Pink Peppercorn Meringues
I started making vacherins when I was in the south of France, at Pâtisserie Chéreau in Nice, and fell in love with this combination of meringue, creamy ice cream, fruit, sorbet, and whipped cream. We made big ones in France, but I like individual vacherins best. I use a stencil when I make these meringues in the restaurant, but I’ve adapted the recipe for a pastry bag here. The recipe makes more than you will need for the dessert, but it’s nearly impossible to whip any less egg white successfully. The meringues will keep for several days if you store them airtight, and they’re a great snack. Make as many of the composed desserts as you like. You will have enough sorbet and ice cream for up to 24.
Recipe information
Yield
serves 8
Ingredients
For the Meringues
For the Vacherins
To Serve
Preparation
For the Meringues
Step 1
Heat the oven to 150°F.
Step 2
Line a baking sheet with parchment and trace twenty-four 2-inch circles onto the paper. Turn the parchment over, so the ink won’t bleed into the meringues.
Step 3
Put the egg whites and a tiny bit of cream of tartar in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the whisk. Turn it on to low, and beat the whites gently for 2 minutes, to start establishing a structure. The whites will look frothy but still a bit wet. Turn the speed up to medium and add 2 tablespoons of the granulated sugar. Continue to beat at medium speed until the whites have body and are just shy of having soft peaks. Add 2 more tablespoons of the sugar and continue beating until the whites have formed firm peaks. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon sugar and beat until the whites are glossy and smooth and almost stiff. Keep your eye on the whites, so you don’t overbeat them. If the whites get grainy, they’re useless.
Step 4
Sift the confectioners’ sugar over the whites and sprinkle on the ground peppercorns. Fold in gently but thoroughly.
Step 5
Transfer the meringue to a pastry bag fitted with a small plain round tip (#803 is perfect) and pipe out neat concentric circles from the outside in, using the circles you drew as a guide. Keep inside the tracings so the finished meringues will fit into 2-inch ring molds. Bake the meringues for about 1 hour, until crisp. Cool completely and store in an airtight container.
For the Vacherins
Step 6
Set a meringue in the bottom of a 2 x 2-inch ring mold. Fill the mold about half full with sorbet, using the back of a spoon to press the sorbet up against the sides all the way to the top, leaving a well in the center. Clean the edges and freeze for at least 2 hours until firm. Repeat for each serving.
Step 7
Put a spoonful of strawberries in the sorbet well of each mold and cover with white chocolate ice cream, filling the mold to the top and evening it off. Return to the freezer for at least 2 hours or up to 2 days.
To Serve
Step 8
Rub each mold briskly between your hands to release the vacherin. Set it on a small plate and top with some vanilla whipped cream. Crumble a few leaves of crystallized verbena over the top as a garnish, if you want, and serve.
make it simpler
Step 9
You could buy meringues from a good pastry shop (you won’t find them perfumed with pink peppercorns, though). You could also crumble the meringues and layer the components in a parfait glass, like a trifle. Just make sure to keep the amount of each component the same.
