The Antidote: Pomegranate meringues

Pomegranate meringues

“I just love it when it’s pomegranate season. The beautiful colours of this sweet and tangy fruit make me feel so festive. That’s why I love to dress the little ruby seeds with a big crimson red swirled meringue. Pomegranate goes so well with orange blossom water, so I teamed these two ingredients to make a delicious syrup. Served with whipped cream and pomegranate seeds.”

Ingredients:

For the meringues
6 extra-large egg whites, at room temperature
1 + 1/2 tsp cornflour
1/2 tsp red food colouring
A pinch of fine salt
320 g/ 1 1/2 cups sugar
2 pomegranates, seeds only
350 ml/ 1 1/2 cups whipping cream

Pomegranate and orange blossom water syrup:
Juice of 3 fresh pomegranates
1 1/2 tbsp orange blossom water
5 tbsp sugar
Preheat the oven to 140° C. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
Meringues:(makes about 5-6 meringues)

In a large glass bowl, whisk the egg whites (I use a pair of electric whisks) and salt on a high-speed until frothy – try to keep the whisk position as horizontal as possible. Add the cornflour and sugar (1-2 tbsp at a time) gradually and continue whisking. You should add the sugar in small quantities until the end of the process. When the egg whites form stiff peaks (this usually takes about 10-15 minutes), gently fold in the red food colouring, creating swirls. With the help of two large slotted spoons, spoon the egg whites onto the parchment-lined baking tray. The meringues should be about 10-12 cm large and 6 cm high. ‘Twirl’ your spoon around and finish off with a spiky peak.
Bake for about 1 hour. Switch off the oven, and leave them to cool inside the oven with the door slightly open for 15 minutes.

For the syrup:
Squeeze the juice of the 3 pomegranates. Heat in a saucepan, add orange blossom water and sugar. Bring to a boil, turn down the heat and simmer until thick and glossy. Leave to cool and set aside.

To serve:
Serve meringues with whipped cream, a handful of pomegranate seeds on top and drizzle with the pomegranate and orange blossom water syrup.