Almond Meringue With Summer Berries Food

MANDELMAKRONEN (ALMOND MERINGUES)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Beat egg whites in a glass, metal, or ceramic bowl until stiff peaks form. Gradually add sugar, 1 teaspoon at a time, while continuing to beat at high speed. Combine ground almonds and cinnamon in a bowl and fold into the egg white mixture with a spatula. Add more ground almonds if mixture is too runny.
• Use 2 teaspoons to place little mounds of almond mixture 2 inches apart onto the prepared baking sheets.
• Bake in the preheated oven until lightly browned and baked through, 15 to 20 minutes. Carefully remove from baking sheets and cool on wire racks.

ULTIMATE MERINGUE

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 110C/ 100C fan/gas ¼.
• Line 2 baking sheets with non-stick liner or parchment paper (meringue can stick on greaseproof paper and foil).
• Tip 4 large egg whites into a large clean mixing bowl (not plastic). Beat them on medium speed with an electric hand whisk until the mixture resembles a fluffy cloud and stands up in stiff peaks when the blades are lifted.
• Now turn the speed up and start to add 115g caster sugar, a dessertspoonful at a time. Continue beating for 3-4 seconds between each addition. It's important to add the sugar slowly at this stage as it helps prevent the meringue from weeping later. However, don't over-beat. When ready, the mixture should be thick and glossy.
• Sift one third of the 115g icing sugar over the mixture, then gently fold it in with a big metal spoon or rubber spatula. Continue to sift and fold in the remaining icing sugar a third at a time. Again, don't over-mix. The mixture should now look smooth and billowy.
• Scoop up a heaped dessertspoonful of the mixture. Using another dessertspoon, ease it on to the baking sheet to make an oval shape. Or just drop them in rough rounds, if you prefer.
• Bake for 1 ½-1 ¾ hours in a fan oven, 1 ¼ hours in a conventional or gas oven, until the meringues sound crisp when tapped underneath and are a pale coffee colour.
• Leave to cool on the trays or a cooling rack. (The meringues will now keep in an airtight tin for up to 2 weeks, or frozen for a month.) Serve two meringues sandwiched together with a generous dollop of softly whipped double cream.

ALMOND TART WITH STONE FRUIT AND LIME MERINGUE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Whisk flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; save pod for another use. Add butter and toss to coat. Work in butter with your fingers until mixture resembles coarse meal with some pea-size pieces of butter remaining.
• Using a fork, gently mix in egg, then turn out onto a clean surface and gently knead just until dough comes together (do not overwork). Press dough into bottom and up sides of tart pan with your fingers, then flatten with the bottom of a large measuring cup. Cover and chill until very firm, at least 1 hour.
• Line dough with parchment or foil, leaving an overhang. Fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake crust until edges are dry, 20-25 minutes. Remove parchment and weights and bake crust again until dry but not quite browned, 10-15 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool.
• Crust can be baked 1 day ahead. Store tightly wrapped at room temperature.
• Combine milk and cream in a medium saucepan, then scrape in vanilla seeds; add pod. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Remove from heat; discard vanilla pod.
• Whisk egg yolks, granulated sugar, all-purpose flour, cornstarch, and salt in a medium bowl until very pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Whisking constantly, gradually add hot milk mixture to egg mixture. Transfer back to saucepan and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until mixture is thick and holds whisk marks, about 2 minutes.
• Press pastry cream through a finemesh sieve into a medium bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing directly onto surface; chill until cold, at least 2 hours.
• Pulse almonds in a food processor until very finely chopped. Add powdered sugar and butter and process until smooth. Add egg whites; process just to combine. Fold into chilled pastry cream, then fold in white chocolate.
• Filling can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and chill.
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine almonds, butter, and 1 tablespoon granulated sugar in a small bowl. Scrape filling into cooled crust and top with almonds. Bake tart until filling is puffed and set and edges are golden brown, 45-50 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool.
• Just before serving, make the meringue. Using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat egg whites until frothy, about 1 minute. With motor running, gradually add remaining 1/4 cup granulated sugar; beat until stiff peaks form, 5-7 minutes. Mix in 1/2 teaspoon lime zest and lime juice. Serve tart topped with lime meringue, fruit, and more lime zest.
• Tart can be baked 2 days ahead. Store tightly wrapped at room temperature.

ALMOND MERINGUE WITH SUMMER BERRIES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Scatter the almonds on a baking sheet and roast for 6-8 mins until golden. Very coarsely grind them in a small food processor, then set aside. Lower oven to 160C/fan 140C/gas 3. Line a baking sheet with non-stick baking parchment.
• Beat the egg whites in a scrupulously clean mixing bowl until stiff peaks have formed. Tip in half the sugar and beat again until stiff peaks are formed once more. Using a metal spoon, deftly fold in the remaining sugar a spoonful at a time, followed by most of the almonds (keep a small handful back). Tip the meringue onto the lined sheet and spread it out quite roughly to a 20cm circle. Scatter over the reserved almonds. Bake for 20 mins, reduce the temperature to 140C/120C fan/gas 1, then bake for a further 40 mins. Let meringue cool in the oven with the door ajar or on the side as you wish.
• While the meringue is baking, and if you wish to add the glamour of a raspberry ripple to the cream, make a few spoonfuls of purée by pressing 125g of the raspberries through a sieve.
• When nearing the moment for assembly, whip the cream until soft and cloudy. Lightly ripple through about half, or more, of the raspberry purée through the cream. You can serve the rest separately on the side. Place the meringue upon a handsome dish. Spoon the whipped cream liberally over the meringue. Slice the strawberries in a random manner. Heap the berries atop the cream, and offer any remaining fruit separately. Sift over the icing sugar. Take to the table and take a bow.