Raspberry Pink Peppercorn Meringues Recipes

RASPBERRY-RIPPLE MERINGUE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Trace an 8-inch circle onto a piece of parchment paper. Turn over paper and place on a baking sheet. In a food processor, puree half the raspberries, 1 teaspoon sugar, and lemon juice until smooth. With a rubber spatula, press mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a medium bowl. Discard solids and set sauce aside. In a small bowl, whisk together 3/4 cup sugar and cornstarch.
• In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat cream of tartar, egg whites, and pinch of salt on high until foamy. Reduce speed to low and add sugar mixture in 3 additions, beating on high 30 seconds after each addition. Scrape down bowl and beat on high until stiff peaks form, 3 to 4 minutes.
• Add 2 tablespoons raspberry sauce to meringue, but do not stir. With rubber spatula, mound meringue (it will ripple as you scoop) onto prepared parchment on sheet, using circle as a guide.
• Bake meringue until crisp and dry on outside, about 1 hour 50 minutes. Turn off heat and let meringue dry in oven, 1 hour. Remove from oven and let cool completely on sheet on a wire rack. To serve, gently peel meringue from parchment and transfer to a platter. Top with whipped cream and remaining raspberry sauce and raspberries.

RASPBERRY-CHOCOLATE CHIP MERINGUES

Steps:

• Place oven racks in upper and lower third of oven. Heat oven to 250°F. Line 2 large cookie sheets with cooking parchment paper.
• In food processor, place raspberries; cover and process until finely ground. Remove 1 teaspoon for decoration; set aside.
• In large bowl, beat egg whites, cream of tartar and vanilla with electric mixer on high speed until foamy. Beat in sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time; continue beating until stiff, glossy peaks form and sugar is almost dissolved, 5 to 8 minutes, scraping side of bowl occasionally. Do not underbeat. Add remaining ground raspberries and food color; beat at high speed to blend. Fold 1 cup miniature chocolate chips into mixture.
• Fit large decorating bag with large round piping tip. Spoon half of the mixture into bag. Pipe 1 1/2-inch high with 1 1/2-inch base mounds 1 inch apart on cookie sheet. Repeat filling decorating bag and piping with remaining meringue mixture.
• Place both cookie sheets in oven. Bake 15 minutes. Rotate pans to different racks and turn from front to back. Bake 15 minutes more. Turn off oven; leave meringues in oven with door closed 30 minutes. Remove from oven. Sprinkle over tops of meringues the remaining 1 teaspoon ground raspberries. Place pans on cooling racks; continue to cool at room temperature, about 2 hours. Remove from parchment paper; place meringues on cookie sheets that have been lined with new cooking parchment paper.
• In small microwavable bowl, microwave 1 1/2 cups dark chocolate chips and shortening uncovered on High 60 seconds. Stir, continue to microwave in 15-second increments until mixture can be stirred smooth. Working with one meringue at a time, dip bottom into melted chocolate. Slide bottom of meringue on edge of bowl to remove excess. Return to lined cookie sheet. Repeat with remaining meringues. Let stand about 3 hours or until chocolate is set. Store covered in airtight container in single layer.

RASPBERRY & PINK PEPPERCORN MERINGUES

Steps:

• Place egg whites in a large bowl; let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Add cream of tartar and salt; beat on medium speed until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating on high until stiff glossy peaks form and sugar is dissolved. Beat in extract and food coloring if desired., Cut a small hole in the corner of a pastry or plastic bag; insert a large star tip. Fill bag with egg white mixture. Pipe 1-1/4-in.-diameter cookies onto parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake at 300° for 20-25 minutes or until set and dry. (Turn oven off; leave meringues in oven for 1 hour.) Remove to wire racks., In a microwave, melt chocolate chips and shortening; stir until smooth. Drizzle over cookies; sprinkle with peppercorns. Store in an airtight container.

FRESH RASPBERRY MERINGUES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 170°F, or the lowest setting on your oven that is closest to this temperature. Move your oven rack to the top third of the oven. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
• Combine raspberries and sugar in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir often, crushing berries with the back of a wooden spoon as they cook. As soon as the rasberry mixture becomes syrupy, remove the pan from the heat. Strain the berry mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a measuring cup, pressing down on the berries with a rubber spatula to extract all the juices. You should have about 1/2 cup of raspberry sauce. Discard the seeds and stir the vanilla extract into the sauce. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before proceeding.
• Place egg whites in a mixing bowl and sprinkle the cream of tartar over them. Use a mixer to beat the egg whites until they hold stiff peaks.
• Stir the cooled raspberry sauce, then gently fold 1/3 of the sauce into the beaten egg whites. Repeat two more times with the remaining 2/3 of the raspberry sauce.
• Spoon meringue into a gallon-size zip-top baggie, forcing the mixture to one corner of the bag. Snip about 1/4" from the corner of the bag so meringues can be piped onto the prepared pan. Pipe out 1 1/2 inch swirled circles onto baking sheet, making sure that the meringues don't touch. If you prefer, meringues can be gently scooped and dropped by rounded teaspoonfuls instead of piping.
• Bake for 2 hours at 170°F, rotating the baking sheet after 1 hour so they will dry evenly. When done, the meringues should not have any browning, and they should be dark pink in color.
• Turn off the oven and allow meringues to remain in the oven for at least two hours to finish drying, or you can leave them in the oven overnight.
• Meringues can be stored in an airtight container for 5 days, or they can be frozen for up to one month. If frozen, allow to thaw to room temp before serving.

PINK PEPPERCORN PAVLOVA WITH STRAWBERRIES, VANILLA CREAM, AND BASIL SYRUP

Steps:

• For basil syrup:
• Blanch 1/3 cup basil leaves in small saucepan of boiling water 30 seconds. Drain, then transfer basil to bowl of ice water to cool. Drain; squeeze out excess water from basil. Puree basil with corn syrup in blender. Cover and chill at least 2 hours or overnight to allow flavors to develop. Bring basil syrup to room temperature, then strain through sieve into small bowl.
• For meringues:
• Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 275°. Firmly trace six 21/2-inch circles on parchment paper, then invert onto baking sheet. Using electric mixer, beat egg whites in large bowl to soft peaks. Gradually add 3/4 cup sugar, beating to medium-firm peaks. Mix remaining 1/4 cup sugar and cornstarch in small bowl. Gradually beat sugar-cornstarch mixture into meringue; continue beating until very stiff. Beat in white wine vinegar. Fold in peppercorns. Divide meringue between circles; spread to fill completely. Bake until outside is dry, about 25 minutes. Turn oven off and open door just slightly. Let meringues cool in oven until completely dry, about 1 hour. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cool completely. Store in airtight container at room temperature.
• For strawberry coulis:
• Puree berries and sugar in blender until smooth.
• For vanilla cream:
• Place cream and sugar in medium bowl. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean. Using electric mixer, beat cream to soft peaks. do ahead Coulis and vanilla cream can be made 6 hours ahead. Cover separately and refrigerate.
• Place small dollop of vanilla cream in center of each of 6 plates. Spoon circle of strawberry coulis around vanilla cream. Top each with 1 meringue. Spoon generous amount of vanilla cream atop meringues. Top with quartered strawberries and fresh basil leaves. Drizzle basil syrup over and serve.