Lemon and Meringue Pudding

Carmen is back, author of Aunt Alia, to bring us a lemon meringue pudding that's incredibly delicious and easy to make. Any excuse will be a good one to prepare this delicious dessert!

Attention sweet-toothed and citrus lovers, because this lemon curd and meringue pudding could become your new favorite dessert. Halfway between a sponge cake and a lava cake, the texture of this treat—soft, fluffy, and slightly moist—is incredibly addictive. Well, the texture—and the flavor too. Because anything that has lemon curd ¡Success is guaranteed!

These lemon curd puddings can be eaten as is, without the topping, but it has to be said that meringue suits lemon perfectly. Plus, it’s super easy to make, and if we have to wait for the puddings to cool, why not devote that time to such a noble task? They look very impressive, and we all know we eat with our eyes, so don’t be lazy—go ahead and make the full recipe. You’ll be glad you did, and others will thank you for it. Promise.

Le Creuset ceramic ramekins, Zwilling bamboo wood cutting board and Pallarès carbon steel knife.

Ingredients (for 4 units)

For the pudding base:

• 50gr butter at room temperature + a little to grease the molds
• 200gr of sugar
• The zest and juice of 2 lemons
• 3 “L” eggs, whites and yolks separated
• 50gr of flour
• 150ml of milk
• 100gr of lemon curd

For the meringue topping:

• 1 egg white
• 15gr of powdered sugar + extra for dusting

Lemon Curd Lemon Curd by Tiptree, Zwilling bamboo cutting board, Birkmann round cooling rack and Le Creuset ceramic ramekins.

Production

1. We preheat the oven to 180º and grease, with a little bit of butter, a container suitable for oven or four individual containers. I prefer to use individual containers like the Le Creuset ceramic ramekin because it saves me from having to go around serving dessert at the table and, besides, they're very elegant.
2. In a container deep and wide we mix the butter and the sugar. We grate the lemons and add the zest. We whisk with some electric rods until cremation.
3. In a wooden board we cut the lemons with the help of a sharp knife and we squeeze its juice. We add it to the previous mixture along with the milk, the lemon curd and the three egg yolks. Stir again until combined.
4. It may look like the mixture has split, but that's not the case, so we ignore it and continue with the preparation by adding the flour, previously sifted.
5. Lastly, in a clean, dry bowl, beat the egg whites without whipping them to stiff peaks. Gradually fold them into the previous batter. Use gentle folding motions from bottom to top so they don't lose the air already incorporated.
6. We divide the mixture among the four greased ramekins we have and place them on a baking tray. We cover the base of the baking tray with one centimeter of hot water and bake for 20 minutes, or until the surface is lightly golden.
7. We take the ramekins out of the oven and let it cool on a metal grid.
8. Meanwhile, we prepare a meringue with the egg white and powdered sugar.
9. In a clean, dry bowl, beat the egg white. When it starts to thicken, add the sugar. Do this slowly while beating so the incorporated air isn’t lost, until it reaches stiff peaks.
10. We transfer the meringue to a piping bag and we decorate our lemon curd puddings, once cooled, with whatever design we like.
11. Dust the surface with a little powdered sugar and brown the top with a blowtorch or, failing that, by placing the ramekins in the oven, under the broiler, for a few minutes. Be careful with the latter because the meringue burns very easily.