Seasonal Recipe of the Week – Raspberry meringues
Ingredients
(Serves 10)
8 free-range egg whites
400g caster sugar
375g raspberries, rinsed
2tbs icing sugar
For the raspberry sorbet
600g raspberries
250g caster sugar
Juice of 1 lemon
Method
Preheat the oven to 100°C. Use a pencil to draw about 20 circles, each with an 8cm diameter on to sheets of baking paper. Sit the baking paper, pencil side down, on baking trays.
Put the egg whites and sugar into the bowl of an electric mixer. Set the bowl over another larger bowl filled with hot water. Whisk until the sugar dissolves. Once the sugar has dissolved, transfer the bowl to an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment and beat for four minutes on high speed, or until stiff peaks form.
Put the meringue mixture into a piping bag fitted with a plain nozzle and fill each circle on the baking paper, in a steady stream, starting from the middle and spiralling out. Place the meringues in the oven and cook for about two hours, or until crisp. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
To make the raspberry sorbet, if you are using fresh raspberries, place them on a tray and place in the freezer for at least four hours, or until frozen.
Put the sugar and 250ml water in a small saucepan and place over low heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves, making sure you do not boil the syrup. Remove from the heat and pour the hot syrup over the frozen raspberries in a bowl. Add the lemon juice, then transfer the mixture to a food processor or blender and blend to make a smooth purée. Allow to cool, then refrigerate until cold.
Transfer to an ice-cream machine or place the mixture in a container, cover with plastic wrap and freeze. Every hour stir the sorbet with a fork, scraping the base and sides, then refreeze and repeat until the sorbet is quite stiff.
To serve, set half of the meringues on a tray and scoop a spoonful of sorbet on top. Layer the remaining meringue on top and press to make a "sandwich". Return to the freezer to firm up before serving.
Alternatively, you could scoop the sorbet into egg rings and freeze them into shape before setting them between two meringues.
Garnish with the raspberries and dust with icing sugar to serve.
Taken from The French Kitchen by Serge Dansereau, published by Jacqui Small Publishing, £25
Recommended wine
The crunchy meringue and sweet flavour of ripe raspberries mean that texture and red fruit is what we are looking for in a wine to match this dessert. Brachetto d'Acqui, from north-west Italy in the region of Piemonte, would be a perfect partner for the dish.
Texture it has, with a gentle fizz and plenty of sweet red fruit that the black grape Brachetto provides.
It has to be drunk cold to keep the fruitiness, characteristic to the wine.
Xavier Rousset, co-owner of Texture and 28-50, in London
