Meringue Mountain
- Guest Writer
- Oct 23, 2024
- 3 min read
St. Ewe, the multi-award winning, free-range egg producer has joined forces with Cornish supper club sensation Jade, aka Naughty Nonna, to create three delicious recipes perfect for family feasting.
Meringue Mountain
‘A one way ticket to meringue mountain please! This dessert is a serious show stopper. Stacks of meringue piled high, layered with whipped cream, and yes, CUSTARD, and summer berries in all their glory. I love this recipe as you use both parts of the egg, therefore no wastage!’– Jade
Serves: 8-10
Ingredients:
For the Meringue:
4 St. Ewe Rich Yolk egg whites (save the yolks for custard)
230g caster sugar
2 tsp cornflour
2 tsp white wine vinegar
For the Rich Yolk Custard:
4 St. Ewe Rich Yolk eggs
50g dark muscovado sugar
2 tbsp vanilla bean paste or maple syrup
2 tsp cornflour
700ml whole milk
200ml double cream
A pinch of flakey Cornish sea salt
To serve:
300ml double cream
450g strawberries & raspberries
30g caster sugar
1 orange or lemon, zest & juice#
Rich Yolk Custard
Flakey Cornish sea salt
Method
For the meringue:
Preheat your oven to 150°C. Line 2 large baking trays with baking paper. Crack your eggs, separating the white and yolk (save the yolks for the custard) and add your egg whites to a large mixing bowl. Weigh out 230g of sugar in a separate bowl and, using an electric whisk/stand mixer, whisk the egg whites into stiff peaks. When they look like fluffy clouds, slowly start to add spoonfuls of the sugar, one at a time, continuously whisking until you get stiff peaks. When all the sugar is incorporated, mix together in a separate small bowl the cornflour and vinegar to make a paste. Mix into the meringue until incorporated.
Take big spoonfuls of the meringue mixture, and dollop onto the baking trays in glossy blobs, spaced well apart. You should get about 10 meringues. Place both trays in the oven and bake them for 1 hour. Meanwhile, macerate the fruit. Coat the berries in caster sugar, zest and juice of a lemon or orange. This will make the juices flow out and create a sticky delicious syrup too. Pour your double cream into a medium mixing bowl and whisk with electric beaters until it thickens. Allow your meringues to cool completely in the oven for at least an hour. Even better, try baking them the night before. Avoid getting excited and opening the oven early, this will help the meringue keep the shape.
For the custard:
In a large bowl, slowly whisk the egg yolks and brown sugar. Once combined add the cornflour, vanilla bean paste or maple syrup, and mix together. In a small non-stick saucepan, mix the milk and cream then bring to a gentle boil. Remove from the heat and very slowly pour into the egg mixture, a little bit at a time, whisking as you pour. Take your time here to make sure the eggs don’t scramble. Now pour the mixture back into the saucepan. Whisk continuously over a low heat for 6–8 minutes until the mixture starts to thicken. Do not let it boil as this will also scramble the custard. Stir in the salt, then remove from the heat.
Grab a granny looking cake stand if you have one. Make a base with the meringues, dollop on the whipped cream, spoon on some fruit, slather on some custard, then repeat. Meringue mountain complete, top with more custard and fruit in its syrup so it’s dripping down the sides. If it’s not messy you’re doing it wrong. Grab a large spoon and watch your friends dig in!
