With the leftover egg-whites from my semi-failed Brûlée, I made a batch of meringues. There is something sick and wrong with a world in which the Brûlée scrambles all to hell, and the first meringues I’ve ever even attempted turn out perfect.
Well maybe not exactly perfect. They were a tad unsightly and in the oven a couple of minutes too long, but they were quite edible and usable. (That’s not to say I didn’t find my father eating them dry a little odd. Eating dry meringues is like eating dry crackers.)
It’s not the season for strawberries so I had to come up with a different take on a traditional Eton Mess (no silly hats here). To be quite honest, I think most fruit you might have in the house could work. It just needs a little forethought.
Dark Chocolate & Orange Eton Mess (Serves 4)
Peel and segment four large oranges and put into a bowl with four broken up meringues. Whip 250ml of double cream with a couple of teaspoons of icing or caster sugar, if desired. When the cream is softly whipped, add 50-75ml of Cointreau, again to your taste. Make sure it’s blended evenly through the cream. Mix the cream with the broken meringues. Grate a two or three squares of fine dark chocolate (70%). Layer the grated chocolate and the meringue mix into a glass and serve. Scrumptious!
It’s best to make this just before serving so the meringue doesn’t go soggy. But you can prepare all the composite parts in advance and leave in the fridge until you’re ready to eat.
And if you happened to save your orange peel, you can try candying it!
Welcome to blogland! This blog looks as if it's going to be great fun.
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