Beer Girl Cooks

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boozy dessert

Tangerine IPA and Meyer Lemon Curd Meringue Nests

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Tangerine IPA and Meyer Lemon Curd Meringue Nests are a bright and flavorful dessert made with classic lemon curd with beer and pipped into a meringue nest.

Tangerine IPA and Meyer Lemon Curd Meringue Nests are a bright and flavorful dessert made with classic lemon curd with beer and pipped into a meringue nest

I haven’t had a lot of words to share lately.

Tangerine IPA and Meyer Lemon Curd Meringue Nests are a bright and flavorful dessert made with classic lemon curd with beer and pipped into a meringue nest

I’m not going to lie. Life has been rough.  I was just starting to find positive things to focus on, embrace spring and all it’s beauty with fresh starts and hope for the future.  I made Tangerine IPA and Meyer Lemon Curd Meringue Nests because they are bright, and yellow, and make me think of sunshine and spring and all things happy.

Tangerine IPA and Meyer Lemon Curd Meringue Nests are a bright and flavorful dessert made with classic lemon curd with beer and pipped into a meringue nest

We’ve grieved and dealt with the tragedy as best we could.  We were emerging from the darkness with a positive outlook.

Tangerine IPA and Meyer Lemon Curd Meringue Nests are a bright and flavorful dessert made with classic lemon curd with beer and pipped into a meringue nest

I guess I thought it was safe to live and hope again.  I guess it was too soon because the universe was there waiting to sucker punch me again.  Right in the heart.

Peyton

Run free sweet girl.  You were loved.

Peyton

Peyton

April 2010 – April 2017

Peyton was a rescue we adopted in April 2010 from Blue Ridge Boxer Rescue.  We never really knew exactly how old she was, so we just counted her adoption day as the start of her new life free from gassing shelters and abuse.  Please adopt. Don’t shop. There are so many beautiful animals in shelters that deserve loving homes.  

Tangerine IPA and Meyer Lemon Curd Meringue Nests
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Tangerine IPA and Meyer Lemon Curd Meringue Nests

Ingredients

For the Tangerine IPA and Lemon Curd

  • 1/4 cup Meyer Lemon juice about 2 lemons
  • 1/2 cup tangerine IPA beer
  • 8 egg yolks
  • 1 3/4 cups sugar
  • 1 1/2 sticks COLD butter cut into tablespoon size pieces

For the Meringue

  • 4 egg whites room temp
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 2 teaspoons corn starch
  • 1 cup sugar

Instructions

For the Tangerine IPA and Meyer Lemon Curd

  1. Combine lemon juice, beer, egg yolks, and sugar in a heavy bottomed pot and heat on medium while whisking constantly, making sure to get into the corners
  2. Continue cooking and whisking, without bringing to a complete boil until mixture becomes thick - about 7 - 10 minutes
  3. Remove from heat and stir in each tablespoon of butter, one at a time, making sure each is melted (for the most part) before adding the next
  4. Transfer to an air tight container and refrigerate until needed

For the Meringue

  1. Preheat oven to 215
  2. Add egg whites to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment
  3. Start out on low speed and whip the egg whites
  4. Add vanilla and corn starch and when the eggs start to get foamy, increase the speed to medium
  5. Add sugar slowly, one tablespoon at time
  6. After about half the sugar is incorporated, increase the speed to medium high
  7. Continue adding sugar one tablespoon at a time and beat until stiff peaks form and can stand up on their own without falling over - this process takes about 15 minutes
  8. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper
  9. Transfer meringue to a disposable piping bag fitted with a star tip and pipe onto the parchment paper one 3 - 4 inch circle, fill in the center, then add two rings one on top of the other around the edge of the base creating a nest, repeat 12 times, then make little stars with the remaining meringue
  10. Bake 90 minutes or until meringue is solid and dry (ish)
  11. Turn off oven and leave the pan inside until cooled completely

For the Assembly

  1. Transfer curd to a disposable piping bag
  2. Pipe into the center of the nests and fill to just above the top
  3. Serve with the meringue stars and whipped cream if desired

NOTES: 

  1. I don’t normally recommend cooking with an IPA because they are usually hoppy and when reduced can become very bitter.  In this curd recipe I didn’t cook it down very much, so the hops didn’t have a real opportunity to concentrate and get bitter.  The flavor combination of the tangerine beer and the sweet and tang of the meyer lemon juice was a perfect balance with the meringue nests. I used Tangier from Southern Tier.
  2. I saw something similar to these nests in a magazine that I was reading while bored out of my mind waiting in Lowes for Chris to finish shopping for boring hardware or screws or something.  I was inspired, but have no recollection of what magazine it was.

 

 

Tangerine IPA and Meyer Lemon Curd Meringue Nests

S’mores Martini

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Since we’ve already trashed this week by starting out with beer and donuts on Monday, let’s just keep going with some S’mores Martinis and just call it booze week.  You dig?

S'mores Martini

I don’t know about y’all, and I know I always say this, but I sure am ready for the weekend!  It’s been tough going over here with all this trying to eat healthy during the week ’cause I’ve been complaining that my pants don’t fit for approximately 9.467 months and haven’t done anything about it until now.

S'mores Martini

All I’ve been eating are salads and fish during the week and dreaming of the beautiful weekend of stuffing my face into donuts, boozy ice cream, and chocolate-y, sticky, gooey, marshmallow-y S’mores Martinis.

S'mores Martini

I gotta be honest here too.  I don’t even really love marshmallows.  It’s a texture thing.  But I’m serious as a train wreck when I tell you that when that stuff gets all melted and toasty I don’t know what in tarnation comes over me, but that stuff is DELICIOUS!  Combine it with some chocolate booze and I’m a goner.  No self control.  Zero.

S'mores Martini

If you’re not busting out of your pants and don’t have to wait until the weekend to have yourself some indulgent S’mores Martinis, I highly recommend you get your self to the booze store STAT then swing by your local Publix or Teeter for some fluff, marshmallows, and graham crackers or crumbs – I usually get those ’cause I’m totally lazy and usually in a hurry to get to the good stuff and not necessarily in the mood for graham smashing.  Although it depends on the kind of day I’ve had. Or how fast I need that martini in hand and down the hatch.  Sometimes a good graham smashing is good for the mental health.

S'mores Martini

Sigh….  Is it Friday yet?

S'mores Martini
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S’mores Martini

Ingredients

  • 1 marshmallow
  • 1-2 tablespoons graham cracker crumbs
  • 1-2 tablespoons marshmallow cream
  • 3 ounces Creme de Cocoa
  • 3 ounces Bailey's Irish Creme
  • 1.5 ounces vodka
  • 1.5 ounces heavy cream

Instructions

  1. Transfer marshmallow cream to a bowl and microwave 15-20 seconds, stir
  2. Coat edge of martini glass with melted marshmallow cream
  3. Coat the marshmallow cream edge of the glass with graham crumbs, set aside
  4. Add marshmallow to a parchment paper lined baking sheet
  5. Toast marshmallow under broiler 1-2 minutes, rotate and toast another 30 seconds to 1 minute, rotate again and toast another 30 seconds to 1 minute, remove from oven and let cool while mixing the martini
  6. Add 5-6 ice cubes to a martini shaker
  7. Combine Creme de Cocoa, Bailey's, vodka, and heavy cream to shaker and shake vigorously for 30 seconds or so
  8. Pour into prepared martini glass
  9. Garnish with toasted marshmallow

This recipe makes 1 martini with a small sidecar

S'mores Martini