Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Nigella's Forgotten Meringue

This really could be one of the simplest sweet treats you ever eat...what could be easier than whipping up meringue, spreading it in a tin and then leaving it overnight in the oven...completely forgotten!
This is also perfect if you tend to forget to check the bakes in your oven as I occasionally do, as there's no checking required. You literally turn the oven off as soon as the meringue goes in. The resulting meringue is more like marshmallow and then if that wasn't enough it's topped with cream and luscious summer fruits. I did enjoy these little puds but they are very soft, almost wobbly in their marshmallowy-ness and maybe it would have been nice to have a bit of variation in the texture but still delicious and some of the other tasters really enjoyed them!
You can either cut your marshmallowy meringue into 12 squares or if you prefer a more dainty offering then you could go for 16. The great thing about these is that you can also choose whatever fruit you like to top the meringues...I'm quite partial to raspberries so next time I might use them instead.
 
 
As this is a lovely light, summery treat I'm entering it into this month's Forever Nigella event which is run by Sarah at Maison Cupcake and this month is hosted by Homemade by Fleur. I think you could quite easily serve the more refined smaller squares as part of an afternoon tea.

Ingredients

6 egg whites
1/2 tsp salt
250g caster sugar, plus 2 teaspoons
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
1tsp vanilla extract
Butter for greasing

250ml double cream
2 passionfruits
175g blackberries
175g strawberries

This really is one of the easiest things to make. Just preheat the oven to 220c/200c fan/gas 7. Then all you need to do is whisk the egg whites with the salt until they start to form soft peaks. Then add in the sugar bit by bit and then the cream of tartar and vanilla. Continue whisking until the egg whites are stiff and glossy.
The original recipe didn't state a size for the tin but it suggests a swiss roll tin and I had one that was 32x18 cm which worked well. The only thing I didn't like were the slightly sloping sides making the side squares slightly irregular, so I therefore cut these off to make straight edges when I took it out of the tin the next day. So... when you've prepared your meringue and tin, spoon the meringue into it and spread evenly.

That's the hardwork over, as soon as you put it in the oven, turn it off immediately and then just leave overnight. The next day when you're ready to serve whip up the double cream until thickened but still soft. Then spread it over the meringue in the tin and dot with the seeds and pulp from the two passionfruits (the original recipe said 4 but it depends how much you like them!). I then cut my meringue up into squares and removed from the tin before adding the fruit. It cuts nicely into 12 pieces but if you wanted them smaller it could easily do 16. So the final step is just quartering the strawberries and tossing them in 2 tsp of sugar. Finally, scatter the strawberries and blackberries over each square and serve!
* Original recipe from www.nigella.com

23 comments:

  1. So beautifully created and presented my friend, absolutely stunning :D

    Cheers
    CCU

    ReplyDelete
  2. What a fantastic idea. I have tried the meringue recipe where you cook it for an hour and then turn the over off and leave overnight, but never turning it off just the meringues go in. They look amazing. I simply must try. Thank you for entering this month's Forever Nigella.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I never thought about cutting them into square what a great idea!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Such a pretty treat, Laura! Perfect for a Summer afternoon. Love it!

    ReplyDelete
  5. These are so beautiful! I love how they are in squares. I think I prefer them to the mini pavlovas in my book!! Thanks for taking part in Forever Nigella!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Love you blog which I stumbled across tonight, you are extemely talented and I shall follow you on rss.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Beautiful photos of beautiful meringues. I'm loving the idea that they tasted like marshmallow. That's brill!! I happen to have egg whites in the fridge ready to go. Lovely stuff! X

    ReplyDelete
  8. Wow these are sooo cute! I'm intrigued by placing them in the oven then turning it off and leaving it overnight - I must try this!

    ReplyDelete
  9. I love this idea, so simple yet clever. The fact they have a marshmallowy texture really intrigues me. They look so pretty topped with all the fresh fruits too.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Wow, what a combination of fruits! I love them all, this looks like the perfect summer dessert!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Congrats my friend, I have just given you a blog award, much deserved :D
    Enjoy here: http://gobakeyourself.wordpress.com/2012/06/27/the-good-the-bad/

    Cheers
    Choc Chip Uru

    ReplyDelete
  12. Nice presentation. Meringue really is easy to make.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Bravo once more! Delicious dessert, nicely presented!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Your meringues look so tempting. Love the fruit toppings.

    ReplyDelete
  15. "forgotten meringues" such an intriguing name. Even more intriguing, the method it is baked by switching off the oven ahead. I have too many burnt cakes in my history and this would be very helpful!

    ReplyDelete
  16. These look gorgeous! And such lovely photos!

    ReplyDelete
  17. I was thinking about trying this soon. It sounds so interesting. Yours turned out so pretty.

    http://agirlinherkitchen.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  18. I was having trouble leaving comments on blogger blogs a couple of weeks ago but it all seems to have worked itself out now! I love these dinky square meringues, they look fabulous! Thanks for taking part in Forever Nigella x

    ReplyDelete
  19. Oh my goodness how did I miss this! Meringue is one of my all time favourite thing to eat! I love that you cut these into squares and I can imagine the addition of the passion fruit seeds is super yummy!

    ReplyDelete
  20. Ooh I love these! The photo's are lovely and they look delicious - I love that they are neat little squares - perfect for serving for an afternoon tea :)

    ReplyDelete
  21. Kiddies and I love meringues! Yesterday we had planned on baking one today! : ) This recipe looks delicious!

    ReplyDelete

Your comments are greatly appreciated!