Dessert Meringue Roulade with Rose Cream and Raspberries
One of my favourite cookbooks inspired this meringue roulade with rose cream and raspberries dessert – “Plenty More” by Yotam Ottolenghi.
When you think of French desserts, perhaps meringues are usurped by chocolate glazed eclairs, vanilla cream layered mille-feuilles, lemony madeleines and glazed fruit tarts. But, what about lollypop coloured macarons? These sweet “sandwich cookies” are two parts; meringue shells (the outsides) and a flavoured ganache filling.
Think of this meringue recipe as a giant macaron. Be careful with the quantity of rose water; it can easily overpower the dessert (details in notes).
Please read: Everything’s Coming up Roses for step-by-step photos.
Meringue Roulade with Rose Cream and Raspberries
This recipe was minimally adapted from "Plenty More" by Ottolenghi. I skipped the dried rose petals, increased the raspberries and pistachios, and added a few drops of food coloring because I wanted a pink dessert.
Ingredients
For the Meringue:
- 4 large Egg whites
- 1 1/4 cups Superfine Sugar
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- 1 tsp White Wine Vinegar or Lemon Juice
- 1 tsp Cornstarch
For the Rose Cream:
- 4 oz Mascarpone
- 4-6 drops Red Food Dye optional
- 3 tbsp confectioners’ sugar
- 1/2 tsp Rose Water Extract *See notes
- 1 3/4 cups Heavy Cream
For the Garnish:
- 2 cups Fresh Raspberries
- 1-2 tbsp Raw Pistachios coarsely chopped
- confectioners’ sugar for dusting, optional
Instructions
Prepare the Meringue:
- Preheat the oven to 325°F/160°C.
- Line the base and sides of a 13 by 9-inch sheet pan with parchment paper. Allow the paper to rise about 3/8 inch/1 cm above the sides of the pan.
- In a large bowl, beat the egg whites with an electric mixer until they begin to firm up.
- Add the superfine sugar to the egg whites in a slow stream.
- Continue beating until a firm, glossy meringue forms.
- Using a large metal spoon, gently fold in the vanilla, vinegar, and cornstarch.
- Spread the mixture inside the prepared pan and level with an offset spatula.
- Bake for 30 minutes, until a crust forms and the meringue, is cooked through (it will still feel soft to the touch).
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan.
- Unmold the cooled meringue onto a fresh piece of parchment paper.
- Carefully peel off the lining paper. The crust will crack and splinter - don’t worry, it’s part of the charm!
Prepare the Rose Cream:
- Place the mascarpone, red food dye (if using), confectioners' sugar, and rose water extract in the large bowl of a stand mixer, and whisk until smooth.
- Add the cream and whisk until the cream just holds its shape. Do not over mix lest it will make the cream too stiff.
- Spread most of the mascarpone cream over the original underside of the meringue, reserving enough to dollop on top. Leave a small border around the edge of the meringue.
- Scatter 1 1/2 cup of the raspberries evenly over the cream.
- Use the parchment paper to assist you in rolling. Starting from a long edge roll up the meringue into a log shape.
- Carefully transfer the log onto a serving platter.
- Dollop the remaining cream on top of the log.
- Chill for at least 30 minutes, but an hour is better.
Final Presentation:
- When ready to serve, add remaining raspberries on top, sprinkle with pistachios, and then - if you like - dust the log with confectioners' sugar.
Notes
The quality of rosewater can vary greatly. The recipe called for 1 1/2 teaspoons, but as you can see I reduced that quantity significantly. Rosewater is generally very floral in scent but mild flavoured, so 1 1/2 tablespoons would be fine. But, as it turns out, not with the extract I grabbed from the store shelf. A little goes a long way.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
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