LAYERED MERINGUES WITH CUSTARD AND FRESH BLACKBERRIES
MERINGUE LAYERS:
6 egg whites
Pinch salt
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon pure vanilla
Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Place parchment paper on 2 baking sheets and trace bottoms of 2 round cake pans on each sheet. Beat egg whites until foamy at medium speed. Add salt and cream of tartar. Slowly add sugar and vanilla; continue beating until egg whites are very stiff and shiny. Using a pastry bag or large spoon, pipe meringue into circles, making 4 disks. Bake for 1 hour, or until meringues are crispy. Set aside or keep in an airtight container.
CUSTARD:
8 egg yolks
1 cup sugar
1 quart milk
1 tablespoon pure vanilla
Beat egg yolks and sugar on high speed with mixer until they are very thick and creamy. Meanwhile, heat milk until it just comes to a simmer. Remove bowl of mixer from stand and add some hot milk a little at a time to temper eggs to avoid curdling. Continue whisking half of milk in, and then pour mixture back into saucepan. Continue to cook mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly until thick and coats back of a wooden spoon. Remove from heat, and pour into a glass bowl; stir in vanilla. Cover bowl and chill until ready to use.
TO ASSEMBLE:
4 meringue disks
Custard
1 to 2 pints of fresh blackberries
Place 1 meringue on a cake stand or plate. Pour ½ cup of custard over disk and then top with some blackberries. Continue layering three more times, ending with blackberries on top. Serve immediately.
Yield: 12 servings
ISABELLA BEETON’S APPLE SNOW
4 large egg whites
½ teaspoon cream of tartar
3 cups cold apple sauce
½ cup caramel sauce
With mixer at low speed, begin beating egg whites until they begin to foam. Add cream of tartar and gradually increase speed until egg whites form stiff, shining peaks. Reduce speed to moderate and add applesauce by ½ cupfuls. Continue beating at high speed for 2 minutes, until mixture is stiff enough to hold its shape. Divide mixture between 6 coffee cups or goblets and drizzle caramel sauce over top. Serve immediately.
Yield: 6 servings
CARAMEL SAUCE:
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup water
1 cup heavy cream
Pinch salt
2 teaspoons pure vanilla
In a small saucepan, blend sugar and water. Bring to a simmer and cook until sugar has caramelized and is very syrupy. Remove from heat. When caramel has cooled but is still liquid, blend in cream, which will partially congeal caramel. Simmer, stirring for several minutes while caramel dissolves. Remove from heat; stir in salt and vanilla. Serve warm or cool.
The Way to Cook
Julia Child
CARAMEL PUDDING WITH CREAM AND SHAVED CHOCOLATE
1 quart milk, divided
6 tablespoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons pure vanilla
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
6 tablespoons water
1 cup cream, whipped with 1 tablespoon sugar
1 (4-ounce) chocolate bar, shaved with a vegetable peeler
In a small bowl, whisk ½ cup milk with cornstarch, vanilla, and salt until smooth. Set aside. In a medium saucepan, combine sugar and water and bring to a boil. Cook over medium heat, until mixture becomes a deep amber color, about 8 minutes. Remove caramel from heat. Using a wire whisk, gradually add remaining milk, stirring constantly. Caramel will become very dark as you stir. Return pot to stove over moderate heat, whisking until caramel has dissolved again. Simmer over low heat until mixture thickens slightly, about 10 minutes. Gradually whisk cornstarch mixture into caramel and continue to cook until pudding thickens. Remove from heat and let mixture cool slightly. Spoon pudding into parfaits or wine glasses and cover each dish with plastic wrap to keep a skin from forming on top. Chill until set, about 2 hours. When ready serve, top with a dollop of whipped cream and shaved chocolate.
Yield: 8 servings
PINK MERINGUE COOKIES WITH COCOA
Stiff, sweetened egg whites can be used for many different purposes from simple cookies to dacquoise and layers for a cake
6 egg whites
Pinch salt
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla
1½ cups sugar
Pink food coloring
Cocoa for dusting
Preheat oven to 225 degrees. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Using a 2- or 3-inch heart-shaped cookie cutter and a pencil, trace outlines of heart onto paper, about 1 inch apart. Beat egg whites until foamy. Add salt, cream of tartar, and vanilla and continue beating. Slowly, and in a steady stream, begin adding sugar. Increase speed and begin to add food coloring a drop at a time until desired color is achieved. Continue beating for 6 to 8 minutes until egg whites are extremely stiff, glossy, and smooth. Spoon mixture into a large pastry bag fitted with a ½-inch round tip and pipe onto heart tracings. Place pans in oven and reduce temperature to 200 degrees. Bake for 1½ to 2 hours or until meringues are dry to touch. Remove from oven and, using a fine sieve, lightly dust each with cocoa. Cool completely and serve. May be stored in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
Yield: 12-16 meringue cookies
CARAMEL POTS DE CRÈME
6 large egg yolks
1 cup sugar
¼ cup water
1 cup milk
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 cup brown sugar
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, place egg yolks and lightly whisk them. Set bowl aside. In a heavy-bottomed pot (large enough to eventually hold milk and cream) over low heat, dissolve sugar in water. Increase heat to high and cook until it is a golden amber color. While sugar is cooking, pour milk and cream into a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Scald mixture over medium-high heat until tiny bubbles begin to form around edge of pot. As soon as caramel is amber in color, carefully and slowly pour in hot cream and milk. Using a long-handled spoon or whisk, mix together, as caramel will bubble as you begin to combine them. Whisk caramel cream into egg yolks. Strain and refrigerate custard base until cool. Skim surface air bubbles off custard base. Divide custard between 6 (6-ounce) ramekins. Place ramekins in an ovenproof pan and place in oven. Fill pan 1/3 to ½ full with hot water. Cover pan with aluminum foil. Bake for about 50 minutes. When gently shaken, they should be set around edge yet still be soft in center. Sprinkle each with brown sugar and run them under a hot broiler or use a kitchen torch to burn caramel on top. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Yield: 6 servings
FLOATING ISLANDS WITH CARAMEL SAUCE
This is a variation using broiled meringues instead of poached.
1 quart milk
3 1/3 cups sugar, divided
1 vanilla bean, split
8 egg yolks
4 tablespoons water
8 egg whites
Pinch salt
Heat ¾ cup milk, sugar, and vanilla bean to boiling. Remove from heat and let sit for at least 15 minutes. Remove vanilla bean. Beat egg yolks until smooth, slowly adding ¾ cup sugar. Beat until creamy, about 10 minutes. Carefully add hot milk to egg yolks, beating constantly. Pour into a heavy saucepan and stir over low heat as mixture begins to thicken. Remove from heat and let cool. Divide custard among 8 tall wine glasses. Press plastic wrap over top of custard and refrigerate. For caramel sauce, mix ½ cup sugar and 4 tablespoons water in a saucepan. Heat sugar until it turns a deep caramel color. Remove from heat and let cool for 2 to 3 minutes. For meringues, beat egg whites with salt until they stand in peaks. Gradually beat in 1 1/3 cups sugar, until whites are stiff, glossy, and smooth. Scrape beaten egg whites into a pastry bag fitted with a small star tip. Turn broiler to high and set rack in upper third of oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and pipe egg whites into 8 circles, same size as glasses with custard. Place pan in hot oven and bake meringues until tops are very brown. Remove from oven. To assemble dessert, remove plastic wrap from custards. Divide caramel sauce between glasses and top each one with a broiled meringue. Serve immediately.
Yield: 8 servings
