Meringue Daisies

Fill saucepan with 2 inches of water; bring to a simmer. Place the egg whites and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer. Combine, using a hand-held wire whisk. Set bowl over saucepan of simmering water; continue to whisk.

Whisk constantly until all the sugar is dissolved and the mixture feels hot to the touch. Transfer the bowl to mixer and whip, using the whisk attachment, on high speed until whites are glossy and stand in stiff peaks when the whisk is lifted, about 3 minutes.

Heat oven to 175 degrees. Make a pattern to use as a guide for piping by drawing twenty-four circles on a 16-by-12-inch piece of parchment paper; use a pencil to trace around a 2-inch biscuit cutter, creating four rows of six circles. Line a baking sheet with the patterned paper. Place a second piece of 16-by-12-inch parchment paper on top of the patterned paper (you will be able to see the circles through the parchment and be able to use the patterned paper again).

Using a medium-size pastry bag with a #11 plain tip, pipe seven petals, starting at the edge of each circle and pulling the bag into the center. (Make sure all points meet in center so that lemon curd does not seep out.) Slip the pattern from under the piped cookies, and use on the second sheet of cookies. With a wet index finger, make a well in the center of each daisy, being careful not to break through to the paper. Bake until meringue is dry in the center, about 1 hour. Remove to a rack to cool completely.

With a pastry bag fitted with a #11 plain tip, pipe 1/4 teaspoon of lemon curd in the center of each daisy. Chill cookies to set curd, about 5 minutes.