Lemon myrtle meringue pie

Lemon myrtle has a slight eucalyptus or menthol flavour and pairs beautifully wherever you use lemon – that could be in dressings, on chicken or in this case, in curd. Wattleseed smells like toasty biscuits, which is perfect in a nut base.

Lemon myrtle meringue pie Credit: Kitti Gould

• serves

  6

• prep

  30 minutes

• difficulty

  Mid

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Ingredients

• 6 egg whites, at room temperature
• 200 g caster sugar
• lemon myrtle or kakadu plum powder, to garnish

Base

• 75 g (½ cup) macadamia nuts
• 80 g (½ cup) almonds (or other nuts)
• 6 moist dates (or soak 8 dry dates in hot water)
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 65 g (1 cup) shredded coconut
• 3 tsp ground wattleseed
• 100 g (1 cup) almond meal

Curd

• 200 g caster sugar
• 4 lemons, zest and juice (about 240 ml juice)
• 4 tbsp cornflour
• 180 g cold unsalted butter, chopped
• 2 eggs
• 6 egg yolks
• 1 tbsp dried lemon myrtle

Chilling/freezing time: 1 hour

Instructions

1. For the base, grease a 20 cm tart tin with a removable base. Place the macadamias, almonds, dates, salt and half the shredded coconut in a blender and process into a smooth, thick paste. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and gradually knead in the wattleseed, almond meal and the remaining coconut.
2. Using your fingers, press the mixture into the base and sides of the greased tart tin with your fingers. Cover and refrigerate while you make the curd.
3. For the curd, place the sugar, lemon zest and juice in a saucepan and stir over low heat until the sugar dissolves. Add the cornflour and whisk until smooth. Remove from heat and gradually whisk in the butter, eggs and egg yolks until well combined. Return to the heat, add the lemon myrtle and whisk for a few more minutes or until thick. Make sure it doesn't curdle.
4. Whisk the egg whites in a large bowl until soft peaks form, then slowly add the caster sugar, a few spoonfuls at a time and beat until stiff and glossy.
5. To assemble, spoon the curd into the base, then spoon or pipe the meringue on top. Use a domestic blowtorch to lightly brown the meringue (or place on the bottom rung of the oven under the grill on 180°C until just brown – keep an eye on it!).
6. Sprinkle with lemon myrtle or kakadu plum powder to finish. Serve cool or at room temperature.

 

Photography by Kitti Gould.

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Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.

Stream free On Demand

Sweet Dreams

Watch The Full Episode Here

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Watch The Full Episode Here

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