Petit Fours: Little Meringue Nest

Last time I baked meringue, I lived in another town, almost 8 years ago (oh boy! I’m getting old! T__T)! =O Well, made the small ones because I wanted more than one filling, :) And since I bought “Le Cordon Bleu Dessert Techniques (Le Cordon Bleu)“, driving me crazy all those amazing dishes! heheh

The filling was simple: chantilly for everyone, but the fruits change (kiwi, star fruit, chocolate chips and almond flakes) and orange chantilly with sliced orange for topping.

Difficult level: easy, but the meringue can be tricky.

Ingredients
Meringue
(Source: Chef Simon)

• 2 egg whites in room temperature
• 125g sugar (refined sugar or caster)
• 1 pitch cream of tartar or few drops lemon juice

Filling

• 200mL cream (double cream or whipping cream, must have +30% fat)
• Sugar (+/ 2 tbsp.)
• Orange jam (for the orange chantilly, optional)
• Citric-sour fruits in the season

Utensils: stand or fouet, piping bag, tip star medium, sheet pan, parchment paper or silpat.

Pre-heat the oven 300ºF/150ºC, cover the sheet pan with parchment paper or silpat.

Beat egg whites with cream of tartar until soft peaks. Keep beating, add half sugar let incorporate, then add the other part. Continue beating until the mixture become shiny and firm peaks. Put onto the piping bag.

Well, piping the nest can be very tricky… if you’re like me, I mean: without pastry skills, heheh. Just make a circle, but don’t forget it’s a nest. So, the middle is empty! You can make in 2 steps: 1) the base; 2) the border. 2-3cm distance between each nest.

Let’s bake! =D For 30-40 minutes at 300ºF/150ºC until soft golden. If your oven is like mine, the lower temperature is 350ºF/180ºC, so I keep the door half open with wood spoon. And yes, the kitchen was warm.

Filling: fruits already washed, peeled (if necessary) and sliced, right? Beat the cream until whipped! hehehe If you want the orange cream, divide in two. One part for the normal sweet chantilly, and other the orange cream. For that, add about 2 tbsp. orange jam and mix well.

Everything ready? Nest, cream and fruit? Right! Now, just assemble: fill the nest with cream and topping with fruits. That’s it! Serve cold.

Tips: sour/citric fruits combine much better with the fat-y cream. :)

Ideas

Orange Eton Mess Shot