Vacherins With Lemon Curd And Strawberries Recipes

VACHERINS WITH LEMON CURD AND STRAWBERRIES

Steps:

• Meringues: Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Line a ookie sheet with parchment paper.
• Place 2 egg whites, confectioners' sugar, 2 tablespoons sugar, cream of tartar and a pinch of salt in bowl of electric mixer. Using whisk attachment, whip until egg whites hold stiff peaks and are glossy (this may take as long as 10 or 15 minutes). Add vanilla and beat just until incorporated.
• Fill a pastry bag that has a small (1/4 inch), plain tip. Pipe a small amount of meringue under each corner of parchment to keep it secure during baking.
• Pipe a quarter-sized base of meringue onto the parchment. Next pipe a ring of meringue around the base and spiral upward to make a "nest" three rows high. Continue piping rows with remaining meringue.
• Bake in the oven for several hours until meringue is dry and crisp on the outside but slightly chewy on the inside (usually at least 3 hours). Let cool.
• Lemon Curd: Place 4 eggs, 1 cup sugar and lemon zest and juice in large mixing bowl or double boiler. Whisk constantly and vigorously over pot of simmering water on low heat until mixture is no longer foaming and very thick.
• Remove from heat. Add butter, whisking in until melted; season with salt. Strain curd, cool to room temperature and refrigerate until ready for use.
• To serve: Fill each meringue with a small dollop of lemon curd- too much will cause the curd to drip over the sides once the strawberry is added.
• Top each filled meringue with one halved strawberry. Garnish each with a mint leaf or tip, if desired.

VACHERINS WITH RASPBERRY SORBET AND MIXED BERRY-CARDAMOM SAUCE

Steps:

• Position 1 rack in bottom third and 1 rack in top third of oven; preheat to 200°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Using 3 1/4- to 3 1/2-inch-diameter cookie cutter as template, heavily trace 4 circles on each parchment sheet. Turn parchment over so that marked side faces down (circles will show through).
• Whisk sugar and cornstarch in medium bowl to blend. Using heavy-duty or handheld electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat whites in large bowl until foamy, about 1 minute. Add cream of tartar; beat until soft peaks form, about 1 minute. Add sugar mixture, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating until whites are very stiff and glossy, at least 4 minutes with heavy-duty mixer and 6 to 8 minutes with handheld. Scoop enough meringue into pastry bag fitted with medium star tip to fill 1/3 full. Pipe small dot of meringue under parchment in each corner of baking sheets. Press parchment onto dots.
• Starting in center of 1 marked circle, pipe meringue in continuous spiral to fill circle completely. Pipe 1 meringue circle atop edge of base circle, forming standing rim. Repeat, piping 2 more circles atop first, forming meringue cup. Pipe 3 more cups on sheet, filling bag with meringue as needed. Pipe 4 cups on second sheet.
• Bake meringues 3 hours without opening oven door (sides of meringues may settle slightly). Turn off oven; let meringues stand in closed oven over-night to dry completely. (Can be made 1 week ahead. Store airtight in single layer.)
• Whisk jam, sugar and 1/3 cup water in heavy medium saucepan over medium-high heat until sugar dissolves and jam melts. Boil until sauce thickens and is reduced to generous 3/4 cup, whisking often, about 7 minutes. Add berries and cardamom; stir gently. Remove from heat; let stand 1 hour to thaw fruit. Cover; chill at least 2 hours and up to 1 day.
• Scoop sorbet into vacherins. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Wrap tightly; freeze. If you freeze the vacherins, the meringues will be tender and chewy rather than crisp.) Spoon sauce over. Garnish with berries and mint. Serve with remaining sauce.