Yotam Ottolenghi's Luscious Meringue Roulade

This luscious meringue roulade comes from Plenty More, Yotam Ottolenghi‘s fantastic new cookbook.

 One of the world's most creative vegetarian chefs, he has again worked his magic with fresh vegetables, grains, spices and exotic ingredients. The recipes will delight and surprise you.

Light, pretty, festive and special, this roulade can pull off the trick of being either the Christmas yule log (without the chocolate and the sponge) or the perfect pudding for a midsummer lunch.

MERINGUE ROULADE WITH ROSE PETALS AND FRESH RASPBERRIES
SERVES EIGHT

Meringue

4 egg whites (120g)
250g caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp white wine vinegar
1 tsp cornflour

Cream

100g mascarpone
1 tbsp icing sugar, plus
extra for dusting
1½ tbsp rose water
400ml whipping cream

Filling

150g fresh raspberries
2 tbsp dried rose petals
1 tsp slivered pistachios (or
regular if unavailable) crushed

• Preheat the oven to 160ºC/140ºC Fan/Gas Mark 3.
• Line the base and sides of a 33cm x 24cm Swiss roll tin with greaseproof paper. Allow the paper to come about 1cm above the sides of the tin.
• In a large, clean bowl, whisk the egg whites with an electric mixer until they begin to firm up. Add the caster sugar to the whisking whites in spoonfuls or tip into the bowl in a slow stream. Continue whisking until you achieve a firm, glossy meringue. Using a large metal spoon, gently fold in the vanilla essence, vinegar and cornflour. Spread the mixture inside the lined tin and level with a palette knife.
• Bake in the oven for 30 minutes, until a crust forms and the meringue is cooked through (it will still feel soft to the touch). Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the tin.
• Tip the cooled meringue on to a fresh piece of greaseproof paper. Carefully peel off the lining paper.
• Meanwhile, place the mascarpone in a large mixing bowl, along with the icing sugar and rose water. Whisk to combine and become smooth, then add the whipping cream. Whisk by hand for about 4 minutes, until the cream just holds its shape. (You can do this in an electric mixer but keep a close eye on it as it’s easy to over-mix.) Spread most of the mascarpone cream over the original underside of the meringue, reserving a few tablespoons. Leave a small border around the edge of the meringue.
• Scatter most of the raspberries and 1½ tablespoons of rose petals all over the cream.
• Use the paper to assist you in rolling up the meringue along its long edge, until you get a perfect log shape. Carefully transfer the log on to a serving dish. Use the remaining cream to create a rough wavy strip along the top of the log. Chill for at least 30 minutes.
• When ready to serve, dust the log with icing sugar, scatter the remaining rose petals, along with the pistachios, over the top, and dot with the remaining raspberries.

This recipe  was published with kind permission from Plenty More by Yotam Ottolenghi. Ebury Press. RRP $69.99. The photograph was by Jonathan Lovekin.

This recipe and review first appeared on The Breeze ( Auckland radio station ) website to which I am a regular contributor