Secrets from the kitchen

Soft Hazelnut meringue with summer fruit compote and Chantilly Cream

Recipe

Meringue Mixture

• 3 egg whites
• 190g caster sugar
• 100g toasted/chopped hazelnuts
• 300g corn flour
• 1 tbsp white wine vinegar

Place egg whites in an electric mixer and start to whip up slowly then increase speed. Once the mixture is at soft peeks slowly add the caster sugar in to the mixing bowl. Mix the corn flour and white wine vinegar to the mixture and fold in the toasted hazelnuts (remember the nuts must be cool at this stage).

Take a large baking tray line it with grease proof paper, add a large dollop of the mixture on the baking tray and continue 2-3 cm apart from each of them.

Bake @140 for 40 mins and then remove to cool

Summer fruit Compote

• 500g of fresh berries – (Blueberries, Strawberries, Raspberries)
• 300g Caster Sugar
• 100ml Tap Water
• 1tsp Vanilla Essence
• 1 Juice from a whole Lemon

Split the 500g of fruit in to 2 piles, put one half to the side and take the other half along with all the sugar, vanilla essence water and lemon juice pop it in to a medium saucepan and put on a low heat, bring to the boil then reduce the heat and simmer for 10-15 mins. When the fruit looks like it is starting to breakdown and go very soft remove from the heat. Take an electric hand blender and ever so gently blend the compote but making sure you do not puree it. Add the remainder of the fresh berries once the mixture had cooled down slightly.

Chantilly Cream

• 200ml of double whipping cream
• 6 tbls of icing sugar (add more if needed)
• Pinch of vanilla pods

Put all ingredients together in a plastic bowl and Whisk up with an electric hand whisker, until firm but not over beaten.

This is the perfect summer dessert if you're entertaining and so quick and easy to make. It can all be made in advance so completely stress free as well!!! This dessert if delicious served with a summer cocktail something like a Mojito! See my recipe below for a quick, simple but delicious one.

Sophie’s Summer Mojito... and slightly easy on the hip with fewer calories!!

(Please do not drive once consumed!)

• A nice big glass (wide and tall)
• Crushed Ice
• A good sprig of fresh mint (torn)
• 50ml of White Rum
• 150ml of soda water
• 11/2 tbsp Canderel (more if you need it to be sweeter)

Crush the ice in with the mint with the end of a rolling pin or something similar in a glass, add the white rum, canderel and top up with the soda water, garnish with a straw and a sprig of mint leaves! Sit back in the sun and enjoy!

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