very stiff peaks form. Pour in the vinegar and vanilla extract and beat one last time until mixed.
3. To the baking sheet, spoon out big dollops of meringue and using the back of a spoon, create little cavities. Repeat until you’ve worked through all of the meringue. I got about 12 meringues. You can make them as big or as large as you like.
4. Bake for 2 hours, or until the meringues are dry and crisp. Turn off the heat and allow the meringues to come to room temperature.

To Make the Gingery Citrus Curd:

1. To a small saucepan, placed over medium heat, simmer the citrus juice until it reduces by half (to about 1/3 cup), about 3-5 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly.
2. *In the stainless steel bowl (note: you’ll use this bowl as a makeshift double-boiler later) of your stand-up mixer, add the softened butter and sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
3. Add the egg yolks, beat the mixture together, and then add the eggs, beating again until they’re well incorporated. Stir in the salt, and then in a few batches, add the citrus juice and ginger. The mixture will look curdled and you might scratch your head and wonder if it’s right, it will be!
4. Rinse out the small saucepan you used earlier, and fill it with a few inches of water. Bring the water to a simmer and place your stainless steel bowl of curd mixture on top. Stir constantly, and heat the curd slowly enough that the sugar has time to dissolve and the whole mess becomes cohesive; this step usually takes about 10 minutes. Pull the curd from the head when it is just thick enough to coat your spoon and until a thermometer reads 166 F. The curd will thicken as it cools.
5. I ran the curd through a sieve into a chilled bowl a few times just to ensure it was silky smooth. I highly recommend this step! Transfer the curd to a container a keep in the fridge, in an airtight container, for up to a week.

To Assemble the Meringues:

1. So here’s the best thing about this recipe. Both components (the meringues and the curd) can be made the day before.
2. Right before you’re ready to serve, spoon the curd into the center of the meringues. Garnish with a few berries, a sprig or two of mint (seriously the mint is a must!) and a sprinkling of powdered sugar.