Tuesday Treat

Strawberry Meringues (Serves 4)

It’s June, so that definitely calls for a treat with strawberries!…and what better way to serve them than combined with meringues?…No, on this occasion I’m not suggesting the classic Eton Mess (you can find that recipe here!)…Instead, in this recipe, the strawberries are actually cooked inside the meringues. By cooking them inside the meringues, the taste of the strawberries becomes more intense – you ‘ripen’ the flavour, so it’s a good recipe for those strawberries which are slightly disappointing. For that reason, it’s worth remembering over the long months after the summer season – when you can only get strawberries that have been flown in from abroad and consequently taste a little bland.

These meringues are best eaten the same day – which I’m sure won’t be a hardship! However, if there are one or two left over they will keep for 24 hrs in the fridge, but no longer. In cooking, you will find that the strawberries will leak out a gooey mixture this just adds to the flavour!

I found this recipe in James Martin’s book ‘Slow Cooking’. The recipes in this book are all simple to prepare yet are cooked or marinated slowly for at least an hour to create show-stopping dishes with little fuss – and this recipe for meringues is definitely one of those!

*You could also make this with raspberries

550g strawberries

4 egg whites

110g caster sugar

110g icing sugar, plus 20g for the sauce

250ml double cream

1. Hull the strawberries and cut them in half.
2. Beat the egg whites with the caster sugar in a grease-free bowl until stiff peaks form.
3. Add 110g of the icing sugar and continue to beat for 4-6minutes until the mixture is smooth and shiny.
4. Using a large metal spoon, lightly fold just under half of the strawberries into the meringue mixture.
5. Carefully place 8 evenly sized spoonfuls on the mixture onto a baking sheet lined with greaseproof paper.
6. Place in a preheated oven, 100’c fan, and bake for 2 hours.
7. Whilst the meringues are cooking make the strawberry purée. Place the remaining strawberries in a blender with 3 tablespoons water and the 20g icing sugar, process to a purée, then pass through a sieve to remove the seeds. Set aside.
8. Place the cream in bowl and whip until soft peaks form. Set aside.
9. When the meringues are cooked, remove from the baking sheet using a palette knife to transfer to a wire cooking rack, allow to cool before serving.
10. Serve the meringues with the cream and purée on the side.