Fiona Poole Ben O’Donoghue’s Mixed Berry Meringue Swiss Roll
A catch up with our neighbours from 3 years ago got me back into the kitchen briefly after the Christmas gluttony.
We had a lovely light lunch with Maggie Beer’s Slow Cooked Pepper and Balsamic Beef and salad followed by a Mixed Berry Meringue Swiss Roll from Ben O’Donoghue’s BBQ cookbook. I have written about Ben’s book previously and have made this desert a few times now as it is quick and easy and oh so good!
I didn’t get a chance to take a photo of the beef as we ate all 2kgs between the six of us! I will be making it again so will post the details then.
The following recipe is directly from Ben’s BBQ cookbook, I made my meringue in the oven, same temps and times. For convenience, I also used frozen berries instead of fresh, defrosting them and draining away the extra juice.
Ingredients
Base:
4 large egg whites
1 cup caster sugar
Butter for greasing
50g flaked almonds
Icing sugar for dusting
Mint leaves
Filling:
30ml thickened cream
1 vanilla pod, split and scraped
50g raspberries
50g blackberries
50g blueberries
100g strawberries, quartered
Method
Prepare your barbecue for indirect cooking over a high heat (200°C if you have a thermometer).
Whisk the egg whites with ¼ cup of sugar until just stiff. Add the remaining sugar and whisk until the mixture is stiff and glossy.
Grease a baking tray with butter and line with baking paper. Spoon the meringue over the paper evenly, then sprinkle with flaked almonds.
Place the tray between the heat sources for indirect cooking and close the lid. Cook at 200°C for 8-10 minutes, or until the almonds are golden. Keep an eye on things at this stage.
Open the barbeque and cool slightly. Close the lid, reduce the heat to around 160°C and cook for a further 15-20 minutes, or until firm to the touch.
Spread out a piece of baking paper, around the same size as the meringue, and dust with icing sugar. When the meringue is ready, turn it out onto the paper. Remove the baking paper from the bottom and allow to cool.
To make the filling, whip the cream with the seeds from the vanilla pod. Spread the cream evenly over the meringue, then scatter the mixed berries over the cream.
Starting from the long edge of the meringue, roll up tightly, using the paper to help lift and roll. Secure the roll tightly, leaving it wrapped in the paper, and chill for 45 minutes in the refrigerator.
Serve the meringue roll garnished with mint leaves and accompanied by additional fresh berries.
Fiona Poole 