lemon meringue pie

Anyone that knows me well will tell you I am a sucker for meringue based desserts, especially when it's paired with sharp citrus flavours.. and my absolute favourite has to be the classic lemon meringue topped with fluffy swiss meringue that's lightly torched giving it a slight crisp finish.

Making my own lemon meringue pie has been on my baking bucket list for such a long while, and since I made some Lemon curd to gift at Christmas this year, it was the perfect chance to make one whilst I actually had every ingredient at hand.

To make a 9 inch round pie you will need

1 batch of my Sweet short crust pastry

Lemon curd*

For the swiss meringue topping:

300g caster sugar

6 egg whites

Pinch of salt

1/4 tsp cream of tartar

• Preheat your oven to 180c ( fan)

• On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry to about 1/2       an inch thick

• Line a 9"/23cm loose bottom tart tin with the pastry, and place in the fridge to chill for about 15 minutes

• Line the pastry case with baking paper, and fill with baking    beans/ dried beans. Bake for 15 minutes, remove from the        oven, remove the paper and beans.

• Place back in the oven for about 5- 8 minutes or until the          case is lightly golden all over. Remove from the oven and set    aside

• To make the swiss meringue topping, place all the            ingredients in a bowl, and place the bowl over a ban marie      ( a bowl of simmering water)  and stir together until the sugar has completely melted, and the temperature reaches 71c.

• Remove from the heat and with an electric whisk or free standing mixer, whisk the egg whites until thick and fluffy, they should hold their shape and form stiff peaks.

• Pour the lemon curd into the cooled pastry case* making sure it's level and smooth.

• Spread the swiss meringue all over the top of the curd, ensuring it is all covered, use the back of a spoon to make peaks all over.

• Use a blowtorch to lighlty torch the meringue all over, alternativley, place under your grill - but stay close as it will brown quite quickly.

• Carefully remove from the tart tin and serve.

* For the lemon curd i used my home made curd, but you can always use shop bought, i filled the tart with the curd almost to the top of the case- i left about 1/2 gap for the merigue topping

To make mini lemon pies, cut out 12 circles using a cookie cutter just slightly larger than the holes .. line each hole with with a pastry circle,  add 2 tsp of curd into each case .. pop in the fridge for 15 mins 

Bake for 8-10 mins until the pastry is lightly golden. Leave to completely cool before finishing off with the meringue topping 

Whole egg omelette

This is a recipe that takes me down memory lane, it's something that my mum would whip up in the school holidays for breakfast or if we had guests staying over this was guaranteed to make an appearance at the table for a hearty filling breakfast. Mum would traditionally serve this with paranthas - crispy buttery chapatis - and steaming cups of chai.


With this omelette as the eggs are left whole, you can leave the yolks runny or fully cooked through to your preference, either way this is definitely a tastebud pleaser. 

For this omelette it's super handy if you've got a frying pan with a lid as in the last step the use of the lid helps to cook the yolks with the help of the steam, if not you can place the pan under the grill until the yolks are cooked to your preference 

To make my whole egg omelette to serve 4 /5 people you will need:

5-7 medium eggs* ( depending on the size of your pan you may be able to fit in more or need less )
1 chopped red onion  
1/4 each of red, yellow and green bell pepper sliced 
A large handful chopped mushrooms
1 green chilli finely chopped 
1/2 tsp chilli flakes
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp smoked paprika 
Handful fresh chopped coriander 
1 tsp cumin seeds 

• Start by cracking the eggs carefully into a bowl ensuring the yolks stay whole and don't split. Set the bowl aside.

• In a frying pan, add a little olive oil and on a medium heat, add in the onion and cook until the onion begins to soften.

• Add in the mushrooms and continue to cook on a medium heat, when they are almost fully cooked, add in the peppers, along with the chilli, chilli flakes, salt and smoked paprika and continue to cook until the peppers are just soft but not mushy. Spread the vegetables evenly over the base of your pan.

• Slightly lower the heat, then carefully pour the eggs into the pan. The eggs may end up all on one side, carefully tilt the pan to help spread the eggs out. 

• When the whites just begin to cook, sprinkle over the cumin seeds and if your pan has a lid, place the lid on and totally lower the heat ( alternatively place under the grill on the lowest setting ) and leave to cook till the whites are completely cooked and the yolks have set to how you like them. 

• Once cooked, sprinkle over some smoked paprika, garnish with the chopped coriander and drizzle over some of your favourite sauce - I went with sweet chilli and garlic but even good old ketchup or brown sauce will go well 

• Serve with toast and any extras as you wish



* I managed to fit 8 eggs in my pan as it is rather big, if your pan is small, adjust the amounts of the ingredients accordingly 

Greek yogurt & fresh fig pavlova with honey & rose water

Anyone that knows me well enough should know that I've got a real sweet tooth & that I can never resist a meringue based dessert.

Imagine how ecstatic I was when I came across the Meringue Girls, they have taken meringues to a whole new level with creations that you wouldn't have even thought possible.

This post shares one of their amazing recipes from their book which of course I obviously have... A pavlova topped with fresh figs, Greek yoghurt & a delicate addition of rose water .. It is absolutely amazing ! 

For the pavlova you will need:

5 medium whites

300g caster sugar

For the topping you will need :

100g green pistachios ( optional ).

1tbsp rosewater

8 fresh figs

300g greek yoghurt

4 tbsp runny honey

• The first thing is to make the meringue to form your pavlova. Start by lining a baking sheet with greaseproof paper.
• Preheat your oven to 200c/ Gas 6 line a small roasting tray with greaseproof paper, pour in the caster sugar and bake in the oven  for about 5 minutes till the edges are just begininng to melt a little.
• While your sugar is baking, pour your egg whites into a free standing mixer bowl or a plastic bowl if using a hand held electrical whisk. Whisk on a low speed so you get small little bubbles forming
• Turn up the speed a little once the bubbles have formed and whisk until stiff white peaks form - you should be able to tip the bowl over without the whites falling out.
• Next step is to add the sugar, with the whites still whisking remove the sugar from the oven - the sugar should feel hot when touched (& lower the oven temperature to 100c) and add it to the whites a spoonful at a time. 
• Once all the sugar has been incorporated carry on whisking the whites for another 5-7 minutes. Check a small amount of the mixture between your fingers, it should be smooth. If its a little grainy, whisk for another couple of minutes. 
• The mixture will be ready when a small amount of it forms a smooth stiff peak on the tip of your upturned finger
• Grind half of the pistachios and add them to the merge mix along with the rosewater. Fold it together as quick as you can but remember to be gentle- you don't want to knock out that air that will give your pavlova the volume
• Spoon the meringue mixture onto your earlier lined baking sheet and mould into a nest like circle, about 10 inches wide. Use the back of the spoon to make a slight dip in the centre.
• Sprinkle the rest of the ground pistachios on top of the nest and bake in the the oven for 2 hours
• The pavlova should come away from the paper easily & base will be firm. Leave to cool completely
• When you're ready to serve, cut your figs into quarters and roughly chop the remaining 100g of , pistachios.
• Place your pavlova onto a serving dish, spoon in the greek yoghurt into the middle of the pavlova, let it run down the sides and add the figs, sprinkle with the chopped pistachios, drizzle over the honey and serve 

For a little inspiration you can check out the girls YouTube account here , as well as their instagram account  and their official website  too .. You will not be dissapointed I promise