Meringue, crisp as ice outside, all marshmallow clouds within, fits in rather well at this time of year. Aside from its affinity with summer fruits, meringue puts paid to the leftover egg whites we find ourselves with after making hollandaise sauce for the season’s asparagus and the mayonnaise for cold salmon.
Few summer desserts could be easier, but there are a couple of tricks I have come to believe are essential for getting the best results. First, use egg whites cold from the fridge, not at room temperature. They seem to whip to a stiffer texture (the proteins in the egg white are more stable when cold). Second is the trick of warming the sugar in the oven before adding it, gradually, to the fluffed-up whites. You will get a glossier, stiffer result.
Meringues with lime curd and pistachios
Makes 8
for the meringues:
caster sugar 250g
egg whites 6
cornflour 1 tbsp
white-wine vinegar 2 tsp
for the filling:
limes 2
lemons 2
butter 100g
egg yolks 4
pistachios 100g (50g shelled), salted
Set the oven at 200C/gas mark 6. Scatter the sugar in a fine layer over a baking sheet and place in the oven for 5 minutes or so to warm.
Put the egg whites into a deep mixing bowl, then beat fairly slowly, until white and fluffy. This works best with a food mixer and a whisk attachment, but a hand whisk will do the trick, too.
Tip the warm sugar, a few tablespoons at a time, into the egg whites, beating all the time at a moderate to high speed. Continue for a good 5 minutes until the mixture is stiff and glossy. They should be able to stand in stiff, shiny peaks. Mix in the cornflour and the vinegar.
Line a baking sheet with nonstick baking parchment, or use a very lightly oiled baking sheet dusted with a very fine layer of flour. Using a large serving spoon, place eight generous piles of the mixture, each about the size of a goose egg, on to the baking sheet. Place in the preheated oven and immediately lower the heat, door closed, to 140C/gas mark 1. Bake the meringues for 35-40 minutes until crisp on the outside. They should be soft and marshmallow-like within. Allow the meringues to cool on the tray before moving, with the help of a palette knife, to a cooling rack.
To make the filling, finely grate the zest of the limes and lemons into a heatproof bowl that will sit comfortably in the top of a small saucepan. Squeeze thelime and lemon juice into the bowl then place the bowl over a pan of simmering water. Cut the butter into small pieces, then drop them into the juice and zest and leave to melt, stirring occasionally. Beat the yolks lightly to mix, then pour into the juice and zest, a little at a time, stirring regularly. Warm the butter, egg and juice mixture and leave to thicken, for roughly 20 minutes, beating regularly with a wooden spoon. You are after a consistency that feels heavy on the spoon, with the thickness of a light mayonnaise. The curd won’t actually set until it has cooled. Remove the curd from the heat and let it cool, then refrigerate. The rest will keep for a few days in the fridge.
To serve, place the meringues on individual plates or a serving dish, lightly crush the top of each with a spoon, then place a spoonful of curd in each hollow. Roughly chop the pistachios and scatter over the tops.
Walnut meringue with apples and custard
Use the meringue mixture from above. You will need a shallow-sided baking tin roughly 32cm x 22cm.
Serves 6
for the custard:
milk 600ml
vanilla pod 1
egg yolks 6
sugar 50g
cornflour 2 tbsp
shelled walnuts 50g
for the apples:
apples 500g, sweet
butter 50g
almonds a handful, flaked
Pour the milk into a nonstick saucepan, split the vanilla pod in half, scrape out the black seeds with the point of a knife and add to the milk, together with the pod. Bring the milk almost to the boil, then remove from the heat and set aside for the vanilla to scent the milk.
Mix the yolks and sugar together, then stir in the cornflour. Pour the milk over the yolks, stirring to combine, then return to the pan and place over a moderate heat. Stirring almost continuously, let the custard warm and thicken, then remove from the heat, pour into a cold bowl and leave to cool. Refrigerate as soon as the mixture is cool enough to go in the fridge to encourage it to thicken further.
Set the oven at 200C/gas mark 6. To make the meringue, follow the recipe above. While the eggs and sugar are beating, toast the walnuts in a shallow pan over a moderate heat until the skins darken. Rub the nuts in a tea towel to remove as much of the skin as possible (don’t even try to remove all of it – a thoroughly annoying job), then put them back in the pan and toast until golden. Take care not to let them darken too much, as they can turn bitter. Chop them roughly.
As soon as the meringue has stiffened add the walnuts. Instead of mounding the mixture into individual meringues, line a rectangular baking sheet with baking parchment, then scrape the meringue mixture in and smooth level, pushing it right to the edges. Place in the oven and immediately turn the heat down to 140C/gas mark 1. Bake for 45 minutes until crisp and marshmallowy. Remove from the heat and leave to cool.
While the meringue cools, prepare the apples. Halve, core and thinly slice the apples, then fry them in the butter until soft and just short of collapse. Toast the almonds.
When the meringue has cooled, using a large spoon, press the crust lightly to give six shallow hollows. Spoon the chilled custard into the hollows then spoon over the warm apples and scatter with the almonds.
not mine.credit and owner: THEGUARDIAN
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