I just love love strawberry! Especially when it is in season in the summer and nothing can get better than a classic British strawberry and cream dessert! 😋
When I visited the Silver Darling in Aberdeen earlier in the week, I was very inspired by its strawberry tasting platter, so I decided to do my take on it last night. This strawberry dessert platter was composed of a strawberry & mint sorbet, eggless meringue (made from aquafaba), strawberry shortbread (coloured and filled with dried strawberries), strawberry jelly cubes, fresh strawberry coulis, whipped cream, and last but not least, a strawberry-mint vodka cocktail shot! 🍸😉
We might have gotten a little carried away on the alcohol! 😂
It’s obviously no secret that I love baking. One of the greatest joys I get from baking is allowing myself to being in the moment and feel accomplished in my finished product. Of course, sometimes things don’t always go to plan. (And that’s when my perfectionist self can get really disheartened and frustrated…) But I always remind myself that, ultimately like many things, it is a process of learning. ☺️
As my visit to family in Scotland is almost coming to an end (time really does fly), I thought I will make another ice cream dessert before returning to London! 😋🍨 Yesterday, I had my second attempt at making at a baked Alaska (after the big mess that was the first go. 😅) I made some adjustments this time including using a bowl and cling film to set and shape the ice cream beforehand, before covering it in an Italian meringue (not sure what I was thinking when I used the less stable French meringue last time… 🤦🏻♂️) The final result was a lot better than what I had last time! 😁
Tip the set ice cream from the bowl (this one is a strawberry flavoured ice cream) over the sponge cakeCover and seal the ice cream completely inside the Italian meringueReturn to the oven briefly and use a torch to colour the meringue 🔥 Ready to serve! 🍓🍓
Hope everyone enjoy their final week of the holiday! 😉❤️
It’s VE Day today, and certainly given the current circumstances, I think everyone deserves to have a good, lazy, relaxing day. I did honestly feel a bit weird in the past week. Maybe I am being wore down or feeling uncertainty about the future? Sometimes, my mind can still racing and get a bit too ahead of itself, and I do tell myself to take it one day at a time when it happens. Ultimately, life still has a long way to go.
The weather has been increasingly hot, and certainly my small apartment has been feeling the heat lately! 😂🔥🔥 The warm weather does make me crave for some cool, fresh summer dessert. Last week for Lockdown Bake Club, I made this rainbow fruit meringue served with my homemade rainbow ice cream. Perfect for eating under the sun! ☀️☀️ A rainbow is a symbol of hope 🌈🌈 and there is no doubt in my mind that there is still so much to look forward to in the future! ❤️
Stay strong and safe! I wish everyone a happy long weekend! ☺️
As we are approaching to the second half of June, summer holiday may have begun for some already. But for the past week, the sunlight was tucked behind the clouds in London. (Maybe it was ’cause I kept complaining how hot it was the week before?) For those of you who live in hot, exotic countries though, I wonder how many of you are sick of the heat by now? (Trust me, having lived in one before, I can empathise haha.)
But for now, how about enjoying a dessert? This mango and coconut meringue is one to enjoy be it cloudy or sunny weather. The combination of crunchy, marshmallowy meringue and soft whipped cream paired with tangy mangoes is one that can whisk you high up in the clouds. And with its vibrant yellow colours, it was as if the sunshine is brought into the house. ☀️ 😊
Mango and Coconut Meringue
Quantity: 1 meringue
Ingredients:
75g egg whites
100g caster sugar
50g icing sugar
Yellow food colouring
Half a mango, peeled, stoned and sliced into pieces
100ml double cream
80g mango pulp/purée
Desiccated coconut
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 140C/ 275F/ Gas 1.
2. Make the French meringue by whisking egg whites in a clean mixing bowl. Add the caster sugar a bit at a time when whisking until stiff peaks are formed. (To test if it is ready, tip the bowl over and the meringue shouldn’t fall.)
3. Gently fold in the icing sugar into the meringue.
4. Brush stripes of the yellow food colouring inside a piping bag with a star nozzle. Place the meringue into the bag and pipe small peaks to form two circular discs of equal sizes.
5. Bake the meringue discs for about 1 hour, or until crisp and lightly coloured. Cool the meringues slowly in the oven, then open the oven slightly to cool further before taking them out to cool on a wire rack. (If the meringues are cooled down too fast, it may cause them to crack.)
6. Whisk the double cream to soft peaks. Mix 2-3 tablespoons of desiccated coconut into the cream.
7. When the meringue discs are completely cooled, spoon most of the whipped cream on top of one of the discs. Drizzle the mango pulp/purée over and place the mangos on top. Add the remaining double cream, and place the other meringue disc on top to finish assembling.
8. Sprinkle more desiccated coconut over the meringue before serving.
Tango's Baking 