Meringue Dessert Recipe

This delicious, whimsically named dessert from Marianna Vitale combines classic Italian meringue with semi freddo and almonds. The mixture of half icing sugar and half ground almonds used in the almond biscuits is known as a TPT - tant pour tant.

Italian meringue

75g of egg white
150g of sugar
30g of water

Semifreddo

165g of double cream
10g of pistachio paste
10g of raisins
45g of sliced almonds
15g of orange zest

Almond biscuit

125g of eggs
95g of icing sugar
145g of ground almonds
25g of flour
20g of butter, softened
80g of egg white

To plate

1 handful of flaked almonds
edible flowers
500ml of orange juice, reduced to 100ml

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Food mixer with whisk attachment
8cm demi-sphere moulds (6)

To make the Italian meringue, whisk the egg whites with 50g of the sugar on a stand mixer to soft peaks

150g of sugar
75g of egg white

Make a syrup in a small saucepan with the remaining sugar and the water. Bring the syrup to 121°C, then drizzle it down the side of the bowl into the stiffened egg white mixture, whisking continuously until the meringue is cool

30g of water

Transfer 75g of the meringue to a clean bowl and the rest into a piping bag with a star-shaped nozzle

For the semifreddo, semi-whip 100g of the cream and fold into the Italian merignue

165g of double cream

Mix in the rest of the cream and add the pistachio paste, raisins, almonds and orange. Pour the mixture into 8cm diameter semi-sphere moulds and place in the freezer for approximately 2 hours

10g of pistachio paste
10g of raisins
45g of sliced almonds
15g of orange zest

Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4

To make the almond biscuit, whisk the eggs with the icing sugar and ground almonds to make a soft mixture. Add the sieved flour and the softened butter

125g of eggs
95g of icing sugar
145g of ground almonds
25g of flour
20g of butter, softened

Whisk the egg whites to stiff peaks

75g of egg white

Gently mix all of the ingredients to form a dough then roll out to a thickness of 0.5cm. Cut out circles with a 8cm diameter cutter and bake on a tray for 10 minutes. Leave to cool

Remove the semifreddo from the moulds and sit on top of the biscuits. Place on plates and cover with the Italian meringue, piping from top to bottom in a swirl

Gently blowtorch the meringue until browned and transfer to a serving plate. Drizzle around the reduced orange juice. Sprinkle with flaked almonds and garnish with edible flowers to serve

1 handful of flaked almonds
edible flowers
500ml of orange juice, reduced to 100ml

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Marianna Vitale

By choosing to cook with simple, humble ingredients and adding her own twist to classic dishes, Marianna Vitale has managed to turn her quiet suburban restaurant into a Mecca for inventive, modern cuisine.

Pearls of the Mediterranean – semifreddo, meringue and almond biscuit

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