This week has been rather dangerous in my kitchen. Firstly I made my very own homage to the Gulf of Mexico oil spill by creating a large volcano while attempting pomegranate molasses. The thick black lava exploded and took a clean-up crew of one a good hour to prise off the hob. Then I learned first-hand what it feels like to be in a nineteenth-century romantic novel. I gave myself a bit of a burn while making bread, took one look as I was running cold water on it and promptly swooned. “The danger! The howwor! Ohhh!… “. Thunk. Apparently this girlish sensitivity was somewhat attenuated by the volume of my snoring while I was out cold.
But I love the kind of amateur science mixed with danger that happens in the kitchen. I’m straight back to chemistry lessons, bunsen burners, exploding test tubes and weird stains on smelly labcoats. Anything with sugar seems to be particularly perilous – molasses obviously, caramel too and I really need to do dulce de leche made by boiling an unopened can of condensed milk for hours. The ceiling stains promise to be phenomenal.
Meringues are a bit more laid back, the greatest hazard being fantastically sticky fingers. But two simple ingredients, plus power tools (this Dualit hand blender is as good as any Black & Decker) plus a little heat and you get aerated, hardened edible rocks? How cool is that?
These hazelnut meringues from Ottolenghi: The Cookbook are made using a different method from my usual meringue. Normally I would whisk egg whites until firm, then add in sugar a bit at a time, then bake. Here, the egg whites are slightly heated with the sugar first until it dissolves, then whipped for a good eight minutes before baking. These are much more craggy, their crevasses bursting with brown sugar bubbles. The walls are thicker than usual, so they don’t shatter as much when bitten into and the centres are soft, without that chewiness that threatens your fillings. Studded with chopped hazelnuts, what else to eat them with than a Nutella inspired crème patisserie?
Mr. R&R had two comments about this: “criminale” and “definitely Top 10″. Then I had to wrestle the spoon away, before he did himself an injury and ate the lot.
Hazelnut meringues
Adapted from Ottolenghi: The Cookbook
Makes 10
- 170g egg whites (about 5)
- 220g caster sugar
- 120g dark brown sugar
- 30g hazelnuts, blanched or with skins, roughly chopped
Preheat the oven to 110˚C with two oven shelves well-spaced out and find two large baking sheets.
Put the egg whites and sugars in a heatproof bowl or bain-marie, and heat over a pan of simmering water until just finger hot (Ottolenghi says about 40˚C).
Remove from the heat and whip with an electric whisk or mixer for about eight minutes, until stiff and glossy and holding its shape when you spoon a bit out.
Line the baking sheets with greaseproof paper, using blobs of meringue in the corner to stick it down. With two large spoons, form balls of meringues on the baking sheets – mine were about the size of tennis balls. Space them out as much as you can. Sprinkle with the chopped hazelnuts.
Bake in the oven for about 2 hours – they should be hard underneath with a bit of give in the top centres. Allow to cool (in the oven, if you’re somewhere humid) and then store in airtight containers. Serve with dollops of the crème patisserie below.
Gianduia crème patisserie
About 4 servings, depending on willpower
- 50g hazelnuts
- 3 egg yolks
- 50g caster sugar
- 1 tbsp flour
- 1 tbsp cocoa
- 150ml milk
- 150ml heavy cream
- 50g dark chocolate – I used 85% Lindt Excellence
Put the hazelnuts on a baking sheet and toast in a hot oven for about seven minutes, until golden all over (keep checking them in case they start to catch though). Process to fine crumbs. Put the milk, cream and hazelnuts in a small saucepan, heat until almost boiling and then leave to steep for at least half an hour.
Pass the milk mixture through a fine sieve or muslin to remove the bits of hazelnuts. Melt the chocolate and set aside. Whisk the eggs with the sugar, then whisk in the flour and cocoa too. Reheat the milk and cream mixture and when hot add it slowly to the egg mixture, stirring all the time. Now put this back in the saucepan and heat over a medium heat, still stirring, for about four minutes until thickened. (It will thicken more on cooling to a dollopy consistency.) Remove from the heat and stir in the melted chocolate. Chill, covered with a circle of greaseproof, until needed.
8 Comments on "Hazelnut meringues with gianduia crème patisserie"
Ooh, I see you’ve made a few changes ’round here too, looking good! Love the cute turquoise links in the sidebar, just ike I imagine the sea over there to be ^_^
Yeah – what else does one do with an essay deadline looming but faff around in CSS and WordPress until midnight? Oh, and make meringues natch…
one word: Sublimes!
Yeah, this is what I cook when I want Mr. R&R to do, well, just about anything really!
OK, I may have to, ahem, “borrow” that Gianduia crème patisserie recipe. I’m obsessed with flavoured creme patisserie!
Borrow away, just know I am not responsible if you experience side effects such as extreme cravings and wobbly thighs… ;0)
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