Meringue Roulade with Homemade Lemon Curd & Raspberries

                       Meringue Roulade with Homemade Lemon Curd & Raspberries


A perfect light & delicious dessert to finish any dinner party.  This meringue roulade is filled with tangy lemon curd, whipped cream and raspberries.  It is possibly the most popular dessert that I made during my many years of outside catering and no wonder. It not only looks fabulous, it's really easy to make. I usually make the components the day before and then assemble it just before the guests arrive. 
This will make a great alternative to Christmas Pudding...I quite often fill it with chopped mango & passion fruit and exchange the almonds for a little grated coconut...well here's the recipe.

you will need a 9"x13" ( 23cms x 33cms) Swiss roll tin.... oiled & lined with parchment paper

This dessert will serve 8 people

Ingredients

4 large egg whites
8oz / 250g caster (superfine) sugar
a handful of flaked almonds

for the filling

Homemade Lemon curd around 2/3 tbsps * see recipe below  (or a good shop bought one) 
½pt double cream whipped until thick but not firm
8oz /250g fresh raspberries  ( if using frozen defrost on kitchen paper and only use decorate the roulade at the very last minute)
a few mint leaves
Icing/ Confectioners sugar for dusting 

For the Lemon Curd
this is a very quick recipe using the microwave. 

zest of 3 lemons
250 ml lemon juice
100g melted unsalted butter
200 g caster sugar
3 eggs

In a microwavable bowl
Whisk the eggs & sugar, add the lemon juice & zest & stir
Add in the melted butter
Cook on a medium heat for 1 minute blasts and give a good stir after each minute
When the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon it is ready.
Pour into sterilised jars.
Can be kept in the fridge for up to a month.



For the meringue

Place the egg whites in a bowl and whip them until stiff but not too dry
Add the sugar a spoonful at a time whilst whisking all the time
The mixture should be glossy and thick
Spread the meringue over the Swiss roll tin evenly until level
Sprinkle over a handful of flaked almonds 
Preheat your oven to 220c/425f/gas 7
Bake near the top for around 6 mins until the top starts to turn golden
Turn the oven down to 160c/325f/gas 3 and bake on for another 10 minutes
The meringue should feel firm. Remove from oven
Place a sheet of parchment paper on your work surface 
Carefully turn out the meringue (upside down) onto the paper
Carefully remove the paper it was baked on and leave to cool on the bottom sheet of paper  
Don't throw the top sheet of paper away you may need it again

You can either fill this immediately it has cooled or place it between the 2 sheets of paper you have used...put this back onto the swiss roll tin and carefully wrap with aluminium foil to fill later

To fill, 

make sure you leave the bottom piece of parchment paper to help you roll it up
Spread over with 2 or 3 tablespoons of the lemon curd
Spread this with 2/3rds of the whipped cream (saving the rest to pipe on the top)
Sprinkle over most of the raspberries (saving 8 to decorate the top)
With the long side of the meringue in front of you start to roll up
The parchment paper underneath will help you to lift the roulade as you roll it up

Leave in the fridge for around 30 minutes to set then pipe on a line of cream shells and decorate with the saved raspberries & mint leaves.  Dust with icing sugar & serve.