Meringue, Meringue, Meringue

Hi Everyone!

For my last “favourites” edition of Wine Wednesday I have selected five of my favourite recipes involving meringue. I must say that I am certainly drawn to recipes involving this versatile and scrumptious explosion of sweetness. Whether it is a soft Italian meringue or a crunchy pavlova, you can’t go wrong.

So number one: Sweet Potato Meringue Pie

What a wonderful surprise this dessert was! I use to love my Grandmas pumpkin pie so I’m attracted to recipes that may be a twist on that old fashioned flavour. Sweet potato – so good for you and the flavour is wonderful mashed or baked so I was thinking to myself that topped with meringue may be a new experience. When you cut into it the meringue is soft and super high, in fact you can barely see the filling until you start eating it. Using the kitchen blow torch is almost an art form – I got a bit carried away with it but it looked great. I was nervous that the MAV would be horrified that he was eating veg for dessert but he actually loved it.

Number two: Bomb Alaska

The first thing I need to say here is don’t use lactose free ice-cream as I did because it doesn’t freeze as hard as normal ice-cream. Nevertheless it was okay and of course I am lactose intolerant so had no choice if I was going to eat it. And trust me I didn’t just make this so others could devour it. So whilst a bit fiddly doing individual bombes, there is still so much you can do ahead like the ice-cream in the moulds, prepping the fruit filling and cutting out the cake. Where you need an extra pair of hands is very, very quickly coating the upturned moulds with the meringue to go into the oven for 3 minutes.

Number three: Blueberry Lemon Cheesecake

I was so excited to try this dessert because it had the most luscious picture of it in the book and also because it was an unusual combination of ingredients and textures. It appealed to my creative side even though I was a little nervous about whether or not I could manage piping the meringue onto the cheesecake without it all falling off. You have your standard cheesecake with a biscuit base topped with a cream cheese and mascarpone mixture. This is baked (always prefer baked cheesecakes as they are lighter somehow). After that it is topped with store bought lemon curd – too easy. Blueberries are added and then meringue is piped around the outside of the cheese cake and on the top – get out your little blow torch and brown the meringue. It’s one of those desserts that looks so much harder than it is so go impress your friends and family. It is not easy to cut so I suggest you use baking paper on the bottom of the springform pan to lift it out.

Number four: Mango Mess

Now for this incredibly difficult dessert. Yes, I’m joking! Meringue nests from Woolies again are just given a light crush up in your hand and combined with a cream/sour cream combo. Add luscious mango and berries and you have a dessert which is beautiful to look at and delicious to taste. What would also make this even better would be if you marinated the fruit in your favourite liqueur. Mmmmmmm……….

And last but not least number five: Chocolate Orange Meringue Gateau

I really enjoyed making this three part dessert. The chocolate (no flour) cake can be made the day before as can the meringue. Then work with the orange filling during the “day of” and assemble and refrigerate two hours before needed. All went well until the meringue spread too much and my cake looked a lot like a mushroom. I did draw a circle considerably smaller than the cake and carefully placed my meringue mixture within the boundaries but it got out of control. It is a very crisp meringue and certainly a beautiful contrast of flavours.

I hope you have enjoyed by five favourite recipes involving meringue. Next week we are back to our regular Wine Wednesdays and looking forward to a year of yummy dinners. So till then….

From my table to yours with love x

Sweet Potato Meringue Pie

Start this the day before required

250 g butternut biscuits
100 g butter (melted)
500 g sweet potato (peeled, cut into 3cm pieces)
375 ml can Carnation Creamy Evaporated Milk
2 eggs
100 g caster sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp ground cloves

Italian Meringue

315 g caster sugar
4 egg whites (at room temperature)
large pinch of cream of tartar

Place the biscuits in a food processor and process until finely crushed. Add butter. Process until well combined. Press biscuit mixture over base and side of a 5cm-deep, round 24cm (base measurement) pie or ovenproof dish. Place in the fridge to chill.
Preheat oven to 160°c/140°c fan forced. Cook sweet potato in a saucepan of boiling water for 15 minutes or until tender. Drain, reserving 80ml of cooking liquid. Transfer the sweet potato and reserved liquid to the clean food processor. Process until smooth (you need about 425g puree). Transfer to a large bowl.
Add milk, eggs, sugar, cinnamon, ginger and cloves to puree. Use a balloon whisk to whisk until well combined. Pour over biscuit base. Bake for 1 hour or until filling is just set. Place in fridge overnight to chill.

Italian Meringue

To make meringue, stir sugar and 60ml water in a saucepan over low heat, brushing down the side of the pan with a wet pastry brush to prevent sugar crystals forming, until sugar dissolves. Increase heat to medium-high. Cook, without stirring, for 3-4 minutes or until the mixture reaches 115c (soft ball stage) on a sugar thermometer. While syrup continues to cook, use electric beaters with whisk attachment to whisk egg whites and cream of tartar in a bowl until soft peaks form. When syrup reaches 120°c (hard ball stage) and with beaters on low speed, gradually add syrup to egg shite mixture. Increase speed to high. Whisk for 10 minutes or until thick, glossy and cool.
Spoon meringue over chilled pie. Use a flat-bladed knife to make peaks. use a cook's blowtorch to caramelise the meringue. Serve.

Raspberry Bombe Alaska

1.5 litres vanilla ice-cream
1 c frozen raspberries (fresh when available)
1 tbsp caster sugar
4 egg whites
1 c firmly packed brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cornflour
200 g madeira cake

Line four ¾ cup moulds with plastic wrap. Press quarter of the ice-cream firmly up and around inside of each mould to form a cavity. Cover with foil; freeze about 2 hours or until firm.
Preheat oven to very hot (240°c/220°c fan-forced)
Combine raspberries and caster sugar in small saucepan; stir gently over low heat about 5 minutes or until sugar dissolves. Cool 15 minutes.
Cut cakes into four thick slices; cut one round from each slice, large enough to cover top of mould.
Beat egg whites in small bowl with electric mixer until soft peaks form. Gradually add brown sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating until sugar dissolves between additions. Fold in extract and cornflour.
Spoon a quarter of the raspberry sauce into one mould; turn mould onto one cake round on oven tray, peel away plastic wrap. Spread a quarter of the meringue mixture over cake to enclose bombe completely; repeat with remaining raspberry sauce, moulds, cake rounds and meringue mixture. Bake, uncovered, about 3 minutes or until browned lightly.

Blueberry Lemon Meringue Cheesecake

The Cheesecake

250 g butternut snap biscuits
60 g butter (melted)
375 g cream cheese (softened)
¾ c caster sugar
2 teas lemon rind (finely grated)
2 eggs (separated)
1 tbsp cornflour
250 g mascarpone
2 tbsp lemon juice
250 g store bought lemon curd (chilled)
250 g fresh blueberries
1 tsp icing sugar

Meringue

6 egg whites
1¾ c castor sugar

The Cheesecake

Preheat oven to 150°c (130°c fan forced)
Process biscuits until fine; add butter, process until combined. Spoon mixture evenly over base of a 22cm springform pan; press down firmly with a straight-sided glass or bottle. Place the pan on an oven tray; refrigerate until required.
Beat the cream cheese, ½ cup of the caster sugar, rind , egg yolks and cornflour in a large bowl with an electric mixer until smooth. Add mascarpone and juice; beat until just combined.
Beat the egg whites in a small bowl with an electric mixer until soft peaks form . Gradually add the reaming caster sugar, beating until dissolved. Fold the egg white mixture into the cream cheese mixture. Spoon the mixture into crust.
Bake the cheesecake for 50 minutes or until slightly soft in the centre. Cool in the oven with the door ajar.
Transfer cheesecake from pan to a cake plate. Spread lemon curd on cheesecake; top with two-thirds of the blueberries.

Meringue

Beat egg whites and the sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer for 8 minutes or until thick and glossy.
Spoon one-third of the meringue into a piping bag fitted with a 1cm plain tube. Pipe meringue around cheesecake to cover the side. Squeeze any remaining meringue from piping bag back into the bowl of remaining meringue. Drop spoonfuls of remaining meringue on blueberries. Using a blowtorch, lightly brown the meringue.
Top cheesecake with remaining blueberries; dust with sifted icing sugar

Mango Eton Mess

300 ml tub thick cream
¼ c sour cream
2 tsps caster sugar
2 large mangoes
80 g packet meringue nests
strawberries and raspberries to serve

Beat cream, sour cream and sugar in the small bowl of an electric mixer until soft peaks form.
Cut away cheeks from mangoes either side of the stones. Peel mangoes. Cut into thin slices. You could also use tinned mangoes if they are not in season.
Roughly crush meringues. Reserve ¾ cup. Gently fold remaining meringues into cream mixture.
Divide half the cream mixture and half the mango slices evenly among four serving bowls. repeat layering with remaining cream mixture and mango slices.
To serve, sprinkle reserved meringue over desserts. Top with berries.

Chocolate Orange Meringue Gateau

100 g dark chocolate (melted)
100 g unsalted butter (melted)
1 tbsp Grand Marnier
2 tbsp water
⅔ c castor sugar
⅔ c packaged ground almonds
3 eggs (separated)

Orange Cream

6 egg yolks
2 tsp grated orange rind
½ c castor sugar
½ c orange juice
2 tsp gelatine
1 tbsp water
⅔ c thickened cream

Meringue

3 egg whites
¾ c castor sugar
3 tsp cornflour
1 tsp lemon juice

The Chocolate Cake

Grease deep 20cm round cake pan, cover base with paper, grease paper. Combine chocolate, butter, liqueur, water, sugar and nuts in large bowl; stir in egg yolks. Beat egg whites in small bowl until soft peaks form, fold into chocolate mixture, pour mixture into prepared pan. Bake in moderate oven about 45 minutes or until cake is firm; cool in pan.
Carefully turn cake from pan, place cake onto serving plate. Spread top with orange cream, top with meringue layer; refrigerate 2 hours before serving.

Orange Cream

Beat egg yolks, rind and sugar in small bowl with electric mixer until thick and creamy. Gradually beat in juice. Transfer mixture to pan, stir over low heat, without boiling, for about 20 minutes or until mixture thickens. Remove from heat. Sprinkle gelatine over water in cup, stand in small pan of simmering water, stir until gelatine is dissolved, stir into warm orange mixture. Beat cream until soft peaks form, then fold cream into orange mixture; cool.

Meringue

Cover oven tray with foil, grease foil, dust with a little plain flour, shake away excess flour. Mark a 17cm diameter circle on foil. Beat egg whites, sugar, cornflour and juice in small bowl with electric mixer for about 10 minutes or until sugar is dissolved. Spread mixture over circle. Bake in very slow oven for about 1 1/2 hours or until meringue is dry and firm to touch. Cool meringue in oven with door ajar.