Gluten Free Lemon Meringue Cream Puffs
Experience the perfect blend of tangy lemon and fluffy meringue atop a gluten-free cream puff shell. Indulge in this delightful twist on a classic dessert, crafted for those with gluten sensitivities. A bite-sized taste of lemony bliss awaits!
Ingredients
Lemon Cream Filling
- 110 grams white sugar
- 1.5 lemons zested
- 2 large eggs
- 85 grams fresh lemon juice - about 2 lemons
- 150 grams butter
Cream Puffs
- 95 grams Milk
- 95 grams Water
- 90 grams Butter
- ½ tsp Salt
- 1 tsp white sugar
- 1 splash Vanilla
- 105 grams Bob’s Red Mill 1-1 Gluten Free Flour
- ¾ tsp Xanthan Gum (This is extra, as the flour already has it)
- 3 large Eggs
Craquelin
- 115 grams Light Brown Sugar
- 115 grams Butter
- 115 grams Bob’s Red Mill 1-1 Gluten Free Flour
- 1 pinch Salt
Meringue
- 2 large egg whites
- 83 grams white sugar
- 1 pinch salt
Instructions
Lemon Cream
- In a bowl, add sugar and lemon zest. Using your hands, rub the lemon zest and sugar together. The sugar will have a pale yellow colour and smell amazing.110 grams white sugar, 1.5 lemons zested
- Add in eggs and lemon juice and whisk.2 large eggs, 85 grams fresh lemon juice - about 2 lemons
- Place the bowl on top of a double broiler. Whisk it every couple of minutes until it reaches 175F. It will become thicker. It usually takes about 20 minutes.
- Using a sieve, strain the mixture pushing as much of the mixture through the fine mesh strainer.
- Add butter to the strained lemon cream until it is fully incorporated.150 grams butter
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, pressing it to the top of the lemon cream to avoid a film. Place in the fridge for 4 hours to set.
- Once the lemon cream is set and cold, move on to the next step. I like to make the lemon cream the night before I plan on making the puffs.
Craquelin
- Preheat the oven to 375 F.
- In a stand mixer bowl, add brown sugar and butter. Cream together until smooth and fluffy.115 grams Light Brown Sugar, 115 grams Butter
- Add in flour and salt and mix throughly until mixed well. About 2 minutes until it forms a dough.115 grams Bob’s Red Mill 1-1 Gluten Free Flour, 1 pinch Salt
- Between two sheets of parchment paper, place the dough between them. Using a rolling pin, roll it out the size of a cookie sheet.
- Put the cookie sheet with the dough into the freezer for about 5 minutes.
- Remove the cookie sheet from the freezer and remove the top layer of parchment paper.
- Using a round object (I like to use a very small cookie cutter about 2” wide) cut circles out of the dough.
- Return the cookie sheet back to the freezer while you make your pate a choux.
Pate a Choux - Cream Puffs
- In a pot add milk, water, butter, vanilla, sugar and salt together and bring to a rolling boil.95 grams Milk, 95 grams Water, 90 grams Butter, 1/2 tsp Salt, 1 tsp white sugar, 1 splash Vanilla
- Remove the pot off of the heat, and add in the flour and xanthan. Work quickly to whisk it together to avoid clumping.105 grams Bob’s Red Mill 1-1 Gluten Free Flour, 3/4 tsp Xanthan Gum
- Once the flour mixture is incorporated into the milk mixture transfer this to a stand mixer bowl. On medium speed, beat the mixture to cool down the mixture.
- The mixture will start to look separated. This is when you add in the eggs, one at a time while the mixture is still beating. Once all the eggs are added in, turn the mixture up to high and let it mix for 2 minutes. You will know when it is done because of mixture will go from looking like scrambled eggs to silky and glossy.3 large Eggs
- While the mixture is mixing, prepare a large piping bag with a large round tip. As well as a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- Once the mixture is completed, add the mixture to the prepared piping bag.
- At a straight up and down angle, pipe a 2” wide by about 1” tall mound of pate a choux.
- Once you have all of them piped out, remove the cookie sheet from the freezer with the craquelin on it. Remove a craquelin circle and gently place it on top of the cream puff. Do not worry that it is not fully covering it, or touching the entire cream puff.
- Place the cookie sheet of prepared cream puffs in the oven for 30 minutes. DO NOT open the oven! You need the moisture to help puff up the cream puffs.
- After 30 minutes, you can open the oven door to let out all the steam and then bake for another 7 minutes.
- When the cream puffs are baked, take the tray out of the oven and let them cool on the tray for a couple minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool.
Meringue
- Once the cream puffs are cooled. Add egg whites, sugar and salt to the bowl of your stand mixer and place it over a double boiler. Whisk this mixture often until it reaches 130 F2 large egg whites, 83 grams white sugar, 1 pinch salt
- Remove the bowl from the heat and attach it to your stand mixer with the whisk attachment. Start off on a medium/low speed to avoid large air pockets until medium peaks.
- Turn the mixer on high until you have stiff peaks and turn off the mixer
Assemble
- In a piping bag, with a round tip, fill it with the cooled lemon cream and set aside.
- Take the cream puff, and on the bottom (flat side) using a sharp knife cut in an X.
- Using the prepared piping bag, stick the tip into the X at the bottom of the cream puff and fill it up. You will feel the weight difference when it is full.
- Once all cream puffs are filled, hold it from the bottom and dip it 3/4 into the meringue and gently pull up. It will cover most of the craquelin and form a peak at you pull it out.
- Once all cream puffs have meringue, take our kitchen torch and toast each of the meringues.
- Enjoy!