Meringue Nests with Mango Mousse & Blueberries

    

For serious. IT'S ONLY FEBRUARY!?!?! UUUUGGGGGGGHHHHHH!!!! Why do we live here? Why don't we still live in San Francisco? Why don't we move to Hotlanta or Miami or Ibiza or somewhere? Wait, not Ibiza. We have no rhythm.

   

Um, well, obvy because being blue-eyed Brits we would BURN TO A CRISP, hence we don't live in warm places. Sun plus pale skin equals pain. FYI.

   

So here we are, in the winter. Where it's cold. And it's supposed to snow. 

       

  

So, we are going to live vicariously through, er, fruit. Tropical fruits. Mango to be exact. And berries.

  

There clearly aren't mangoes and blueberries growing in Boston or New York this time of year. But we can pretend that we are somewhere luscious and warm and beachy.

  

Plus, mangoes were on offer at the grocery store. Clearly the produce buyer at Whole Foods also got carried away with his/her dreams of warmth and waves. 

    

   

Meringue Nests with Mango Mousse & Blueberries
Makes 6-8 Nests (depending on size)

   

Print Recipe

   

For the Meringues:
4 extra-large egg whites, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 

   

For the Mango Mousse:
1 large, ripe mango, peeled and sliced
1-2 tablespoons granulated sugar
3/4 cup whipping cream

   

Blueberries for garnish

    

First make the meringues; preheat the oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Using a small glass and a pencil, draw 4 3 1/2-inch circles on each piece of paper. Turn the paper face down on the baking sheets.

   

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites, cream of tartar and salt on high speed until foamy. Slowly add 2/3 cup of the sugar and continue beating on high speed until the egg whites form very stiff peaks. Whisk in the vanilla. Carefully fold the remaining 1/3 cup sugar into the meringue. With a large star - shaped pastry tip (or a small one, we didn't have a large one) pipe a disk of meringue inside each circle. Pipe another layer or 2 around the edge to form the sides of the shells.

Bake for 2 hours, or until the meringues are dry and crisp but not browned. Turn off the heat and allow the meringues to sit in the oven for 2-4 hours.

For the mango mousse, puree mango slices in a blender until smooth. In an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the cream until firm peaks form. Gently fold the mango puree and whipped cream together. Add sugar to taste (depends on sweetness and ripeness of the mango...and your preference). 

Plate each meringue separately, and fill each nest with a heaping spoon of mango mousse and top with blueberries. Serve immediately.

Note: Store the mousse and meringues separately in air tight containers (the mousse in the fridge) until ready to serve so they don't get soggy.

Comments

[Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar]

These are so creative! Love this idea!

[Margie]

I just wanted to let you know I think you guys (women) are awesome. You have amazing recipes, and your commentary always makes me laugh.

Thank you