It’s almost Christmas so I could resist sharing some of my favourite holiday desserts with you! This very festive dessert has a base of light meringues and is topped with a strawberry ribboned cream, fresh berries and mint. It looks so pretty and festive and is easy to make… Mastering meringues is all about having the time to let them cool in your oven properly and the recipe I’m giving you is my mum’s, aren’t you lucky?
It’s a classic meringue recipe, with mum’s tips and hints that have saved me. You can make the meringues the day before hand and leave in an airtight container until ready to use. Speaking from experience, once whipped and ready to cook don’t leave the mixture sitting, get it in the oven ASAP as the moisture in the air can totally mess with the texture! So by experience I mean failure ha.
Always wait until you’re ready to serve to do the topping as you shouln’t refrigerate meringues! The cream, yoghurt and puréed strawberry topping is so fresh and delicious and looks so festive with the ribbon of red running through the cream. I don’t sweeten the cream at all as I find it’s too sweet against the meringues and berries. The yoghurt is optional but gives a lovely sharpness that helps with the balance of sweetness.
If you’ve never made your own meringues before you have to as they’re waaaaay better than the store bought kind.
I keep the green tops on the strawberries I’m using for the top as I love the green contrast with the other colours, but if you think it’ll annoy your guests then cut them off. Or get less annoying guests.
Happy Baking!
Serves 8-10
Ingredients
2 egg whites
1/2 cup caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
Topping
400ml cream
1 cup Greek Yoghurt
1 tsp vanilla extract
2/3 cup hulled strawberries
5 stravberries
10 blackberries or mulberries
10 raspberries
mint leaves to decorate
Directions
Preheat oven to 140 degrees celsius and line two baking trays with baking paper, wet it on one side first and place this side down on the tray. Place egg whites in a stand mixer with the balloon whisk attachment on (or do it by hand your crazy person you). Beat egg whites until frothy and soft peaks are just starting to form. Add sugar 1 Tbs at a time until it’s all combined. Whip until stiff glossy peaks form and you can hold the bowl upside down without the meringue moving. Add the vanilla and whip again to combine.
Spoon mixture onto prepared trays, turn the oven down to 120 celsius and bake in oven for 1.5 hours. You want them to be crisp but not colour. Turn oven off and leave in oven to cool.
To make the topping purée the hulled strawberries and set aside. When ready whip the cream until soft peaks form and then add the vanilla, whip again. Fold through the Greek yoghurt and when combined very gently fold through the purées strawberries. You want the colour to be ribboned through.
Arrange the meringues in a circle, making sure they’re nice and snug, on a serving plate and then dollop the cream topping to cover just the top of your wreath. Halve your remaining berries and arrange on the top, follow with mint leaves. See the photo! You can pile any leftover berries into the middle of your wreath.
HH. x
