28/09/2013

Strawberries with Golden Meringue Pieces


The end of September marks the end of the strawberry season in most places in England, so I wanted to bid a fond farewell to my favourite fruit and I whipped up this little dessert.  I decided to make a whole meringue as it keeps for up to a week in an airtight container (and I just love meringues!) so use your discretion about how much you want to use when it comes to serving this up.


Ingredients:-
- 225g golden caster sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp cornflour
- 4 large egg whites
- a large handful of strawberries, quartered
- caramel sauce or ice cream to serve (optional)

How to:-
1.  Preheat the oven to 160C / Gas mark 3.  Draw a 25cm circle on baking paper, and place on a baking tray.
2.  Stir the golden caster sugar and cornflour in a jug together.
3.  In a large bowl, whisk the egg white until they are stiff (do the holding the bowl over your head trick!), and then whisk in the sugar mix a tbsp at a time until everything looks thick and glossy.
4.  Pour the mixture carefully onto the circle of the baking paper.
5.  Bake for 1 hr, then turn the oven off and allow it to cool inside for a further 1hr.
6. Once cooled, break the meringue up into chunks and arrange in dessert bowls with the strawberries.
7.  Serve with caramel sauce (as shown) or ice cream if desired.