Lemon cakes with baked meringue and berry sauce

Ingredients:

Lemon Berry Cakes

• 0.5 cups of sugar
• 3 tbsp. flour
• 0.5 tbsp finely grated lemon zest
• A pinch of salt
• 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2/3 cup milk
• 1 large egg, room temperature, separate the yolk from the white
• 1 cup assorted fresh or frozen berries, such as raspberries, blueberries, or blackberries

Berry sauce

• 3 cups assorted fresh or frozen berries, such as raspberries, blueberries, or blackberries
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 tbsp lemon juice

Meringue

• Protein of 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 0.5 tsp lemon juice
• 1/3 cup sugar

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 175°C. Grease four 150ml ramekins and sprinkle them with sugar, shaking off any excess. Place them in a larger dish (such as a roasting pan).
2. Sprinkle berries evenly into the bottom of each ramekin.
3. Combine sugar, flour, lemon zest, and salt. Add lemon juice, milk, and egg yolk and whisk until smooth. Beat the egg white with a raised whisk until soft peaks form; fold into the batter.
4. Divide the batter among the ramekins. Pour boiling water into the baking pan containing the ramekins and bake for about 35 minutes, until golden brown. Cool the cakes in a water bath for 15 minutes, then remove the pans from the water, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
5. Berry saucePlace the berries, sugar, and lemon juice in a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the berries are soft and the liquid has reduced by a third, about 15 minutes. Cool the sauce to room temperature, then refrigerate until serving.
6. Meringue: Beat the egg whites and lemon juice with a mixer on medium-low speed until foamy and slowly add the sugar, increasing the speed to high and beating the whites with the beaters lifted until stiff peaks form.
7. Run a thin spatula around each cooled lemon tarts and place them on serving plates. Spoon the meringue into a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip and pipe it over each tart.
8. Toast the meringues with a blowtorch (or you can place the cakes on a parchment-lined baking sheet, pipe the meringue on top, and bake in the oven at 450°F (230°C) for 2 minutes) and serve immediately with the berry sauce.