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Apple Meringue Whether you use leftover baked apples from the Apple Bonne Femme, or apples cooked especially for this dish, the Apple Meringue makes an interesting dessert. If you cook the apples especially for this dish, omit the apricot jam; you really don't need that extra sweetness with the meringue. The apples can be cooked days ahead, but the addition of the meringue and the browning should be done as close as possible to serving time. The apples can be cooked ahead, covered with meringue and baked, in which case they will be cool on the inside and hot on the outside. The dish could also be prepared with hot or lukewarm apples, or cold apples that have been reheated—it's a matter of personal taste. Serve with the sauce left from the Apple Bonne Femme, or the cooking juices if you bake the apples especially for this recipe. A meringue is nothing more than beaten egg whites with the addition of sugar. The standard proportions for meringue are 1 cup sugar to 4 egg whites. (We used a little less sugar in this meringue because the apples have already been sweetened.) The sugar stabilizes the beaten egg whites, preventing them from breaking down; it makes them shiny and elastic. Meringue can be piped out on trays and dried in the oven, then stored in a tin to be served with ice cream, whipped cream, or fresh fruit, or spread on top of pies, such as lemon meringue pie, or used to make butter creams and mousses. 2 egg whites 1/3 cup sugar 3 whole baked apples (can be left over from Apple Bonne Femme) Beat the egg whites by hand or machine. When they are firm and hold a peak, add the sugar and keep beating for about 15 to 20 seconds, until the whites are smooth, shiny, and firm. Arrange the apples on a large ovenproof platter or on individual plates that can go in the oven. Fit a pastry bag with a 1/2-inch star tube and fill it with the meringue. Pipe the meringue onto the apples, either in a spiral around the apple or in strips from bottom to top one next to the other. Cover the apples completely, finishing with a little crown on top. Heat the meringue apples in a 450-degree oven for 5 minutes. Serve immediately with the sauce from the cooking of the apples. 3 SERVINGS Return to Top |
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