Lemon and Raspberry Easter Pudding

A couple of weeks ago I decided to make some lemon macarons for my Mum, for Mother's Day. No big deal - I've pretty much got macarons down now, although I do still feel an overwhelming sense of pride every time I get perfect shells with properly formed feet. 

However, despite my relative confidence, macarons are tricky treats, and they don't always work. This time I'm not sure what went wrong - I think it was a combination of not getting the sugar hot enough and then, once I'd whipped the egg whites and hot sugar together until cool, I left it to sit for a while because my friend popped round for a cup of tea. I knew as I piped them that something wasn't right, the mix was far too runny. Nevertheless I persevered, just in case, and let them sit before putting them in the oven. Sadly they came out terribly cracked, and I was left with a pile of sad macaron shells and some lemon curd I'd made earlier to fill them with. 

 
I couldn't resist a little nibble of the cracked macarons, and they still tasted delicious, so I decided to try and make use of them anyway. I took them all the way home with met, along with the lemon curd and made some nice little puddings for after lunch Mother's Day. If you don't have any cracked macarons, you could just use some plain meringues, either bought from the shops or some you've made yourself, but I'd definitely recommend colouring homemade ones yellow, it's so bright and cheerful, and definitely seasonal. Macarons are also a little chewier than shop bought meringue, and have almonds in them, so the taste wouldn't be quite the same, although I think they'd still be delicious.

Lemon and Raspberry Easter Pudding

Makes 6 Individual Puddings

1 batch of macaron shells/ 1 batch of meringue, crushed (I use a recipe from this book for macarons, but there's plenty out there online if you don't have a favourite)
1 punnet of raspberries
300ml Double Cream, whipped 
Lemon Curd (recipe below)

Lemon Curd

3 Unwaxed Lemons (zest and juice!)
4 Egg Yolks
90g Caster Sugar
40g Butter

1. Put all of the ingredients in a blender and pulse until the zest has all but disappeared.
2. Then put heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water, making sure the bowl doesn't touch the water and put the mix from the blender into the bowl.
2. Stir until everything has melted and then keep stirring until the yellow mixture coats the back of the spoon. It has to thickly coat the back of the spoon, so if you run your finger through it the line you make stays clear. This can take up to 15 minutes.
3. Sieve the curd into a bowl, or if you're keeping it for something else put it in a sterilised jar. Don't use it until it's completely cool.

Assembling the Puddings

1. Put a layer of macaron crumbs on the bottom of your ramekin.
2. Drizzle some lemon curd over the macaron crumbs.
3. Add some fresh raspberries. Pack them in nice and tight so you get a nice clear pink layer on the outside of your ramekin.
4. Fill the ramekin to the top with whipped cream.
5. Sprinkle some more macaron shell around the edge of the ramekin and swirl some lemon curd into the top of the cream.