Citrus 🤝 Meringue. # 418: Calamansi Meringue Bars

A citrus native to the Philippines, calamansi tastes like a combo of a lime and an orange. Sweet and tangy but not too tart. If I ever get another citrus tree to hang out with my dwarf meyer lemon tree, it’s definitely gonna be one of these cuties.

Another excuse to use the tiny blowtorch? Bring it on! Meringue might not be my favorite topping to eat (dare I call it toasted egg foam? Sorry not sorry) but it’s very fun to bake with.

There’s a sneaky ingredient hiding in both the crust and the custard: red miso! It’s got more of a robust flavor than white miso, adding in some umami and depth to what otherwise would have been a bite of straight sweetness.

While the meringue was stiff enough to hold the bowl upside down over my head (which of course I did – living on the edge) it was still pretty soft when cut. The risk of over-whipping it is probably worth it for a firmer texture.

I think if I was to make them again, I would omit the tablespoon of juice in the crust. I wanted more of a crisp bottom layer and the added liquid gave it more of a soft cookie texture. Yay for flavor, boo for no textural contrast.

The miso and lemon zest are giving cheese biscuit.

Custard whirl.

I doubled the amount of topping the recipe called for because meringue is a drama queen by nature and I’m not here to deprive her of the spotlight.

Introducing my new funfetti spatula! Life is short, get the silly spatula.

Flame on!

Next time, bolder swirls for more toasty drama.

Happy munching!

Recipe mostly from Kat Lieu in 108 Asian Cookies, printed in Baking Nation issue #3 (just swapped the yuzu juice for calamansi juice)