Lemon pots with mini meringues recipe

Our lemon pots are topped with homemade mini meringues but you can use shop bought if you’re short on time. 

These are easy to prepare and look impressive. If you choose to make the meringues and you need some inspiration on how to use up the egg yolks, consider making your own lemon curd which can be used in other desserts or used as a wonderful cake filling. The nutrition is based on you eating all of the meringue but you will likely have lots leftover after serving the dessert. Without the meringue the lemon pots are 617 calories. 

Ingredients

• 600ml double cream
• 200g golden caster sugar
• finely grated zest of 3 lemons
• juice of 2 lemons (75ml)
• 300g raspberries
• several sprigs of mint

For the mini meringues:

• 3 egg whites
• 150g golden caster sugar
• ¼tsp vanilla extract

Method

• Pour the cream into a non-stick pan and add the sugar. Heat gently, stirring until the sugar is dissolved.
• Bring to the boil for 1 min, then turn off the heat.
• Stir in the lemon zest and juice and pour into your pots or ramekins. Chill for at least 3 hours. (You can make them 1 day in advance.)
• To make the meringues, heat the oven to 120C (100C fan, Gas ½). Whisk the egg whites in a clean, grease-free bowl, until you have stiff peaks.
• Whisk in the sugar, 1tbsp at a time, adding the vanilla extract with the last addition of sugar. Spoon the meringue into the piping bag fitted with a star nozzle, if liked.
• Pipe little meringues onto parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake for 1 hour, until they’re firm, lift easily from the paper and sound hollow when tapped.
• To serve, put a few raspberries and a mint sprig on top of the chilled lemon possets. Arrange 2-3 little meringues on top, just before you serve.

Top tips for making lemon pots

You'll need little pots with at least a 100ml capacity for this recipe. We have upgraded the lemon pots with the addition of raspberries and mini meringues but they are completely optional.

You could decorate with some extra lemon zest and a dusting of icing sugar if you want to keep it simple. For tips on how to adjust the recipe or use up leftover ingredients continue reading below. 

When making meringue it’s important you use very clean equipment. If you don’t have a glass Pyrex bowl as part of your equipment we recommend investing as it’s a very useful and versatile bowl.

Pyrex glass bowl - View at Amazon

When you’re not using the bowl to make meringue, you can use it for combining cake ingredients, tossing salad in a dressing or marinating chicken overnight. This Pyrex bowl is a good medium size and can go in the dishwasher for easy cleaning. It’s also easy to see if all the ingredients are incorporated thanks to the glass.

If you like this recipe you must try our lemon posset recipe or these lemon creams. For those willing to put a little more time in, our lemon tart is an impressive dessert. Any afternoon can be improved with a slice of our lemon drizzle cake and if you’ve got a freshly brewed cup of tea too, you’re onto a winner.