Fruit Meringues Food

CHEWY FRUITCAKE MERINGUES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with racks in upper and lower thirds. Spread hazelnuts in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet; toast until golden and fragrant, 12 to 14 minutes. Let cool slightly; chop.
• Reduce oven temperature to 250 degrees. Combine egg whites and sugar in the bowl of a mixer set over a pot of simmering water (do not let bottom touch water). Whisk until eggs are foamy and sugar dissolves (mixture should feel smooth and warm to the touch when rubbed between your fingers). Transfer to mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, add cream of tartar, and beat on high speed until stiff, glossy peaks form, 7 to 9 minutes.
• Combine hazelnuts, fruits, and candied citron and peel in a bowl. Fold maraschino syrup and all but 1/4 cup of fruit-nut mixture into meringue. Drop heaping tablespoons of meringue mixture onto 2 parchment-lined baking sheets, 1 inch apart. Top with remaining fruit-nut mixture.
• Bake, rotating sheets and rack positions halfway through, until meringues have darkened slightly and are tacky on surfaces but no longer sticky, 1 hour to 1 hour, 10 minutes. Turn oven off (do not open door); let cool in oven until dry and crisp on outsides, at least 2 hours and up to 1 day. Serve, or store in an airtight container at room temperature, between sheets of parchment, up to 5 days. Lightly dust with confectioners' sugar before serving.

SUMMER BERRY MERINGUES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 110C/fan 90C/gas ¼. Tip the egg whites and lemon juice into the clean bowl of a food mixer. Whisk until the whites double in volume and hold a peak when the whisk is drawn through them. Keep the whisk running and add the sugar a tbsp at a time, incorporating completely before adding the next. Whisk until all the sugar has been added and the whites are glossy.
• Place a square of baking parchment on a large baking sheet. Pencil nine circles, about 7cm each, onto the parchment. Spoon the meringue into a large piping bag fitted with a plain nozzle and pipe concentric rounds to fit each drawn circle, piping two or more rings around the edge to form a nest. Bake for 2 hrs until they are crisp and lift off the paper easily. Leave to cool completely.
• Whisk the crème fraîche until stiff, then fold in the yogurt. Set 2 strawberries and 9 raspberries aside and roughly chop the rest. Tip the chopped berries, mint and ginger into a bowl. Sprinkle with a little icing sugar and use a wooden spoon to mash to a rough purée. Gently fold the berries into the yogurt mix, adding icing sugar to taste.
• To assemble, cut the remaining strawberries into 9 slices and place a slice inside each meringue case. Generously share the rippled cream between the cases, then top with a raspberry and a mint sprig. Dust with a little icing sugar just before serving. ( Meringues keep in an airtight container for 2 days.)

MERINGUES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment. Place the egg whites and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or use a hand mixer); beat on medium speed until frothy. Add the cream of tartar and increase the speed to medium high; beat in the sugar 1 tablespoon at a time, then add the extract or zest. Continue beating until the meringue is thick, glossy and holds stiff peaks, about 6 minutes.
• For colored cookies, swirl a few drops of food coloring into the meringue or use a small paintbrush to paint 3 long stripes of food coloring up the inside of a pastry bag. For chocolate chip versions, gently fold the mini chocolate chips into the mixture.
• Drop or pipe the meringue as desired, about 2 inches apart, on the prepared baking sheets. Sprinkle with sanding sugar, if desired. Bake 1 hour, then turn off the oven and let the meringues stand in the oven until dry, about 2 hours. Top with or dip in melted chocolate and sprinkle with nonpareils.

PASSION FRUIT MERINGUE TARTLETS

Steps:

• For the curd: Fill a medium saucepan 1/3 full of water. Bring to a low boil. In a stainless steel bowl whisk together the egg yolks, eggs, and sugar. Stir in the passion fruit juice. Set the bowl into the pot of water, making sure the water does not touch the bottom of the bowl. Cook the mixture, stirring frequently until thick, about 10 minutes. Strain the curd. Place plastic wrap directly on the surface and refrigerate until cold. Fill the tartlet shells with the curd. Set aside.
• For the meringue: Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Fill a medium pot 1/3 full of water. Bring the water to a slow boil. In a bowl of an electric mixer, whisk together the egg whites and sugar. Place the bowl in the hot water and cook, whisking continually until hot. Remove from the water and place the bowl on the electric mixer. Whip on medium until stiff. Place the meringue in a pastry bag. Pipe it on top of the tartlets, completely covering the curd. Bake the tartlets until the meringue is golden brown, about 5 to 10 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

FRUIT MERINGUES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 275 degrees F (135 degrees C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
• In a medium bowl, whip egg whites until frothy. Add cream of tartar and salt. Continue to whip until soft peaks form. Gradually add the sugar while whipping, try to add slowly so that it does not fall to the bottom of the bowl. Whip until the mixture holds stiff peaks. Fold in the nuts, fruit and coconut. Drop by rounded teaspoons onto the prepared cookie sheets.
• Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour in the preheated oven, until firm. Cool on baking sheets, away from drafts.

PASSION-FRUIT MERINGUES

Steps:

• Make meringue layers:
• Preheat oven to 200°F. and oil a baking sheet. On a sheet of parchment paper, using a 3- or 4-inch heart-shaped cutter as a guide, draw 6 hearts. Turn parchment over and put on baking sheet.
• In a large bowl with an electric mixer beat whites with cream of tartar and a pinch salt until they just hold soft peaks. Gradually beat in sugar and beat until meringue just holds stiff, glossy peaks.
• Transfer meringue to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain tip and pipe evenly onto parchment hearts, filling them in. (Alternatively, divide meringue among parchment hearts, spreading with a small spatula to fill in.)
• Bake meringue layers in middle of oven 45 minutes, or until crisp and firm. (If weather is humid, cooking time may be longer.) Cool meringue layers completely on baking sheet in turned-off oven and carefully peel off parchment. Meringue layers may be kept, layered between sheets of parchment paper, in an airtight container in a cool, dry place 1 week.
• Make filling:
• Halve 3 passion fruits and scoop out pulp (including seeds and juice) into a sieve set over a bowl. Force pulp through sieve, pressing hard on seeds, and discard seeds. In a bowl beat cream until it holds soft peaks and fold in passion-fruit juice and sugar until just combined.
• Make garnish:
• Halve remaining passion fruit and scoop out seeds, reserving them. Halve pomegranate. Bending back rinds, dislodge some seeds from membranes, reserving them, and reserve some juice.
• Arrange a meringue heart on each of 2 plates. Top hearts with whipped cream and garnish with some reserved passion-fruit and pomegranate seeds. Top each dessert with 1 more meringue heart. Desserts may be made 2 hours ahead and chilled, loosely covered. Bring desserts to room temperature before serving.
• Garnish desserts with more passion-fruit and pomegranate seeds and some reserved juice.

TOBLERONE MOUSSE FONDUES WITH MERINGUES AND FRUIT

Steps:

• In a metal bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water melt the chocolate with the cream, stirring, remove the bowl from the pan, and let the mixture cool while making the meringue.
• In another metal bowl combine the whites and the sugar, set the bowl over a saucepan of hot but not simmering water, and stir the mixture until the sugar is dissolved.
• With a hand-held electric mixer beat the meringue for 5 minutes, or until it holds glossy stiff peaks and is warm to the touch.
• Remove the bowl from the pan and continue beating the meringue until it is cool.
• Transfer 1 cup of the meringue to a pastry bag fitted with a small decorative tip, fold the remaining meringue into the chocolate mixture gently but thoroughly, and divide the mousse among 6 small dishes.
• The mousse may be made 4 hours in advance and kept covered at room temperature or it may be made 1 day in advance, kept covered and chilled, and allowed to come to room temperature.
• On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or foil pipe the remaining meringue into 2-inch strips and bake the strips in the middle of a preheated 300°F.
• oven for 15 minutes, or until they are lightly golden.
• Let the meringues cool on the baking sheet and peel them from the paper.
• The meringues may be made 2 days in advance and kept in an airtight container.
• Serve the meringues and fruit for dipping into the mousse fondues.

GRAPEFRUIT MERINGUES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 200º F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Add egg whites and sugar to the bowl of a standing electric mixer. Whisk to combine. Set bowl over a saucepan filled with just enough simmering water to heat the egg mixture without touching the bottom of the bowl. Stir constantly with a silicone spatula, scraping down the sides frequently until the sugar melts and the mixture reaches 140º F (once the mixture begins to lose its grittiness, check frequently with an instant-read thermometer).
• Carefully transfer the hot bowl to a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whisk on high speed until the meringue is fluffy and has cooled to room temperature (this will take some time).
• In the meantime, zest the grapefruit into a small bowl, working carefully to remove the topmost layer. Once finished, slice grapefruit in half and squeeze 2 teaspoons of the juice into the bowl with the zest. Mix well and mash with the side of a silicone spatula.
• Once the meringue has cooled, press the grapefruit solids to one side of the bowl. Reduce mixer speed and pour the liquid into the meringue (it's okay if a few stray bits of zest pour in with the liquid). Add food coloring, if using. Whisk on high speed until evenly combined.
• Fit a pastry bag with a large star tip (Wilton 1M or 2D work great) and fill the bag with the meringue. Remove parchment paper from the baking sheets and add a dab of the remaining meringue on the spatula or whisk to the four corners of each baking sheet (this will help the parchment stick to the baking sheets during piping). Replace parchment paper and smooth it down over the sticky meringue.
• To pipe roses, begin piping in a spiral outward from a central point. After completing about 1 1/2 rotations, begin releasing the pressure slowly as you continue dragging the tip in a circular motion.
• Bake meringues in preheated oven until crisp but not browned, about 2 to 3 hours. Let meringues cool completely in the oven with the heat turned off. Store in an airtight container for up to a week.

MERINGUE KISSES WITH PASSION-FRUIT FOOL

Steps:

• Make meringues:
• Preheat oven to 175°F and line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Beat whites with salt in a standing electric mixer at high speed (or with a handheld mixer in 2 batches) until they just hold stiff peaks. Gradually add sugar, beating at high speed until whites hold stiff, glossy peaks.
• Spoon half of meringue into pastry bag and pipe 1-inch-wide kisses onto 1 baking sheet, about 1/2 inch apart. Pipe more kisses onto second sheet in same manner. (All kisses will fit on 2 baking sheets.)
• Bake meringues in upper and lower thirds of oven until crisp but still white, about 2 hours.
• Turn off oven and cool meringues in oven 1 hour, then cool completely on sheets on a rack..
• Make fool while meringues bake:
• Sprinkle gelatin over 2 tablespoons pulp in a small heatproof cup and let stand 1 minute to soften.
• Melt softened gelatin in cup in a pan of simmering water, then stir into remaining pulp.
• Beat heavy cream with confectioners sugar using cleaned beaters until it just holds soft peaks, then beat in sour cream until mixture holds stiff peaks. Fold pulp into cream and chill fool, covered, at least 4 hours and up to 1 day.
• Serve fool with meringues.