Raspberry Custard Meringue Food

MARY BERRY'S QUEEN OF PUDDINGS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 170C/325F/Gas 3 and grease a 1.4 litre/2½ pint shallow ovenproof dish (one that will fit into a roasting tin) with butter.
• For the base, very gently warm the milk in a small saucepan. Add the butter, lemon zest and the 50g/2oz of sugar, stir until dissolved.
• Lightly whisk the egg yolks in a bowl. Slowly pour the warm milk into the eggs, while whisking.
• Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the base of the buttered dish and pour over the custard. Leave to stand for about 15 minutes, so the breadcrumbs absorb the liquid.
• Carefully transfer the dish to a roasting tin and fill the tin halfway with hot water. Bake the custard in the preheated oven for about 25-30 minutes until the custard has set. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool a little.
• Meanwhile, put the mixed summer fruits into a pan and warm over a gentle heat. Once they've softened and released their juice, add the sugar and cook for a further three minutes.
• Heat gently until you have a jam-like consistency. If you are using frozen berries they will release more liquid so you might need to cook for longer to thicken to the right jam consistency.
• Whisk the egg whites using an electric hand whisk on full speed until stiff peaks form when the whisk is removed. Add the remaining 175g/6oz sugar a teaspoon at a time, still whisking on maximum speed until the mixture is stiff and shiny. Transfer the meringue mixture to a piping bag.
• Spread 4-5 tablespoons of the fruit jam over the set custard, then pipe the meringue on top.
• Lower the oven temperature to 150C/130C Fan/Gas 2 and return the pudding to the oven (not in the roasting tin with water) for about 25-30 minutes until the meringue is pale golden all over and crisp. Serve at once with pouring cream.

RASPBERRY CREAM CRUMBLE

Steps:

• For the filling: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Whisk the eggs in a large bowl until light and lemon colored. Whisk in the sour cream and vanilla, then continue to whisk until smooth and creamy. Add the sugar, flour and salt and whisk until smooth and thoroughly incorporated.
• For the crumble topping: Add sugar, flour and butter to a large bowl or to the bowl of a stand mixer. Work the butter through using your hands or the mixer until the mixture is a coarse crumble. (If you squeeze a handful it should stick together but break apart easily.)
• For the pie: Fill the pie shell with the raspberries and slowly pour the custard on top. Spread the crumble over the whole surface. Bake until edges of the pie start to rise, the crumble topping is golden brown and the middle no longer jiggles when moved, about 1 hour. Let to cool completely before serving. Serve at room temperature with dollops of fresh whipped cream.

RHUBARB & CUSTARD MERINGUE TART

Steps:

• To make the pastry, sift the flour into a bowl with a pinch of salt, sugar and ground ginger. Rub in the butter until you have a breadcrumb consistency, then add 30-50ml of cold water, stirring with a flat-bladed knife until the crumbs form a dough. Knead the pastry briefly until smooth, then wrap in cling film and refrigerate for 30 mins.
• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Line a baking tray with baking parchment. Arrange the rhubarb in the tray in a neat layer, scatter over 250g of the sugar and scrape out the vanilla pod over it. Add the orange juice and zest and cover tightly with foil. Bake for 20-30 mins, until the rhubarb is soft. Remove from the oven and cool. Strain off the syrup using a sieve - you'll need this later for the meringue.
• Roll out the pastry on a floured surface. Line a 20cm tart tin, leaving an overhang. Pop into the fridge to chill for 30 mins. Once chilled, cover the case with baking parchment, fill with baking beans and blind bake for 25 mins, until golden. Remove the baking beans and bake for 5 mins more to crisp up the bottom. Allow to cool, then remove from the tin to a plate.
• For the custard, combine the remaining sugar with the egg yolks and whisk vigorously, until really pale and frothy. Gently heat the cream and milk in a pan until it's almost boiling. Remove from the heat and briefly allow to cool before pouring a little of the cream mix onto the egg yolks and stirring to combine. Pour the egg yolk mix back into the pan and heat gently, stirring with a wooden spoon. Cook until the mixture coats the back of a spoon (about 5 mins). Remove from the heat and pour into a jug or mixing bowl.
• Divide the rhubarb in half, reserving the pinkest, prettiest lengths. Blitz the other half to a purée in a food processor and add to the custard. Fill the tart and top with the rhubarb. Chill until needed.
• To make the Italian meringue, measure out 160g of the rhubarb poaching syrup and bring to the boil. You need to it be about 118C (this will cook the egg whites to set the meringue). In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Add the cream of tartar and mix. When the syrup has reached 118C on a cooking thermometer, carefully pour it down the sides of the stand mixer and whisk until you have a smooth, fluffy meringue. Fill a piping bag with a medium star nozzle and pipe little meringue kisses over the tart. Use a blowtorch to gently scorch the meringue and serve straight away.

QUEEN OF PUDDINGS - BAKED RASPBERRY AND MERINGUE PUDDING

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 160C/310F/Gas 2.
• For the pudding base, pour the milk and cream into a pan and add the split vanilla pod. Bring slowly to the boil over a medium heat.
• Place the sugar into a large bowl with the egg yolks and whisk until the mixture is light and creamy.
• Slowly pour the egg mixture into the hot milk and cream, whisking all the time, then add the breadcrumbs and lemon zest.
• Half-fill a roasting tin with boiling water to make a bain-marie. Pour the pudding mixture into individual ramekins, or one large oven-proof baking dish and place them into the bain-marie.
• Place the bain-marie in the centre of the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes, or until the pudding or puddings are almost set, but still slightly wobbly in the centre.
• Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
• Increase the oven temperature to 190C/375F/Gas 5.
• For the meringue topping, place the egg whites into a large clean bowl and whisk until stiff peaks form when the whisk is removed. Gradually whisk in the caster sugar, a tablespoonful at a time.
• Place the jam into a small pan over a low heat and gently melt. Spread the jam over the top of the puddings, then cover the puddings completely with the meringue mixture.
• Sprinkle with the icing sugar and bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the top is crisp and lightly browned.
• To serve, remove from the oven and serve immediately.

VANILLA CUSTARD WITH RASPBERRY MASH

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan, heat the milk and vanilla bean to a boil over medium heat. Immediately turn off the heat and set aside to infuse for 10 minutes. In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Add the cornstarch and whisk vigorously until no lumps remain. Whisk in 1/4 cup of the hot milk mixture until incorporated. Whisk in the remaining hot milk mixture, reserving the empty saucepan.
• Pour the mixture through a strainer back into the saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat, whisking constantly, until thickened and slowly boiling. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter. Pour into individual dessert dishes and chill. Chill at least 2 hours or until ready to serve. (The custard can be made up to 24 hours in advance. Cover with plastic wrap if you are keeping it longer than that.)
• Raspberry Mash: Place 1/4 of a pint of raspberries in a bowl with the sugar and mash it with the back of a fork. Toss in the remaining 1/4-pint of raspberries and gently toss to coat.
• Whip the cream with the sugar and serve on the custard and mash.

RASPBERRY MERINGUE ICE-CREAM CAKE

Steps:

• Reserve 1 tbsp sugar. Mix together the custard, creme fraiche, remaining sugar and vanilla in a large bowl. Put the bowl in the freezer, then leave for 1 hr until the mixture starts to freeze around the edges. Whisk the mixture to break down the ice crystals, return to the freezer for 1 hr or more, then repeat the whisking.
• Meanwhile, cut a large food bag down one side and along the base and open out. Lightly oil a large loaf tin, ice-cream tub or food container, approximately 2 litres in capacity. Line with the plastic. Using a fork, lightly crush half the raspberries with the reserved sugar.
• Spoon one-third of the semi-frozen custard into the tin. Sprinkle over half the meringues and half the crushed raspberries. Spoon over 3 tbsp coulis. Cover with another third of the custard and then the remaining meringues, raspberries and another 3 tbsp coulis. Pour over the remaining custard, then put in the freezer for at least 4 hrs, or overnight. Can be frozen for up to 2 weeks.
• To serve, transfer the dessert to the fridge for 30-45 mins to soften it. When ready to eat, turn the cake out onto a dish, Scatter the raspberries over, then cut into thick slices and serve with a little coulis.

RASPBERRY MERINGUE PIE

Steps:

• In a saucepan, combine 1/3 cup sugar and cornstarch. Stir in milk until smooth. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Reduce heat; cook and stir 2 minutes longer. Remove from the heat.
• Stir in a small amount of mixture into egg yolks. Return all to the pan, stirring constantly. Bring to a gentle boil; cook and stir 2 minutes longer. remove from the heat; stir in butter and extract. Pour hot filling into the crust.
• Sprinkle gelatin over 2 tablespoons cold water; let stand for 2 minutes. In a saucepan, bring raspberry filling and gelatin mixture to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a large bowl, beat egg whites and cream of tartar on medium speed until soft peaks form. Beat in remaining water. Gradually beat in remaining sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time on high until stiff glossy peaks form.
• Pour hot raspberry filling over custard. Spread meringue evenly over hot filling, sealing edges to crust.
• Bake at 325°F for 15-18 minutes or until meringue is golden brown.
• Cool on a wire rack for 1 hour. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours before serving. Refrigerate leftovers.

CRUSHED RASPBERRY CREAMS

Steps:

• In a small bowl stir a sprinkling of the sugar in with the raspberries, crushing them very slightly as you stir, but still leaving them more or less whole. In a separate bowl fold the crème fraîche and yogurt together with the remaining sugar and the meringue pieces.
• Divide the raspberries among four small glasses, top with the creamy meringue mixture. The raspberry pots can be eaten straight away or will keep in the fridge for up to 4 hours.

RASPBERRY MERINGUE PIE

Steps:

• In a saucepan, combine 1/3 cup sugar and cornstarch. Stir in milk until smooth. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Reduce heat. Cook and stir 2 minutes. Remove. Stir a small amount of mixture into egg yolks. Return all to pan, stirring constantly. Bring to a gentle boil. Cook and stir 2 minutes longer. Remove form heat; stir in butter and extract. pour hot filling into crust.
• Sprinkle gelatin over 2 tablespoons cold water and let stand for 2 minutes. In a saucepan bring raspberry filing and gelatin mixture to a boil. Reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile in a mixing bowl, beat egg whites and cream of tartar on medum speed until soft peaks form. Beat in remaining water. Gradually beat in remaining sugar until glossy peaks form and sugar is dissolved.
• Pour hot raspberry squce over custard. Spread meringue evenly over top. Bake at 325F for 15-18 minutes or until meringue is golden. Cool on wire rack.
• Refrigerate for at least 3 hours before serving.