Vacherin With Chamomile Poached Nectarines Recipes

VACHERIN WITH CHAMOMILE-POACHED NECTARINES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Trace a 9-inch circle onto 2 pieces of parchment paper with a pencil. Turn paper over, and place each circle on a baking sheet; set aside.
• Put egg whites and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on low speed until frothy. Beat in sugar, 2 to 3 tablespoons at a time. Gradually raise speed to medium-high; beat until mixture is glossy and stiff peaks form, about 7 minutes.
• Spread the meringue evenly onto the parchment-paper circles on baking sheets using an offset spatula. Bake until meringue is dry and crisp, 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Meringue layers can be stored at room temperature, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, up to 1 day.
• Spread half the creme fraiche filling over 1 meringue disk. Top with half of the poached nectarines. Place remaining meringue disk on top. Top with remaining filling and nectarines. Garnish with chamomile flowers, if desired.

CREME FRAICHE FILLING FOR VACHERIN

Steps:

• Put cream in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on medium speed until soft peaks form. Fold in creme fraiche and sugar using a large spatula. Refrigerate filling at least 1 hour or up to 5 hours.

CHAMOMILE-POACHED NECTARINES

Steps:

• Stir together sugar and 1 1/2 cups water in a large saucepan. Heat over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until sugar has dissolved.
• Tie a small piece of cheesecloth around the chamomile to form a pouch. Add chamomile pouch, the vanilla bean, and nectarines to the saucepan. Reduce heat to low. Cook until nectarines are tender, about 7 minutes. Discard chamomile pouch and the vanilla bean. Let mixture cool completely. Poached nectarines can be refrigerated in their juice in an airtight container, up to 1 day.

VACHERINS

Steps:

• Beat the whites until foamy then add the sugar and continue whipping until stiff and glossy, about 3 minutes. Add the powdered sugar and whip very briefly just to incorporate. Spoon the meringue into a piping bag fitted with a small (1/4-inch) plain tip and pipe onto a parchment paper lined sheet pan. Make a small round flat base 1/2-inch in diameter, then pipe a ring of meringue at the edge of the base and spiral up to make it two rows high. Continue making vacherins in rows on the sheet pan. Dry them out on the top of an oven that has been on, or preheat the oven to 300 degrees, then turn it off and place the vacherin meringues in it 5 minutes later. Leave them over night to dry out until crisp. Using a pastry bag, pipe whipped cream in the center and top each one with a raspberry.

WARM VACHERIN

Steps:

• Preheat the broiler and position a rack 8 to 9 inches below the heat.
• If the Vacherin box is stapled together, simply place it on a sheet pan. If the box is glued together, wrap a piece of aluminum foil tightly around the bottom and sides (not the top) before placing it on a sheet pan. (Yes, you will be broiling the cheese in the box.) With a small sharp knife, remove and discard the top rind of the cheese. Pour the white wine over the cheese.
• Broil the cheese for 2 to 3 minutes, watching carefully so the box doesn't catch on fire. Remove from the oven, sprinkle generously with fleur de sel and pepper, and serve immediately with toasted breads and cornichons. I put a small spoon in the cheese for people to help themselves.