Individual Summer Meringues With Summer Berries

Cook Time 1 hour

Servings 8

Ingredients

8 egg whites
400g caster sugar
1 ¾ tsp cream of tartar
200ml mascarpone
½ tsp vanilla essence
1 vanilla bean
2 tbs mixed dried fruit (finely diced)
1 packet of Persian fairy floss
1 packet frozen mixed berries
1 punnet of raspberries
1 tbs caster sugar
1 cinnamon stick
1 piece of orange peel and the juice of ½ an orange

Method

Beat the egg whites into stiff peaks. Add the caster sugar and cream of tartar and mix with electric beaters for 5 minutes.

On a large tray lined with baking paper, draw 10cm circles. Place dollops of meringue in between the lines of the traced circles.

Place in an 110°C oven for approximately 40 minutes. Or until crisp on the outside. Once cooked turn the oven off and open the oven door to let the meringues cool completely. This will allow them to be crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside.

In a pot on low heat, add the berries, cinnamon stick, vanilla bean, orange peel and the juice of ½ an orange. Let simmer for 10 minutes.

In a bowl mix the vanilla essence, dried fruit and mascarpone together.

To serve, place mascarpone in the centre of the small meringues top with the berries and the Persian fairy floss.