Lion Meringue Pie

A fun twist on the lemon meringue - The ‘Lion’ Meringue Pie. A rich and creamy lemon filling sits on a crumbly Tennis biscuit base, topped with a crisp, vanilla pavlova mane and detailed with chocolate eyes, nose and mouth.

INGREDIENTS

Tennis Biscuits 200g
Butter 100g
Condensed Milk 2 tins
Lemon Juice 50ml
Egg Yolks 4 large

Egg Whites 4 large
Castor Sugar 1 cup
Vanilla Bean 1/2
Brown Vinegar 1 teaspoon

Milk Chocolate to decorate

METHOD

To make the biscuit base, crush the tennis biscuits and mix together with the melted butter, press into a tart base. For the filling, whisk together the condensed milk, lemon juice and egg yolks and pour into the biscuit base.

Bake at 180°C for 10 minutes.

To make the pavlova mane, beat the egg whites, adding the castor sugar a third at a time, until stiff and glossy. Add the vanilla seeds from half a vanilla bean and brown vinegar and beat in well. Pipe the meringue into a mane shape onto a sheet of baking paper, leaving the face are open, and place on a baking tray.

Bake at 120°C for 30 minutes, reduce the heat to 100°C for another 30 minutes and then reduce the heat again to 80°C for the final 30 minutes. Turn the oven off and allow to cool in the oven.

Once cool, place the pavlova topping onto the lemon base and finish with milk chocolate details.