Pink, Pearls and Prayer: Rasberry Lemon Meringue Valentines

One of my fondest memories of Valentine's Day was a handmade valentine I received every year from my grandmother. She would intricately weave pieces of paper into the shape of a heart pocket. Then she would enclose a hand cut heart with a tiny message of love... I would bolt to the mailbox just as fast at age 13 as I did at five to see if it had yet arrived. I am blessed with a beautiful cousin who continues my grandmother's tradition and it my seem silly, but I still feel like I'm five years old every time her valentine arrives! Like Charlie Brown, I just adore receiving that little token of love..

I realize now that those little traditions or rituals we perform every year are what memories are made of in the hearts of those we love.

Apparently some things are just in your DNA, because my mother was a huge romantic. The moment she took down the Christmas decorations, you could hear her buzzing around the house humming love songs and decorating with her well loved cupids, doilies and lace lined hearts. She was a passionate soul, the kind that Valentine's Day was most certainly created for. Valentine's wasn't a day in our house, it was a month! Not that I'm complaining.. on the contrary.. each Valentine's Day we would awake to find a big red heart filled with chocolates or a plate of special valentine cookies made just for us and we always felt incredibly loved.

I know that most would say Valentine's day is intended for romance between lovers, but I disagree. I think it's a day of love.. my grandmother's and my mom's philosophy, now my own. A tradition I gladly continue.

I'm a bit of an old-fashioned girl and I just love a hand made valentine! When I found this adorable Raspberry Meringue Valentine recipe, I just knew I had to try it! I've decided to share it because it was so incredibly simple and it turned out so beautifully!

Lemon Meringue Hearts

2 large egg whites

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/4 teaspoon lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Raspberry Jam

First, preheat your oven to 200 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a pencil, draw 13, 2 inch hearts on the parchment, spacing evenly. Turn the parchment over and set inside the baking sheet. Have a pastry bag fitted with a 1/4 inch wide tip ready or as I've said in the past, my favorite kitchen tool is my handy dandy Wilton Decorator which I find incredibly easy to use for a task like this one!

In the large bowl of an electric mixer, beat egg whites on medium for maybe a minute or two or just until foamy. Next, add the cream of tartar and salt and beat until soft peaks form. In order to know if you have a soft peak, just turn your whisk upside down. You will see a small peak that barely holds. This is when you'll start to add in the sugar 2 tablespoons at a time, letting it dissolve before adding the next round. Once it's all added, turn the mixer to a high speed and beat until the whites are glossy and stiff. This takes a while, so patience is a virtue.

You'll know the meringue is ready when you rub a small amount between your fingers and no longer feel the sugar grains and the mixture itself is thick and heavy and holds a peak proudly. At this point, beat in the vanilla, lemon juice and zest, just until mixed. I'd say that the biggest factor in making these tasty little numbers amazing.. is the lemon zest and juice. A little goes along way, but it's the one ingredient that makes this meringue incredibly special!

Next, fill your pastry bag or decorator with the meringue and pipe an even, thin layer of meringue to fill in the shape of each heart you've drawn.

After you've filled in all 13 hearts, go back and pipe a border on top of each heart to form a 1/2 inch high edge.

Let them sit for about 30 minutes before popping them in the oven. This will dry them out and help give them a crispy shell.

Bake for 1 1/2 hours or until they are dry, creamy white and firm to the touch. They're done when they release easily from the parchment paper with a spatula. At this point, I like to cool my meringue overnight. The added drying time makes them incredibly easy to work with and decorate.

In the past, I've found that meringue can be difficult. I think that the real key to making meringue easy, is to keep ALL the yellow out of your egg whites, make sure your egg whites are room temperature and dry your meringue in a very dry location (such as the oven) overnight.
After that, it's child's play.

When the meringue is firm and dry, you are ready to assemble.