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Meringues double crème
Meringues à la crème double de la Gruyère: crisp meringues with Gruyère double cream and berries
In the cheese town of Gruyères, every restaurant on the cobbled main street serves the same dessert: big, crisp, pale meringues, said to have been invented by a Swiss pastry cook in the Bernese Oberland, with a bowl of the region's famously thick crème double de la Gruyère, so rich it almost holds a spoon upright, and fresh berries. The cream is the star. Outside Switzerland, use the thickest double or clotted cream you can find. A common mistake is baking the meringues too hot, which browns them and leaves the inside sticky. Chef's tip: bake low and leave them to dry in the switched-off oven overnight, so they are crisp all the way through.
- Total time
- 140 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the meringues
- 4 egg whitesat room temperature
- 8 oz caster sugar
- ½ tsp lemon juice
To serve
- 10 ½ oz raspberries and strawberries
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Heat the oven to 225°F (fan 194°F). Line two trays with baking paper.
Step 2: Whisk 4 egg whites with ½ tsp lemon juice to soft peaks, then add 8 oz caster sugar a spoon at a time, whisking until stiff, glossy and the sugar has dissolved.
Step 3: Spoon 12 large oval meringues onto the trays.
Step 4: Bake for 1½–2 hours, until crisp and they lift off the paper. Common mistake: too hot; they brown and stay sticky.
120 minStep 5: Turn off the oven and leave them to dry inside overnight. Serve with 1 ¼ cups very thick double cream or clotted cream and 10 ½ oz raspberries and strawberries.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 380 kcal
- Protein
- 3 g
- Carbs
- 40 g
- Fat
- 24 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does meringues double crème take?
- About 140 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 120 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of caster sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
- What can I use instead of lemon juice?
- Lime juice, same amount.
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