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Susan Jung

There are dishes I won't make in summer. It's not that they're too heavy to eat when it's warm outside, or that they take too long to cook and therefore make the kitchen even hotter. Rather, it's that certain dishes simply won't survive when it's very humid. Now that the weather is becoming a little more tolerable, I can get back to making meringues and confectionary that - if made on a muggy day - would quickly become soggy.
Brown sugar meringues with spiced brandied cherries and ice cream (pictured)
Cherries might be difficult to find because we're near the end of the season; other fruit, such as plums, nectarines and peaches, are delicious alternatives.
For the meringues:
125 grams egg white, at room temperature
1/4 tsp fine sea salt
135 grams light brown sugar
10 grams cornstarch
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
For the cherries:
500 grams fresh cherries, pitted
45ml fresh orange juice
100 grams granulated sugar
A small cinnamon stick
2 cloves
3 whole black peppercorns
15ml fresh lemon juice
45ml brandy
To serve:
Vanilla ice cream (or double cream)
Preheat the oven to 110 degrees Celsius. Use a marker to draw six circles, about 7cm in diameter, on a sheet of parchment paper, leaving about 5cm between each one. Put the parchment paper marked-side down on a baking sheet (you should be able to see the markings through the paper).
Press the sugar and cornstarch through a fine sieve to remove any lumps. Put the egg white into a clean, dry bowl. Use an electric mixer fitted with clean, dry beaters to whisk the egg white until it's foamy. Add the salt then, with the mixer speed on medium, beat in the sugar-and-cornstarch mixture a heaped tablespoon at a time. When all the sugar and cornstarch has been added, turn the mixer speed to high and beat until it's light and glossy with medium-firm peaks. Beat in one teaspoon of lemon juice.
Transfer the meringue mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a 6mm plain or fluted tip. Pipe concentric circles on the parchment paper, using the markings as your guide. Pipe a rim onto each meringue circle at the edge. Place in the oven and bake at 110 degrees for two to three hours, or until the meringues are firm and crisp. Let them cool in the oven then store them in one layer in an air-tight container until ready to serve.
Heat the orange juice in a skillet, add the sugar and stir over a low flame until dissolved. Add the cherries, cinnamon, cloves, peppercorns and the lemon juice. Turn the heat to medium-high and cook until the cherries start to give off their juice. Stir in the brandy and simmer vigorously for several minutes. Transfer to a bowl then refrigerate until cold.
If using double cream, whisk it briefly so it thickens until it holds its shape.
Place a meringue on each plate and add a scoop of ice cream or spoonful of double cream. Spoon some of the cherries on top and serve immediately.
Chocolate-coated salted butter toffee
This is the crunchy version of toffee, not the type that resembles chewy caramel. Use top-quality salted butter - you can taste the difference. I use the Ehire brand.
230 grams sliced almonds, divided
125 grams salted butter
175 grams granulated sugar
15 grams corn syrup
500 grams bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
Spray one or two large baking sheets with pan coating, line them as smoothly as possible with kitchen foil then lightly spray again. Spray a metal spatula with pan coating and set these aside.
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees and toast the almond until pale golden. Cool the nut pieces then finely chop 30 grams of them. Roughly chop the remainder and set them aside in separate bowls.
Melt the butter in a saucepan, add the sugar and corn syrup and stir until dissol- ved. Use a wet pastry brush to wipe the sugar crystals from the side of the pan. Attach a candy thermometer to the side of the pan so the tip is submerged in the caramel but isn't touching the bottom of the pan. Simmer the caramel without stirring until it reaches 150 degrees. Stir in the 30 grams of almond, then use the metal spatula to quickly spread the mixture about 4mm thick on the prepared tray(s). Cool completely.
Use paper towels to blot the fat from the surface of the toffee. Chop the chocolate into small pieces and place in a microwaveable bowl. Microwave the chocolate, stirring every 30 seconds so it doesn't burn, until it's about 80 per cent melted. Remove from the microwave and stir until the residual heat melts the remaining chocolate. Spread half the chocolate over the toffee and scatter with half the rough chopped almond. Refrigerate until the chocolate is firm then invert the toffee onto another pan. Peel the foil from the toffee and use paper towels to blot up any fat. Spread the remaining chocolate over the toffee, scatter with the remaining almond and refrigerate until the chocolate is firm. Break up the toffee into uneven pieces and store in a cool place (a wine fridge is ideal) in an air-tight container.
Styling: Corner Kitchen Cooking School
 


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Brown sugar meringues with spiced brandied cherries and ice cream. Photo: Jason Bonello

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