Apple meringue express
September 14, 2011 • Category: Dessert
A spoonful of crunchy meringue, smooth and slightly tangy applesauce, nuts coated in maple caramel, and finally crumbly Digestive cookies. The assembly of this dessert takes minutes and the preparation can be scheduled over a couple of days.
Digestive cookies are great but Graham crackers can be substituted or LU cookies or any buttery cookies that would taste just as good crumbled as in one piece!
The applesauce is homemade with a bunch of apples that were languishing in the fridge.
The apple peels can be used to make an apple-flavored syrup to drink throughout the week.
The meringues are homemade but buying them is really not a bad idea.
INGREDIENTS: 6 servings
- 2 pounds of cut-up apples
- 4 tablespoons of powdered sugar (or more to taste)
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1/4 cup of water
Make the applesauce by peeling and cutting the apples in small dice (try to cut them in the same size). Place the apples, sugar, lemon juice and water in a large pot; bring to a simmer and cover; cook for 5 minutes. Cool the apples a bit then mash with an immersion blender or leave as is if you like texture.
Meringues: Bring 2 egg whites to room temperature. Beat till frothy, add 1/4 teaspoon of cream of tartar and continue beating, adding gradually 1 1/2 cup of sugar. When the meringue is shiny and stiff, stop beating it and drop large spoonfuls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 200F for 45 minutes or longer, until the meringues are dry and crispy.
To caramelize the nuts:
Using 1 cup of chopped nuts (I used walnuts or pecans), heat a little butter in a skillet and toast the nuts for a few minutes, carefully watching to prevent them burning; add 1/4 cup of maple syrup to the nuts and swirl it around to coat them evenly. Cool.
Assembly: Crumble the cookies and place the equivalent of one cookie in each glass; add a couple of tablespoons of glazed nuts and add 1/2 cup of applesauce on top of the nuts and biscuit. Finish with the meringue crumbled coarsely on top of the applesauce.
To make the apple-flavored syrup: Place the peels, several cups of water, the juice of half a lemon and 1 1/2 cup of sugar in a large pot; add either the seeds of a vanilla pod, a cinnamon stick or a couple of cardamom pods. Simmer gently for 45 minutes (until the mixture looks syrupy). Strain and reserve the syrup to use as a drink (add more water to taste) or to use on any apple cake or muffins.
Comments
13 Comments • Comments Feed
Magic of Spice says:
What a lovely idea…loving the texture combinations here, and looks so pretty 🙂
On September 14, 2011 at 7:02 pm
Julia @ Mélanger says:
What a great, fast dessert. It’s certainly looks more involved than it really is. Perfect!!
On September 14, 2011 at 8:41 pm
Belinda @zomppa says:
Goodness – what a perfect combination with the light meringue and depth of the graham crackers.
On September 14, 2011 at 9:42 pm
Hélène (Cannes) says:
Tu sais que je suis allée ramasser dans un château du Var 12 kilos de pommes le weekend dernier ? Je ne sais plus qu’en faire, d’autant que la conservation en appartement ne sera pas éternelle … Ta petite recette, remarquablement mise en valeur par tes photos, en plus, sera vite sur ma table. Il est encore très tôt ici mais je vais aller “compoter” tout de suite, avant d’aller travailler.
Bisous et bonne journée
Hélène
On September 14, 2011 at 11:12 pm
Banana Wonder says:
Oh yum! I have been thinking about apples a lot since it’s turning Fall-ish here in the Pacific NW. I love how you added meringue on top… so pretty!
On September 14, 2011 at 11:18 pm
Rosa says:
A delightful dessert!
Cheers,
Rosa
On September 14, 2011 at 11:46 pm
Sutapa says:
Eye appealing dessert and fast too!
On September 15, 2011 at 12:49 am
Barbara says:
Delicious, Joumana. Rather like Eton Mess…which is one of my favorites. Crunch on top and crunch on the bottom AND a super way to use applesauce, which I always make from scratch in the fall and freeze. You’ve served it like a verrine too. Love it.
On September 15, 2011 at 4:46 am
sare says:
Dessert is perfect. I love apples, I also find apple-flavored syrup is scrumptious. At home we always drink cinnamon stick flavored water.
On September 15, 2011 at 5:21 am
deana says:
It’s sort of an apple eton mess, isn’t it? I love the combination, Joumana and I guess we both were thinking fast desserts this week! I love the smooth crunchy combination in food.
On September 15, 2011 at 8:55 am
Krista says:
Oh wow – that maple caramel over the nuts sounds incredible!!! 🙂
On September 15, 2011 at 1:05 pm
Jamie says:
Perfect! Fast, tasty and how I love making and eating meringues! Really great dessert!
On September 15, 2011 at 6:28 pm
domi says:
Douceur et croustillant…tout est là pour notre plaisir gourmand
On September 28, 2011 at 12:04 pm