Since I arrived back in the United States a few days ago, after quite a long absence, my British mother has had me sitting down with her every morning to watch old episodes of the BBC TV series ‘The Great British Bake-Off‘. A TV series I have always heard of but only seen a few scenes from here and there. And I have to say, for someone who never ever cooks, since I started watching it I’ve quickly become addicted.
So much so, I’m also now watching The Great British Bake-Off host Mary Berry and her latest series Mary Berry’s Easter Feast.
Related content: How to make Nigella Lawson’s Lemon Pavlova
This week, Mary made her famous Lemon and Pistachio Meringue Roulade, a dessert that is actually easy to make, but looks a lot more elaborate than it is when it’s finished. As you will find out from the recipe below.
Ingredients for the meringue
5 free range eggs (whites for meringue and yolks for the lemon curd)
275 grams of caster sugar
Half a cup of chopped pistachios
Enough icing sugar to dust the top of the dessert
Ingredients for the lemon curd
100 grams of butter
225 grams of caster sugar (for the lemon curd)
Fresh juice and zest from 3 large lemons
300ml of double cream
Method
Separate the yolks from the egg whites.
Whisk the egg whites on full speed in your mixer until the whites are puffy like little clouds. Add the caster sugar tablespoon by tablespoon, and continue to whisk until the egg whites become stiff.
Line your baking tin with non-stick paper and pour your meringue into it. Then sprinkle the meringue with the chopped pistachios. Place the meringue in your oven for 8 minutes at 180 degrees until your meringue is golden brown. Turn your oven down to 140 degrees and bake for another 15 minutes.
For the lemon curd — melt 100 grams of butter with 225 grams of caster sugar in a glass bowl over a pan of simmering water. Add the lemon juice and the lemon zest. Add the egg yolks, and keep stirring the mixture until it is thick enough that it coats the back of the spoon.
Take the meringue out of the oven, and sprinkle icing sugar onto a sheet of non stick paper so that the meringue doesn’t stick when you take it out of the tin. Tip the meringue out of the tin onto the non stick paper, and remove the paper from the bottom of it.
Mix two large wooden spoons of lemon curd with the double cream and ‘marble’ the lemon curd through it. Then spoon the mixture out onto the meringue, and spread across the meringue until it covers all of it right up to the edges.
Roll the meringue into a tight catherine wheel shape.
To get a tight roll, make a cut at one end of the meringue almost to the bottom of it and then start to roll the meringue from there using the paper to push it (see video).
Decorate the top of the meringue roll with flowers, small easter eggs, or anything else ‘Eastery’ that you like, and this delicious looking Easter dessert is now ready to be eaten.
Watch the video below to see Mary Berry making her Lemon and Pistachio Meringue Roulade in just a few easy steps. Doesn’t that look delicious?
How to make Mary Berry’s Lemon Meringue and Strawberry Cupcakes
How to make Mary Berry’s Hot Cross Buns for Easter
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