Spiced Poached Meringue with Chocolate Custard and Baked Meringues

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Recipe by: Kylie Millar - ContestantServes: 1-2

Ingredients

Baked meringue

15g egg white 30g caster sugar

Chocolate custard

125ml thickened cream 125ml milk 2 cinnamon sticks 2 vanilla beans 2 cloves 4 cardamom pods 1 egg yolk 50g caster sugar 50g dark chocolate 70% cocoa, melted

Poached meringues

500ml milk 3 cinnamon sticks 2 vanilla beans, split 5 cardamom pods 50g caster sugar 15g egg white 30g brown sugar

Spun toffee

2 fresh figs, quartered ½ cup caster sugar ½ cup water

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Method

Preparation: 30 minutesCooking:  1 hour 30 minutes

1. Preheat oven to 100°C fan forced. Line a flat baking tray with baking paper.

2. For baked meringues, whisk egg whites with an electric hand mixer to soft peaks, add sugar slowly and whisk until sugar has dissolved and meringue is glossy. Use a palette knife to smear meringue onto the prepared tray. Bake for 40 minutes until dry. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool, once cool break into shards. Increase oven to 180°C fan forced.

3. For chocolate custard, pour cream, milk and spices into a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Remove from heat and set aside to infuse for 10 minutes. Whisk yolk and sugar until pale and thick, bring milk mixture back to a simmer then strain, discarding the spices. Pour about 80ml of the infused milk over the yolk mixture and whisk until well combined, then pour in the remaining milk mixture. Return to the saucepan and stir over medium-low heat until thickened. Remove from the heat and stir through melted chocolate.

4. For poached meringue, place milk, cinnamon, vanilla, cardamom and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes, then strain and return liquid to the pan. In a clean bowl whisk egg white until soft peaks, slowly add brown sugar, whisk until sugar has dissolved and meringue is glossy. Return the infused milk to a simmer. Spoon quenelles of the meringue into the poaching liquid and cook for two minutes, turn over and cook for another two minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towel.

5. For figs, place cut-side up on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until starting to caramelise. Set aside to cool.

6. For spun toffee, place sugar and water in a medium saucepan over low to medium heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat and allow to caramelise. Interlace two forks and place a long sheet of baking paper on a flat surface. Once toffee is golden, remove from heat. Dip forks into the toffee and flick back and forth over the baking paper. Once set gather spun toffee into a sphere.

7. To serve, pour warm custard into a serving glass, carefully place a poached meringue on top of the custard, top with figs and serve baked meringue shards and spun toffee on the side.