Blazing Town Hall Meringue

Ingredients

• 4 lemons (juice and zest)
• 150 g sugar
• 3 eggs
• 250 ml whipping cream
• 3 egg whites
• 100 g caster sugar (for meringue)
• 50 g dark chocolate
• 8 ladyfingers (for façade and towers)
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Method

1. Zest and juice the lemons. Mix lemon juice, zest, sugar, eggs, and cornstarch in a saucepan and heat until thickened into lemon curd. Let cool.
2. Whip the cream with vanilla extract until stiff. Fold in the cooled lemon curd for a light mousse.
3. Divide the mousse among four wide, shallow glasses or plates.
4. Whisk the egg whites until stiff, gradually adding caster sugar until glossy, stiff meringue forms.
5. Break the ladyfingers: use whole ones for the façade, halves for towers. Stand them upright in the mousse to form a town hall silhouette.
6. Pipe or spoon meringue over the tops of the ladyfingers as a roof. Torch the meringue until golden, resembling flames.
7. Melt the chocolate over a bain-marie. Drizzle or streak over the meringue as rising smoke.
8. Serve immediately while the meringue is still warm.

Serving notes

• Serve on dark plates for extra contrast.
• Add extra drizzles of melted chocolate for dramatic smoke effect.