With this deconstructed lemon meringue pie dessert, you can easily serve a festive and elegant treat without the stress. In this article, I’ll also give you a few tips on how to create even more upscale desserts at home!
This dessert absolutely looks fancy, but it doesn’t require a lot of work and is easy to make.
It’s a fun way to present a dessert, makes it look like you spend hours creating it, while in fact it is easier than the original!
For this deconstructed dessert, I’ve taken the crispy cookie crust, the lemon curd, and the meringue and presented them in a fun, new way.
It looks like a restaurant-worthy dessert, but it’s surprisingly easy to make. Win-win! 😉 Once you’ve made the separate components it’s a matter of arranging them on the plate!
I used gingerbread cookies for the “crust,” since they’re perfect for the holiday season. To make everything look even more festive, I cut the dough into tiny star shapes.
I finished the dessert with fresh mint leaves. They add both a beautiful pop of color and a delicious fresh flavor.
That’s how you effortlessly create a chic, restaurant-style dessert right at home!
Many years ago, I tried a deconstructed pie dessert for the first time -an apple pie version- and I loved it. I mean, who doesn’t love apple pie?
A “deconstructed” dessert simply means that all the classic elements are served separately on the plate. It gives you the chance to plate each component in a fun and elevated way.
This style of serving desserts is something you’ll often see in fine dining restaurants. How fun would it be to recreate that experience at home for Christmas? And honestly, it’s almost as easy as making these mini lemon meringue pies.
Most of the time, I keep things simple, both in baking and in styling. But on special occasions, you may want a more luxurious dessert to serve. And as you’ve probably noticed: the presentation makes all the difference.
Instead of serving dessert in a bowl or jar, go for a sleek, shallow or deep plate and combine different elements creatively: sweet, crunchy, creamy, fresh/tart, spiced, and maybe even a hint of salty.
Before assembling the plate, think about how you want it to look overall and what will be the base of your dessert.
For this deconstructed lemon meringue pie, the crumbled cookies are the base. Play with different sizes and textures, be creative but precise, and don’t forget your piping bag, because it’s always useful!
You can prepare both the gingerbread cookies and the lemon curd a few days in advance. The gingerbread cookies can be stored in a cookie jar for up to 3 weeks. The lemon curd is best kept in the fridge for up to two weeks.
The Italian meringue is best made fresh as that doesn’t store as well.
Definitely! Lemon meringue pie is traditionally made with a shortcrust base, so those cookies would also work well. Just make sure you choose a cookie recipe that holds its shape in the oven if you want neat little stars, like cut out sugar cookies.
Absolutely! Just keep the flavor simple, vanilla or lemon ice cream is perfect. Use two spoons to form quenelles (oval scoops). It looks extra classy!
Swap mint for small basil leaves or use a different type of curd, like passion fruit or orange. Both are delicious!
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Welcome to Laura’s Bakery! You’ve come to the right place for the most delicious baked goods and appetizers. With my easy recipes for home bakers I will show you that baking is fun and delicious.
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