Never Ending Meringue Tranche (1.6 metres / 5.2 ft)
Recipe VIDEO below. Named as such because it can be made as long as you want!!! Light as air meringue that can be made days in advance, topped with cream and fresh fruit, this is less "risky" to make than Pavlova in the height of a hot, humid summer. A dessert spectacular that will be the talk of the town to years to come! Scale recipe by using slider on Servings (click & slide).
Prep Time25 minutesmins
Cook Time1 hourhr15 minutesmins
Total Time1 hourhr40 minutesmins
Servings: 16- 20 people
Calories: 201cal
Author: Nagi
Ingredients
Meringue:
180 ml / 6 oz egg whites, 5 to 6 eggs (Note 1)
300 g / 10 oz caster sugar(superfine sugar)
Toppings:
600 ml / 20 oz heavy whipping cream
1tspvanilla extract
3tbspcaster sugar(superfine sugar)
2large mangoes
500 g / 1 lbstrawberries(2 punnets)
450 g / 15 ozraspberries and blueberries(mix and match, 3 Aus punnets in total together)
Optional:
Icing sugar / powdered sugar, for dusting (optional)
Chopped fresh mint
Instructions
Prep:
Preheat oven to 120C/250F (standard) or 100C/210F (fan/convection).
Mark 2 rectangles 11 x 40 cm / 4.5 x 15" on a sheet of baking paper using pencil, with 2.5cm / 1" between each outline. Repeat with another sheet of paper (so 4 outlines).
Find 2 baking trays large enough so the outline fits on the tray surface when the tray is turned upside down (rim gets in way of piping).
Fit a large piping bag with a 11mm / 0.5" round nozzle. (Ziplock: Note 2)
Meringue:
Separate the egg whites while the eggs are fridge cold.
Place whites in a large clean, dry bowl. Whip until it all turns into foam and there's no liquid whites left (1 minute on speed 8 with KitchenAide).
With the beater still going, add the sugar one heaped tablespoon at a time - about 1 minute.
After the sugar is added, crank the beater up to speed 10 and whip for 1 minute. Fluff should be glossy and when you rub between fingers, there should be barely any sugar grit - a bit is ok.
Tart (video is helpful):
Spoon half the meringue into piping bag (Note 3).
Dab small amount on the corner of an upside down baking tray. Place paper on tray pencil marking side down.
Pipe filling inside the lines - don't worry if there are gaps (loads in my video). Use dessert spoon to smooth surface - the base should be about 1/2 cm thick (rises to ~7 mm cooked).
Pipe blobs along one short end (to make tart ends) and all along both long sides. Do this to both on Tray 1. Place in oven.
Repeat with remaining meringues on Tray 2, but do not pipe blobs along the short end (these will be the middle pieces). Place in oven on shelf just below Tray 1.
Use any remaining meringue to make extra small blobs (good for repairs / decoration / nibbling). Place this tray on the floor of oven.
Bake for 45 minutes, then swap the two trays (tray with blobs not a priority, leave it!).
Bake for further 30 minutes, then turn off the oven, keep door closed and leave to cool (can keep in oven even for days). Meringue should be dry and crisp, able to lift off paper.
Assembling:
Place cream, vanilla and sugar in a bowl and whip until soft peaks form.
Trim joining ends of meringues with knife so they are straight.
Dab cream on cut end and join meringues. Assemble where you plan to serve.
Spread over cream, top with fruit, dust with sugar. Serve immediately, and puff up with pride when lavished with compliments!
Notes
1. Eggs and therefore egg whites differ in size, and also the amount of egg whites you get out of each egg can depend on how well you separate them. So for things like Pavlova and Meringue, I find it much better to measure egg whites by volume to ensure consistency of outcome.I have found that about 150 ml / 5 oz of whites (4 eggs) can be enough to make 4 tart shells, but I've had practice to make thin tart bases / transferring into piping bag. So it's safer to use 180ml, about 5 to 6 eggs, just in case!LEARNER TIP: Separate the whites from the yolks in a small bowl one at a time, so if you accidentally pierce the yolk, you don't ruin the whole batch of whites. Because even a tiny bit of yolk = whites won't fluff. I separate yolks by cracking the egg and passing the yolk and forth between the shells so the white slides out. If you are a beginner, use clean hands and crack egg into your fingers, and let the whites slide through.2. If you don't have a piping bag, use a large ziplock bag and snip the corner. Tip: You can get disposable piping bags at the supermarket nowadays (as well as non disposable ones!).3. Fastest way to do this: find tall, thin container or jar. Fit bag inside and fold over edges to secure. Use large cooking spoon to scoop up mounds of meringue, then a rubber spatular to scrape it into the bag.4. ASSEMBLING: Meringue will soften after about 1.5 hours once the cream and fruit is piled on. So assemble just before serving.5. SERVING PLATTER: This tart is 1.5 m / 5 feet long, so the biggest challenge is where to assemble it! In the long photo at the top, I've just used a long wooden board I use for photo props and placed the meringue on paper. At the party I catered for my mother, I just used paper directly on the table, and placed the meringue on a diagonal. If you have a long piece of fencing or anything long enough to fit the tart, cover it with foil then assemble on that so it's mobile.6. MAKE AHEAD: The meringue keeps for days and days in an airtight container or closed turned off oven. In super hot humid weather, I am extra cautious and only keep the meringue for 3 days. When it's cooler, I keep it for 5 to 7 days. If you struggle to find a container long enough, use a baking tray and cover in lots of cling wrap. To transport 8 pieces to a party, I used an under bed storage box!7. TOPPINGS: Also consider using yoghurt, custard, canned fruit, compotes, stewed fruits!8. Nutrition per serving, assuming 20 servings (slice 8 x 12 cm / 3.2x 4.7").