A Tumble of Meringues and Berries

by Jeremy Lee, featured in Kitchening

Published by Fourth Estate

Print me

Introduction

Ah, the soft yield of a brown sugar meringue with the softest mallow beneath the thinnest crisp shell. These can be served most prettily on a plate for each, or heaped, spread with whipped cream to anchor each to the other into a merry tumble, to be studded with strawberries, macerated, and raspberries and custard flowing through the riven mass, and then the almonds or pistachios, or both, with pinches of icing sugar for a final flourish. A delightfully messy affair.

As featured in

Kitchening

Jeremy Lee's Tumble of Meringues and Berries — Photo by Elena Heatherwick

Ingredients

Serves: 6

FOR THE MERINGUES

120 grams dark muscovado sugar
150 grams caster sugar
150 grams organic egg whites (roughly 4–5 eggs)

FOR THE STRAWBERRIES

500 grams strawberries
juice of 1 lemon
75 grams caster sugar
a large pinch of freshly ground pepper

FOR THE CUSTARD

1 vanilla pod
500 millilitres full fat milk
6 organic egg yolks
40 grams caster sugar
140 millilitres double cream

TO ASSEMBLE

1 quantity of custard (see above)
750 millilitres double cream
300 grams raspberries
15 grams chopped toasted almonds
15 grams chopped pistachios
icing sugar (for a final flourish)
70 millilitres freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 or 3 soup spoons milk

Method

A Tumble of Meringues and Berries is a guest recipe by Jeremy Lee so we are not able to answer questions regarding this recipe

Heat the oven to 180°C. Line two baking sheets with baking parchment. Weigh the sugars separately, then place the dark muscovado sugar in a blender and render fine. Scrupulously clean and dry a large mixing bowl and beater. Whisk the egg whites until stiffly peaked. Add the caster sugar and beat again until stiff peaks form. Add the muscovado sugar and fold swiftly and deftly. Spoon the meringue into roughly hewn shapes on the lined baking sheets.
Place in the oven, then turn the temperature down to 120°C and bake for 1 hour. Doneness is tested by carefully lifting a meringue from the paper — if lifting with ease, ’tis done, if not, return them to the oven for a further 10–15 minutes. Lift the sheets of meringues from the oven and let them cool.
Make the custard, cool and chill (it can be made earlier in the day).
Hull the strawberries, then quarter the smaller and slice the larger in an ad hoc fashion. Lay them flat on a dish and evenly dress with lemon juice, sugar and pepper. Whip the cream to soft peaks.
Once all is readied, choose a handsome dish. Take a meringue and spread the bottom liberally with whipped cream, sit it in the middle of the dish, then add another meringue placed at an angle on the side, continuing thus until a peaked mound forms. Pour the custard on to the peak and let it flow through the riven mound, then stud with strawberries and raspberries and strew with the chopped almonds and pistachios.
Drop random pinches of icing sugar over the tumble and serve.

For the Custard

Split 1 vanilla pod lenghtways, scrape out the seeds witth a small sharp knife and place all in a pan. Add 500ml full fat milk and sit the pan on a gentle heat to infuse.
Stir 6 organic egg yolks with 40g caster sugar in a bowl. When the milk is about to simmer, pour it on to the eggs and sugar, stirring all the while.
Decant back into the pot, then return to the heat and cook gently until thickened to the consistency of pouring cream, with only a wisp or two of steam rising. Add 140ml double cream, stir for 1 more minute, then pass through a sieve into a wide bowl and stir until the steam abates. Decant into a container or jug, cover and refrigerate.