Mini Lemon Ginger Meringue Pies

Pie tastes better (and no one has to share!) when served in a perfectly portioned individual Mini Cocotte and makes for an elegant presentation at the table. To ease prep, the lemon curd and pie crust can be made 1-2 days in advance and stored covered in the fridge. Make the meringue on the day of, and then assemble the pies and broil the meringue right before serving.

Lemon Curd

1 1/4 cups sugar

1 5cm piece of fresh ginger, peeled and chopped

4 large eggs, at room temperature

Zest of 1 lemon

3/4 cup lemon juice (about 9 lemons)

Pinch of salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Pie Crust

4 cups crumbled digestive biscuits

1 cup pecans, finely chopped

1 cup crystallised ginger, finely chopped

1 cup melted butter

Meringue

4 egg whites, at room temperature

1 cup sugar

1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the lemon curd:

Place sugar and ginger in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade and pulse together until well combined.

Place sugar mixture, eggs, lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt in a medium saucepan. Whisk together and cook gently over low heat until thickened, about 4-6 minutes, stirring constantly (note mixture will thicken quickly). Once thickened, remove from heat and stir in butter. Pour the mixture into a fine mesh strainer set over a large mixing bowl to strain the curd, discarding any pieces left in the strainer. Allow the curd to cool slightly, then cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes or up to overnight.

For the pie crust:

Preheat oven to 175°C.

Place digestive biscuits, pecans, crystallised ginger and melted butter in a medium bowl and stir to combine. Divide the crust mixture evenly into 8 Mini Cocottes or ramekins, pressing down with a juice glass or measuring cup to compress on the bottom and up the sides of the dish. Bake cocottes in the preheated oven until crust is light brown and set, about 8-10 minutes. Allow to cool slightly.

For the meringue and assembly:

Pour 5cm of water into a medium saucepan, and bring to a simmer over low heat.

In a heatproof bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together egg whites, sugar and cream of tartar. Place bowl over the top of the saucepan, whisking constantly until the sugar is dissolved and whites are warm to the touch, about 3-4 minutes. Transfer the bowl to a stand mixer with the whisk attachment. Starting on low speed, whisk while gradually increasing the speed until stiff peaks form, about 10 minutes. Add vanilla and mix until combined.

Fill each cocotte with some of the lemon curd, leaving a 5mm; space at the top. Spoon meringue on top of the lemon curd. Using a broiler or small torch, lightly toast each meringue topping before serving.