Mini Lemon Meringues with Whipped Cream and Fresh Blueberries

Meringues

1. Read through the full recipe before starting, including the tips at the end. Your guests will thank us.
2. Preheat your oven to 100° C Fan (Gas Mark 1/4). Set aside baking trays and greaseproof baking paper pieces, cut to size.
3. Fit your Oonie Halo Core mixer with the bowl, Dual-Geared Whisk attachment and Bowl Guard. Add 5 egg whites, 0.75g cream of tartar, and 0.4g salt. 
4. Begin whipping at 40% (4 fully lit segments on the Halo Core dial) for around 1 minute. The cream of tartar acts as your structural insurance policy here, stabilising the proteins as they begin to foam and turn frothy.
5. Once the mixture is bubbly and uniform, pour in the vanilla extract. 
6. Increase the speed to 70% (7 fully lit bars on the dial) and begin adding 250g caster sugar very gradually, roughly one tablespoon every 10 seconds. This slow integration is essential to avoid a grainy texture or "weeping" later on (see notes below). Pause the mixer halfway through to scrape down the bowl sides, ensuring every grain of sugar is pulled into the whipping area.
7. Once all sugar is added, continue whisking at 70% (7 fully lit segments on the dial) for approx 1 minute or until the meringue transforms into a thick, glossy cloud that holds stiff peaks. 
8. Take a tiny teaspoon of the mixture from the whisk and dab it onto the four corners of your baking sheets. Press your parchment paper down onto these dots to keep it perfectly flat while you work. 
9. Spoon the glossy meringue onto the paper, dividing the mixture into 9 even portions. 
10. Using the back of a spoon, gently create a shallow well in the centre of each where your toppings will go.
11.  Slide the trays onto the oven and bake for 90 minutes. 
12.  Keeping the door closed, switch off the heat and leave trays in the oven for a further two hours. Resist the urge to peek in as they cool.
13.  Slightly prop open the oven door and let the meringues rest for another 30 to 60 minutes.
14. Remove your meringues from the oven. Check that the walls are crisp and baked through, but don't worry if you notice minor cracks along the ridges. Move to a cooling rack to fully cool. 
15.  Eat straight away or store in an airtight container for up to two days.

Lemon Curd

Prepare this zesty curd up to one week ahead of time or while your meringue nests are resting.

1. In a medium sized mixing bowl, hand whisk together 5 egg yolks, 14g lemon zest, 150g sugar, 7g cornstarch, and 1g salt for about 30 seconds or until the mixture turns a pale, creamy yellow with no lumps of cornstarch remaining.
2. Pour in 120ml fresh lemon juice, whisking constantly for about 20 seconds or until the base is smooth and fully combined. 
3. Pour the mixture into a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-low heat, using an Ooni spatula to scrape the bowl.
4. Whisk the liquid continuously as it heats, occasionally using a heat-resistant spatula to bring in the mixture from the corners. 
5. Continue cooking for around 20 minutes until the curd reaches a thick, custard-like density.
6. Remove the pan from the heat and drop in the cubed butter. 
7. Stir gently until the butter has melted completely, adding a glossy finish.
8. Transfer the warm curd into a sterilised jar or bowl. 
9. To keep the surface smooth and prevent a skin from developing, press a piece of greaseproof paper directly onto the surface of the curd.
10. Allow it to sit at room temperature until it is no longer steaming, then cover and move it to the refrigerator. Let it chill completely before serving.
11. Store in your fridge for up to 1 week. 

Whipped Cream

1. Fit your Ooni Halo Core mixer with a clean bowl, Dual-Geared Whisk attachment and bowl guard.
2. Whisk 380ml cream, 30g powdered sugar and 5g vanilla at 70% (7 fully lit bars on the dial) for around 2 minutes, or until stiff peaks form. Colder cream whips faster. 
3. Remove the bowl from the mixer and set aside if you’re using immediately. If not, transfer the cream to a container and chill in the fridge. 

Assembly

1. Spoon equal amounts of lemon curd onto the meringues, using the back of a spoon to spread it around slightly. 
2. Spoon equal amounts of the freshly whipped cream onto the curd. 
3. Garnish with your chosen fruit and a sprig of mint. 
4. Eat straight away or pop them in the fridge to enjoy later that day. 

Tips:

1. Ooni Halo Core speed dial, explained: Each display light segment on the mixer indicates a speed increase of 5% when half lit and 10% when fully lit.
2. Separate your egg whites carefully. The secret to a perfect rise is ensuring that the whites are completely free of any yolk.
3. Ensure all attachments are clean, dry and free or residue. Even a single drop of fat can prevent the proteins in your egg whites from reaching their full volume. 
4. Shop-bought curd is fine for this recipe. Homemade lemon curd is very easy and satisfying to make, but you don’t have to. 
5. Avoid "weeping" in your meringues. Think of meringue like a complex microscopic sponge made of fat bubbles holding onto water. Weeping occurs when that "sponge" loses its integrity, causing the trapped water to leak out and pool at the bottom of the bowl. If the mixture has done this, I would recommend starting again.
6. If meringues are soft in the middle, eat the same day. They can be eaten up to 2 days later, but they will be slightly chewy as time goes on. 
7. Save your overcooked lemon curd with a sieve. If your lemon curd starts to form small lumps of cooked egg, don't panic! Simply pass the warm curd through a fine-mesh sieve or give it a quick pulse with an immersion blender to make it silky smooth again.
8. Always use fresh citrus, never bottled. Bottled varieties contain extra water and preservatives that can throw off the acid balance and affect the curd's ability to set properly.