
In its most basic form, meringue is composed of two
ingredients: egg whites and sugar. Its incredible to think that those simple ingredients
are just beaten together and like magic, they slowly transform before our eyes into
a brilliant white, silky smooth shape-holding state that’s pliable enough to
pipe or mold into almost any shape.
Meringues do have the reputation of being difficult to make, but actually, as
long as you follow a few basic rules, they're as easy as pie.
A proper meringue
is a beautiful thing and the first golden golden rule of making them is that
all of your equipment must be scrupulously clean, without a speck of grease, or
it will be much more difficult to produce the desired foam with your
ingredients. I normally like to rub my mixing bowl with half a lemon before
beginning, to eliminate any last specks of fat and I also like to add a couple
of drops of lemon juice after the sugar
as according to Larousse Gastronomique, this helps to make the meringue
"crisp on the outside, soft and sticky on the inside".
Fine, confectioners
sugar is the usual option for meringues as the small grains dissolve easily in
the foamy mixture. Some recipes take this a step further, by using half fine
and half icing sugar, which is, of course, even finer. The resulting meringues
are slightly lighter. Here in
Spain, its difficult to find superfine sugar but you can
easily make your own by blitzing the sugar in a food processor for thirty
seconds. This step is not absolutely necessary, but will help prevent any
grittiness in your meringue.
Finally, take care when cooking a meringue. The
truth is you don't actually “cook”
meringues so much as dry them out, evaporating the water to leave only the
rigid structure of the egg and sugar mix, and the air bubbles in between. Turn
your turning to the coolest setting and if you suspect your oven is too hot, wedge
the oven door slightly open with a rolled-up tea towel to prevent it
overheating and leaving the meringues to it. They're too good to hurry.
MINI RED
FRUIT & PASSION FRUIT PAVLOVAS
You can make one large pavlova or these really cute
individuals ones!
Ingredients
serves 6
250g mixed red fruits (strawberries (sliced),
raspberries, redcurrants etc)
Basic Meringue
mix:
3 large organic egg whites
180g sugar
3 drops of lemon juice
½ tsp vanilla extract (optional)
In a clean, grease-free bowl, whisk the egg whites
and lemon until stiff peaks form when the whisk is removed. Gradually add the
sugar, whisking continuously until the mixture is thick and glossy.
Turn on your oven to its lowest setting around
110ºC.
Spoon the meringue mixture into a piping bag fitted
with a 1.5cm nozzle.
Pipe out six 8cm circles of meringue on a lined
baking tray and pipe a ring around each circle to form a small basket. If you
don’t have a piping bag, use the back of a metal spoon to press the centre of
each meringue down, making a shallow hollow and creating a ‘nest effect’.
Place
in the oven and bake for at least 2-3 hours. Turn off the oven and leave the
meringues in the oven to crisp up. Carefully lift the meringues off the baking
paper and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Passion
fruit Cream
5 passion fruits
150ml orange juice
250g mascarpone
150ml crème fraîche
200ml whipping cream
1 vanilla pod, split
75g icing sugar
To make the Passion fruit Cream;
Halve the passion fruits and scoop out the juice
and seeds in a small saucepan. Add the orange juice, vanilla pod and bring to
boil. Reduce by half to concentrate the flavour.
Beat the mascarpone and sugar with the crème
fraìche. Sieve the passion fruit juice and add beat into the mascarpone
mixture. Whip the cream and fold
into the passion fruit cream.
To serve;
Fill the meringue baskets with the passion fruit
pastry cream and top with mixed red fruits. Dust with icing sugar, garnish with
fresh mint and serve immediately.
ETON MESS
Another firm favourite of mine is another
old English classic called “Eton Mess”. There is something unashamedly wicked
about this dessert. It consists of a mixture of fresh strawberries, pieces of
crisp meringue and lightly whipped cream all stirred together-hence the name “mess”.
The dish has been known by this name since the 19th century and was served in
the 1930s in the Eton College.
Ingredients serves
4
1x basic meringue mix
800g strawberries, washed & hulled
1tbsp icing sugar
500ml cream
Place large spoonfuls of meringue mix onto
a lined baking tray.
Place in the oven and bake for at least 2-3 hours.
Turn off the oven and leave the meringues in the oven to crisp up. Carefully
lift the meringues off the baking paper and transfer to a wire rack to cool
completely.
Cut 500g of the strawberries in half and
add the icing sugar. Chill for 30 minutes. Puree the rest of the strawberries in
a hand blender to make a puree.
In a clean bowl, whisk the cream until
stiff peaks form, then roughly break the meringues into bite-sized pieces and
gently mix them with the whipped cream. Add the strawberries and pile into
glass bowls. Drizzle with strawberry puree and serve immediately.
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