Recipes and Images from Sharing Plates by Luke Mangan (Murdoch Books)

“Instead of slicing the meringue, you can serve this marvellous dinner party dessert in the middle of the table for guests to help themselves to, with the raspberry coulis and almond anglaise in separate jugs for a theatrical drizzle.” p.222

 

Soft Swiss Meringue with Berries  & Almond Anglaise

Serves 6-8

 

Raspberry coulis

65 ml (2 fl oz) plain Sugar syrup (page 232)

300 g (10½ fl oz) raspberry purée (you can use store-bought, or the one from Mario’s cheesecake on page 208)

 

Meringue

4 free-range egg whites

220 g (7¾ oz/1 cup) caster (superfine) sugar, plus extra for dusting

 

Raspberry filling

400 ml (14 fl oz) thick (double) cream

100 g (3½ oz) raspberries, crushed

 

 

Almond Anglaise

250 ml (9 fl oz/1 cup) milk

250 ml (9 fl oz/1 cup) pouring (single) cream

75 g (2½ oz/¹⁄³ cup) caster (superfine) sugar

4 free-range egg yolks

Frangelico or almond liqueur, to taste

 

To garnish

150 g (5½ oz) strawberries, halved

150 g (5½ oz) blackberries

150 g (5½ oz) raspberries

70 g (2½ oz) flaked almonds, toasted

icing (confectioners’) sugar, for dusting

 

For the raspberry coulis  Place the sugar syrup and raspberry purée in a saucepan over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Remove from the heat and cool in the fridge.

 

For the meringue  Preheat the oven to 180ºC (350ºF). Line a 23 x 33 cm (9 x 13 inch) Swiss roll (jelly roll) tin with baking paper.

Place the egg whites in a clean mixer bowl and whisk with electric beaters until medium peaks form. Gradually add the sugar, a tablespoon at a time, whisking until very stiff and glossy.

Spoon the mixture into the lined roll tin and smooth the surface. Bake for 8 minutes, or until golden brown.

Reduce the oven temperature to 160ºC (315ºF) and bake for a further 15 minutes,
or until the meringue is crispy.

Sprinkle a sheet of baking paper with extra caster sugar. Turn the meringue out onto the baking paper, and peel off the baking paper from the base of the meringue. Leave to cool.

 

For the raspberry filling   Place the
cream and raspberries in a bowl and lightly mix together.

 

 

For the almond anglaise  Place the milk, cream and half the sugar in a saucepan
and bring to boiling point.

In a metal bowl, mix the egg yolks and remaining sugar. Whisk in half the milk mixture, then add the remaining liquid
and whisk until well combined.

Pour into a clean saucepan and heat gently, stirring constantly until the mixture reaches 84ºC (183ºF) and coats the back
of a spoon, taking care not to overcook the custard or the egg will scramble. Set aside
to cool, then add the almond liqueur to taste.

To serve  Spread the raspberry filling
evenly over the meringue. Top with three-quarters of the strawberries, blackberries
and raspberries. Starting at the long end,
roll up the meringue, using the baking paper to help you.

Cut into slices and place in serving bowls. Drizzle with the raspberry coulis. Top with the remaining fresh berries and scatter the flaked almonds over. Dust with icing sugar and serve the almond anglaise alongside.

 

 

Sugar syrups will keep in the fridge
in a sterilised jar for up to 3 months.

The glucose in the second sugar syrup below helps the freezing process and gives sorbets a smooth, rounded consistency.

 

Sugar syrup  (plain)

MAKES 400 ML (14 FL OZ)

250 g (9 oz) caster (superfine) sugar

 

 

Put the sugar in a saucepan with 250 ml (9fl oz/1 cup) water. Place over medium heat and bring to the boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Remove from the heat and leave to cool. Store in a clean airtight jar in the fridge.

 

Raspberry Puree

150 g (5½ oz) frozen raspberries

40 g (1½ oz) caster (superfine) sugar

2 teaspoons lemon juice

¹⁄³ teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

For the raspberry puree  Place all the ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Remove from the heat to cool for 10 minutes.

Place in a food processor and blend until smooth. Strain through a fine sieve, pressing down with a spoon to push the fruit and juices through. Discard the raspberry seeds.

Transfer the purée to an airtight container and refrigerate until ready to serve. The purée will keep for several days.