Espumillas from Ecuador

I am so excited to be finally introducing a special treat from Ecuador. Espumillas are something like a love child between a marshmallow and meringue, flavored with fruit. Normally you simply beat egg whites into meringue at the same time you add the fruit puree, however, I decided to go for a more complicated version. Reason for this being that I try to reduce the amount of sugar you need. My recipe still is fairly sweet, but it is definitely not as overboard as just beating egg whites with the fruit puree. If you are into creamy marshmallow, eaten from an ice cream cone, this treat may be for you.

As stated, I decided to go for a slightly more complicated version. First we will cook down the fruit in order to intensify the flavor. In addition, we will heat the egg white with the sugar in a water bath as this will create a more stable and stiff meringue. This may not be the simplest version, but believe me, I find it so much more convenient. In addition, this will pasteurize the egg white and is thus much safer to eat than when beating raw. I love espumillas from Ecuador!

I also thought that more tangy fruits such as raspberries or similar would probably work just as well. Just to be sure to adjust the reducing time depending on the water content of the fruit. A strawberry will always be way more watery than a raspberry. In Ecuador espumillas are usually served with the fruit named guayaba. However, this one you can’t find it Europe, hence the strawberry flavor. By the way, if you are into more Latin American recipes, I have a full category with Latin American recipes. I hope you enjoy this special treat from Ecuador!

Print Recipe

Espumillas from Ecuador

Serves: 4

Prep Time: 50min – Cooking Time: 30min – Total Time: 40min

Espumillas from Ecuador are sort of a love child between a marshmallow and meringue, flavored with strawberries.

Ingredients

• 500 grams of strawberries (or other berries)
• 20 grams of cornstarch
• 60 grams of egg whites or of two large eggs
• 80 grams of regular sugar
• Ice cones, sprinkles, chocolate/fudge sauce, etc. for decorating

Instructions

1

Wash, hull and cut the strawberries and place into a small pot. Heat on medium heat between 15-20min until you receive a thick puree. While you simmer the strawberries, mix the cornstarch with a bit of water until you don't see any lumps. Add this mixture to the strawberries and let cook for about a minute while stirring constantly. You may have to turn up the heat a bit again. Set aside.

2

Then mix the egg whites with the sugar in a pot you can use for a waterbath. Gently heat on a waterbath for about five minutes until the sugar has dissolved. While still warm, start beating the egg whites until cooled off and stiff meringue. This may take ten minutes. The meringue should be glossy. Then beat while adding the cooled off strawberry mixture by the spoonful.

3

Scoop into the ice cream cones or pipe into the cones. Decorate with chocolate/fudge sauce, sprinkles and/or similar. Enjoy right away.