There is always a debate about Christmas dessert in my family, and I get many requests. The staples are always there: mince pies, sticky toffee pudding. But I like to bring something new to the table each year and am intrigued to see if it will enter the Gill family canon. This Christmas, I’m making a decadent but surprisingly refreshing mango creme brulee and some chic brown sugar meringues studded with syrupy tinned cherries and laced with coffee cream, both from my new book. Christmas eating should be all about pleasure and letting go, and neither of these will disappoint.
Brown sugar meringues with coffee cream and cherries (pictured top)
These feel fantastically fancy, rich and decadent, but they are super-easy.
Prep 25 min
Cook 2 hr
Makes 6-8 large meringues
For the meringues
5 egg whites (150g)
¼ tsp cream of tartar
230g soft dark brown sugar
2 tbsp cornflour
For the coffee cream
200g mascarpone
60g caster sugar
A pinch of flaky salt
1 tbsp instant coffee granules, dissolved in 1-2 tbsp warm water
400ml double cream
To serve
200g tinned cherries in syrup, drained, or fresh cherries, pitted
50g grated chocolate
Heat the oven to 120C (100C fan)/250F/gas low, and line two large baking trays with greaseproof paper.
Put the egg whites and cream of tartar in a large, clean bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, then use an electric handheld whisk or the whisk attachment on the stand mixer to beat the whites on a medium speed until frothy. Add half the brown sugar, whisk until thick, then add the remaining brown sugar and whisk on a medium speed until the meringue mix is really thick and stable – when you lift out the whisk, the meringue should hold its shape in a stiff peak; if it doesn’t, keep whisking. Add the cornflour and beat slowly to combine.
Using a large metal spoon, dollop the meringue on to the lined trays, leaving space in between each one because they will expand as they cook. You’ll end up with six to eight large meringues.
Bake for an hour and a half to two hours. Test they are ready by gently lifting one off the paper: it should feel light and come away easily without sticking; if it’s resistant, it needs a little longer in the oven.
Remove and leave to cool completely on the trays. They will now keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days.
When you are ready to serve, make the coffee cream. In a large bowl, gently beat the mascarpone with a wooden spoon – basically, you want to smush it all around the sides of the bowl, so it’s easier to stir in the cream. Add the sugar, salt and dissolved coffee granules, and mix well. Add the cream, then whisk to a stiff cream.
To serve, spoon the coffee cream on to the meringues, top with the cherries and finish with a generous grating of chocolate.
Fiona Beckett’s drink pairing Given the cherries and chocolate, I’d go for a sweet red with this. The spicy, plummy NYX Mavrodaphne of Patras 2021 (£8 Asda, 15%) is terrific value.
Mango creme brulee
For a large group, double the quantities and bake for longer, but keep an eye out for signs that it’s done (see method). Canned mango pulp or puree really is a good ingredient for providing hope and joy when it feels a bit glum outside. A good way of checking whether the quantity of mango mixture will fit into a dish is to pop the dish on the scales, set them to zero and weigh in 600ml water – it should reach just below the lip of the dish with a roughly 1cm gap.
Prep 25 min
Cook 50 min
Serves 5-6
400ml double cream
200ml mango puree, fresh or canned
90g caster sugar, plus 4 tbsp extra for the brulee
Juice of ½ lime
100g egg yolks (about 5)
Heat the oven to 150C (130C fan)/300F/gas 2 and put the kettle on. Put a 600ml ovenproof casserole dish in a roasting tray in which it fits comfortably.
Put the cream, mango puree, half the sugar and the lime juice in a saucepan and cook, stirring occasionally, over a low heat until steaming.
In a heatproof bowl, whisk the egg yolks and the rest of the sugar until combined. When the cream mixture is steaming, pour it over the yolks and whisk to combine.
Pour this into the ovenproof dish, then transfer it (and its roasting tray) to the oven, being careful not to spill it. (You could pour the egg mixture directly into the dish once it’s in the oven, if you prefer, but that will depend on the angle of your oven door.) Once it’s in the oven, pour enough hot water from the boiled kettle into the roasting tray to come halfway up the sides of the dish containing the brulee mixture, then shut the door and bake for 45 minutes. When it’s ready, the custard should be set on top and the middle should jiggle ever so slightly, but it shouldn’t look wet. You should be able lightly to touch the edges with your fingertips.
Carefully remove from the oven and leave to sit in its hot water bath for a few minutes. Lift the dish out of the bain-marie, leave to cool, then transfer to the fridge – this is best served cold.
Before you brulee the top, check the mix doesn’t look wet on top; if it does, use a piece of kitchen paper gently to pat off the moisture. Sprinkle two tablespoons of sugar evenly over the top, then wipe clean the edges of the dish, because they’ll burn if the blowtorch flame touches them. Blowtorch (or grill) the sugar until caramelised, then leave to sit for three to five minutes, until it’s no longer hot. Repeat with the remaining two tablespoons of sugar, then leave to cool so the caramel sets hard. Serve immediately.
If you don’t have a blowtorch, put the dish under a high grill. Keep an eye on it because you’ll need to move it quite quickly as soon as the top starts to go golden, catch colour and bubble in a few places. Remove from the grill and leave to cool before repeating with the second sprinkling of sugar. Remove from the grill and cool before popping it back in the fridge for 10 minutes before serving – when using a grill to caramelise a brulee, it can often heat up the custard a touch too much, which is why it needs a bit of extra cooling time.
Fiona Beckett’s drink pairing A brilliant dessert to show off a sweet wine. I’d go for a Jurançon, or Adnams’ gorgeously peachy Fine Dessert Wine Pacherenc du Vic-Bilh 2020 (£11.49 for 50cl, 12%) from south-west France.
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These recipes are edited extracts from Ravneet Gill’s new book, Baking for Pleasure: Comforting Recipes to Bring You Joy, published on 7 December by Pavilion Books at £26. To order a copy for £22.88, go to guardianbookshop.com
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