growing up i never had dessert after dinner,

maybe an apple or orange slices.

sugar and sweets were for

Special Occasions,

they were not on the forefront of

gma’s menu planning for the week.

now that i’m a grown up in charge of my diet

dessert is a must.

on the evenings we don’t have

anything sweet to nibble on

i feel a loss,

like,

bereft.

my waistline has suffered

my sweet tooth is more ferocious

i don’t know which was worse –

with or without!

just kidding,

that’s a no brainer.

meringue cups + mango curd

gluten free, lactose free

*note: it was super hot and muggy the days i made these. if i were to serve this at a party, i’d make the morning of and pipe just before serving. you want the meringues to be light and crispy with just a touch of chew. doing it the way i did it allowed the meringues to be a little on the chewy side and not enough of the crisp. the winter, when the air is chill and dry, would be best for the over night method i used this time.

5 egg whites, at room temp

1/4 -1/2 cup sugar, sweetness level entirely up to you, depending on how sweet the curd is

1/2 tsp cream of tartar

preheat oven to 300F. prepare baking sheet with parchment paper.

in a clean mixing bowl using a the whisk attachment, mix the egg whites for about a minute. add the cream of tartar and then incrementally add the sugar. you’re going for stiff peaks, this could take up to 15 minutes. take your time, scrape the bowl to ensure you get all the sugar. you’re done when you’re able to turn the bowl over and nothing falls on your face.

fill piping bag, if you’re feeling fancy add a tip, though i don’t think it’s necessary. on the prepared baking sheet, pipe a base and then stick to the edge of the base and work your way up to make a cup/nest. keep going until done, i think i ended up with about 40.

bake for 20 minutes, lower heat to 250F and bake further 15 minutes. turn off off, ignore overnight.

mango curd

lactose free

1-2 mangos, depending on size, ending up with about 1 cup mango puree

1/8 – 1/4 cup sugar, depending on how sweet you want it to be

pinch of salt

1 egg yolk

zest of 1 lemon

zest of 1 lime

4 TBL ghee

juice of half lemon

in a sauce pan, mix the mango puree with the egg yolk on low heat. whisk steadily until warmed through, you don’t want to scramble the yolk. add in the flavors: sugar, salt, zests and lemon juice. raise heat to medium and keep whisking until further thickened. turn off the heat and add in the ghee, mixing thoroughly.

set aside to cool, if needed, strain through a fine mesh sieve.

allow to cool and then fridge. will keep for about a week.

to assemble:

you can be fancy and pipe the curd into the meringue cups, or you can be lazy like me and use a small spoon to fill the curd in.

BAM!

1 year ago: 3 veggies dumplings in spicy sauce

2 years: baked yeast s’mores donuts

other curd and/or meringue desserts:

citrus curd mille feuilles – dairy free

meyer lemon bars – lactose free

chocolate meringue kisses – gluten free, dairy free

strawberries + cream pavlovas – gluten free