Bear with me, but before we get to today’s recipe we’re going to talk about the crazy weather Portland had this weekend. Both Saturday and Sunday we had periods of brilliant, warm sunshine, and rainy downpours. On Sunday we even had a thunderstorm, which doesn’t happen here very often. It was pretty much raining sideways which was actually pretty funny to watch. Less fun to be out in, though. Good thing we’d given our dog her bath earlier in the day, when it was nice and sunny.
I’m talking about temperamental weather because today’s recipe features meringue nests, and meringue is notoriously difficult to do in odd, humid weather like we were having. It just doesn’t allow the meringue to dry out enough so you’re stuck with a chewy mess which, while delicious, is not really what you want out of your meringue.
Meringue gets cooked at a low temperature, for a very long time. And then we let it dry out some more. It’s isn’t super hands on, the oven does most of the work for you, but you do have to have patience. Do not open the oven before the meringue is done. That is a very bad idea. Let it do its thing and trust that it will all work out.
You’ll love the end result if you just let the oven work its magic!
We’re keeping the meringue simple. No funny flavors, no extracts, no nothing. It is standing alone and we’re having our nest fillings be the stars of the show.
Vanilla bean whipped cream and strawberry rhubarb compote!
Remember a couple of weeks ago when I was telling you all how much I LOVE rhubarb. Well, the love affair is continuing this week with these meringue nests and I have at least one other recipe featuring rhubarb coming at you in a few weeks.
At least rhubarb is a pretty healthy obsession, right?
So we’ve got our meringue nests (or bowls, but I like calling them nests), filled to the top with freshly made vanilla bean whipped cream and topped with a strawberry rhubarb compote. It might not be a dessert you want to make every weekend (hiiiiiii, humidity), but you’ll definitely want to give this a whirl a couple of times this summer, I promise!
Meringue Cups w/ Strawberry Rhubarb Compote
Ingredients
- Meringue Cups:
- 4 egg whites, room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- Whipped Cream:
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 tsp. powdered sugar
- 1 tsp. vanilla bean paste
- Strawberry Rhubarb Compote
- 1 pound strawberries, rinsed and hulled
- 1 pound rhubarb
- 1 lemon
- 3/4 cup sugar
Directions
- Step 1 Meringue Cups:
- Step 2 Preheat oven to 225°F. On parchment paper, trace 6 3-inch circles. Turn the paper over and place on a baking sheet.
- Step 3 Place the egg whites in the bowl of stand mixer, fitted with a whisk attachment. Whisk until egg whites are foamy. Slowly start sprinkling in the granulated sugar, while continuing to whisk at medium speed. Increase speed to high and whisk until meringue reaches a stiff peak.
- Step 4 Place meringue into a pastry bag fitted with a star tip.
- Step 5 Starting in the center of the circle, pipe a layer of meringue. Trace the edges of the circle to form the sides of the meringue cups. Repeat until all meringue cups are formed.
- Step 6 Place the meringue in the oven and bake for 1 hour and 30 minutes. Once baked, turn off the oven and allow meringues to dry in the warm oven for an additional 20-30 minutes. Do not open the oven until meringues have dried. Meringue should be crispy, hard. Remove cups from the parchment and set aside.
- Step 7 Strawberry Rhubarb Compote:
- Step 8 Select about 4 ounces of the smallest strawberries and cut lengthwise into quarters. These will be added raw to the cooked compote
- Step 9 set aside.
- Step 10 Cut the remaining larger berries in halves or quarters so that the pieces are about the same size. Place them in a medium saucepan.
- Step 11 Cut the rhubarb stalks into 3/4-inch pieces and add to the saucepan.
- Step 12 Use a fine grater or a microplane to zest the lemon. Add 1 teaspoon of the zest to the pan. Squeeze 1 tablespoon of juice and add it to the pan. Add the sugar and stir to coat the fruit.
- Step 13 Place the pan over medium-high heat and cook, stirring often to dissolve the sugar. By the time the sugar has dissolved, the fruit will have released a lot of juice. Boil for about 4 minutes to reduce the liquid somewhat, then reduce the heat and simmer for another 2 minutes, or until the rhubarb is soft. Don’t worry if some of the rhubarb falls apart.
- Step 14 Take pan off the stove and stir in reserved strawberries. Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate in a covered container until cold.
- Step 15 Whipped Cream:
- Step 16 Combine the heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla bean paste. Whip to soft peaks.
- Step 17 Assembly:
- Step 18 Right before serving, fill the meringue cups with whipped cream and top with the strawberry rhubarb compote. Serve immediately.
