I love meringue. I got to love meringue at a very late stage. Maybe because I feel meringue doesn’t play a very important role in the baking industry. But even though it was late love, this meringue topped off with berries and whipped cream is a fairy dream. Easy to prepare (can be prepared easily in advance), wonderful to look at and once you take the first bite, you will be in heaven, melts in your mouth and has a nice tangy aftertaste due to the berries. Really a fairy dream!
I love the fact that meringue can also be found in Colombian desserts. This is important as my husband is Colombian. I love to try desserts from his country. The idea for this recipe actually was created when we spent our holidays in Colombia. Meringue is “merengue” in Spanish. If topped off with fruits and whipped cream, you will get the dessert “merengon”. When we visited the beautiful colonial village Villa de Leyva in Colombia, I was fortunate enough to eat a fancy “merengon”. The one you see on the picture below was created by the café Mercado Municipal. I can highly recommend this café to everybody visiting Villa de Leyva in Colombia. I have been told that also the main courses are amazing as it is also a restaurant. However, when we went, I was very happy to try the dessert section (with some Colombian coffee, of course). I was fortunate enough to have the chance to speak to the pastry cook (mind you, in the pastry kitchen!) and I could tell, yes, food is most definitely prepared with a lot of love and passion. I was determined to create the merengon as I got to eat in the café Mercado Municipal at home.
Meringue on Berries as found in Mercado Municipal, Villa de Leyva, Colombia
So when we returned, I tried creating this several different ways. First I simply spooned on the meringue on parchment paper, creating large rectangles. You will see a picture below. Then I wanted to pipe. I first tried piping into muffin tins, but this turned out to be a horrible idea, they got stuck. So I ended up using a piping bag and piping circles directly on parchment paper. Afterwards I stacked the circles with whipping cream and berries.
Regardless of the form you choose, this fairy dream consists of three layers, the meringue, the berry sauce, which is made of beeries, sugar, lemon juice and cornstarch, and a slightly sweetened whipped cream. I love the fact that this dessert is classy, yet super simple and easy. Those are the best, don’t you think?
So let’s get started and prepare this fairy dream!
For the meringue clean your bowl and your mixer thoroughly. You don't want any grease on any of your utensils for this. You can also take a slice of lemon and rub your bowl with it or put a little bit of vinegar on a paper towel and wipe everything off. Don't worry, the smell vanishes quickly. Separate the eggs, making sure no egg yolk accidently mixes with the egg whites. Remember, no grease for the egg whites. Beat the egg whites on medium high speed, add a pinch of salt and beat until soft peaks form when you take out the mixer. This takes about 2-3 minutes. Now slowly add the sugar while you continue mixing. Continue beating the egg white. Change to high speed. Slowly the meringue should start looking glossy and should become stiffer. Continue beating until very stiff. This should take about seven minutes total. There are several tests to know when you are done. Either you can turn the bowl upside down and the meringue does not get out and you can also take some meringue between your fingers and check whether you feel any sugar crumbs. If you don't, the meringue is ready for use, the sugar dissolved. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper to pipe the circles on. Put meringue into a piping bag (you can also use a small plastic bag and cut off one corner) and now start the circles directly on the baking sheet on the parchment paper. Start from the center moving outwards. Once you have a circle, move back to the center again to get a bit more the shape of a cone. You should be able to make about 6 circles on one baking sheet. You can also simply spoon on the meringue onto the parchment paper creating three equally sized rectangles. Bake meringue at 100 degrees Celsius for 90 minutes. The circles should easily come off the parchment paper. If they don't, dry them longer. I have even left them in the oven over night. Meringue can be kept in an airtight container for one week. No need to refrigerate. For the berries place berries with sugar and lemon juice into a pot and simmer until berries start to release juice. In a mug, mix the cornstarch with about three tablespoons of cold water until you don’t see any lumps. Bring the berries to bowl again and add the cornstarch. Stir and let boil for about a minute, then let cool off. For the whipped cream place all ingredients into a bowl and beat until you have the right consistency, this takes a few minutes. Place cream into a piping bag (obviously, this is just for looks, you can also just use a spoon). To assemble the meringue, first pipe a circle of whipped cream, then a layer of berries and then a layer of meringue. Repeat one more time, decorate with additional whipped cream and fresh berries. Serve immediately. Don’t know what to do with the leftover egg yolks? Try lemon curd, recipe here.Meringue on Top of Berries
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2 Comments
Christina
Thursday January 18th, 2018 at 11:44 PMThis recipe looks downright amazing! Such a light and fluffy dessert to help combat the rainy PNW blues! Pinning!
Jenny
Friday January 19th, 2018 at 06:47 AMThanks, Christina!