It’s only mid-February and where I come from this is still the middle of winter, but here, in Greece, the spring appears to have moved in! We took some time off work the other day as we woke up to a beautifully sunny (that’s actually not that rare here) and super warm 25° C (77° F) day and we felt like we’ve time travelled. Everything was in full bloom, our cat started chasing after bees and butterflies in our garden and it seemed like the storm and ferocious winds of just two days earlier were all a figment of our imagination.
We are cautious about celebrating spring’s arrival too soon as Greek islands tend to get a few summer days thrown in the middle of winter on a yearly basis (a weather phenomenon called Halycon Days) so the cold and storms may still return…but I’m hoping to fend it off for good with this spring-inspired dessert. All this sunshine, butterflies and warm weather got me craving a spring-like dessert. Something light, fresh and big enough to satisfy my sweet tooth yet small enough to make my moment of weakness feel innocuous. After a few experiments, I decided on mini vegan lemon meringue pies. The combination of sour lemon curd, sweet meringue and crumbly pastry is to die for. No wonder that this classic French combination has become such a hit all over the world. If, like me, you have a weakness for miniatures, you’ll love this dessert as it’s damn cute! It would also make a great addition to an afternoon tea party (although I’m in the espresso party camp myself 🙂 ). Give it a go, if you can make a pie crust, you can make these pies with your eyes closed.
180 g white all-purpose flour, sifted a pinch of salt 1 tbsp icing sugar 60 ml / 4 tbsp olive oil
LEMON CURD
80 g / just over ½ cup cashews (soak in water overnight) 150 ml / ½ cup + 2 tbsp of freshly squeezed lemon juice 5 tbsp / 75 ml maple syrup or sugar to taste 2 level tsp cornflour / cornstarch pinch of turmeric (for colour, optional)
MERINGUE
½ cup / 120 ml aquafaba / chickpea water* 125 g / ½ cup + 2 tbsp fine caster sugar ½ tsp white wine vinegar (optional)
LEMON CURD MERINGUE (whip it just before you are ready to assemble the pies) ASSEMBLY
My recipe for lemon curd has been adapted from this recipe.
