Sweetness and light
AUGUST, a very fine month for feasts. St Alphonsus Mary de Liguori, a great preacher; St Eusebius of Vercelli, starved to death in his own home by the wicked Arian emperor Constantius (he would be an ideal patron for famine relief); St Laurence, roasted to death on a grid-iron, obvious patron for barbecues; then the great feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a ladies' feast to be celebrated with sweet delicacies, according to Elizabeth Luard. This is a receipt for creamy meringues filled with egg custard, which were made by the nuns in Portugal for the feast-day.
Soft meringues with egg custard Sospiros corn oyes moles The custard: 12 oz sugar 3/4 pint water 1 curl of lemon peel 6 oz rice flour 9 egg yolks. The meringues: 13/4 lbs caster sugar 3/4 pint water 9 egg whites 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1/2 teaspoon salt
First the custard. Put the sugar and 1/2 pint of the water in a saucepan, bring to the boil with the lemon peel, stirring until it dis- solves into a syrup. Remove the peel and boil the syrup until it reaches hard-ball stage, 246F on a sugar thermometer or when a drop hardens on an icy saucer. Meanwhile mix the rice flour with the remaining water. Whisk the egg yolks until light and frothy. Pour the boiling syrup in a thin stream into the egg yolks, whisking assiduously as you pour. Stir in the rice flour mix. Return all to a gentle heat and simmer very, very gently, stirring all the time with a wooden spoon until the custard holds the trace of the spoon. Make sure it doesn't catch on the base of the pan. Pour into a bowl, cover with cling film and allow to cool. This can all be done the day before if you are feeling exhausted.
For the meringues, preheat the oven to Gas 2, 300F, 150C. Dissolve the sugar in the water, then boil steadily until it reaches the soft-ball stage, 236F on the sugar thermometer or making a soft ball when dripped onto an icy saucer. Whisk the egg whites with the lemon juice and salt until they are stiff. Pour in the boiling syrup, whisking away as with the custard. Go on whisking until it is stiff and shining white. Line baking trays with baking parchment (such a godsend for meringues). Drop on rounded tablespoons of the egg whites and bake for 30 minutes. Leave them in the turned-off oven for an hour to dry out. Sandwich the meringues together with the custard. Delicious with iced fruit drinks or iced coffee. This makes about six dozen meringues, suitable for a party, but of course you can cut the quantities to suit your needs.
I was on some crazy food quiz with another festive lady last week, the tiny Sophie Grigson, which reminded me of a really easy and heavenly pudding she gave us in the Evening Standard, so for further- afield readers here it is.
Amaretti and Strawberry Terrine 1 pint double cream
2 teaspoons rosewater 1 oz caster sugar 1 oz vanilla sugar 21/2 oz amaretti biscuits, crushed 8 oz strawberries, hulled and quartered Raspberry sauce: 10 oz raspberries icing sugar to sweeten lemon juice 4oz butter, or good margarine if preferred Whip the cream with the rose water until just stiff, fold in the sugars (if you haven't got vanilla sugar or rose water, never mind, just use 2 oz of sugar with a few drops of real vanilla essence). Add the crushed amaretti, mix well. Line a 21/2 pint loaf tin with silver foil. Spread half the cream mixture on the base of the tin. Cover with the strawberries, pressing them gently into the cream. Cover with the rest of the mixture, smoothing it lightly into place. Cover with foil and chill in the refrigerator for six hours or overnight. Crush the raspberries through a sieve (or Mouli), add a dash of lemon juice and just enough sugar to sweeten a touch, but keep it tartish. Just before serving, turn the terrine out onto a dainty dish, ease off the foil, decorate with a few raspberries or strawberries and pour the sauce around it, like the pool of blood in which, `the bravest 'Truscans lay'.
Jennifer Paterson
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