Foodie Friday: Lemon Balm-Blackberry Meringue

Last weekend I had enough people over to cook some recipes that make more than Keltin and I should each normally. For dinner I made
Coq Au Vin Blanc (from this post) and it turned out fantastic but for dessert I wanted something lighter. Thus I decided to try my hand at a meringue based sweet. To my delight and surprise ( I have limited experience making meringue) these turned out beautiful and delicious.

Meringue

• 3 Egg Whites – room temperature
• 1/2 Tsp. Vanilla
• 1/4 Tsp. Cream of Tartar
• 1 C. Sugar
• 2 Tbs. Lemon Balm or Lemon Verbena – finely chopped

Cream

• 1 C. Heavy Cream
• 1/2 C. Sour Cream
• 2 Tbs. Sugar
• 1/2 Tsp. Vanilla
• 2 Tbs. Lemon Balm or Lemon Verbena – finely chopped

Garnish

• 1/2 C. Blackberries – mashed
• 1/2 Tbs. Sugar
• Whole Blackberries
• Whole Lemon Balm or Lemon Verbena

1. Preheat oven to 300 ℉. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a reusable baking sheet. Set the sheet aside for later use.
2. Beat the egg whites, vanilla, and cream of tartar together on medium until soft peaks form. Add the sugar 1 Tbs. at a time until entire cup is used. Beat on high until stiff peaks form. Fold in lemon balm.
3. Pipe meringue into 3-inch circles on the prepared baking sheet. Make sure to build up the sides to make shells.
4. Bake 30 minutes. Turn off the oven, do not open the door and allow the meringue to dry for at least 1 hour.
5. Beat the heavy cream, sour cream, sugar, and vanilla on medium until soft peaks form. Fold in the lemon balm.
6. For the garnish, sprinkle the sugar on the 1/2 C. of blackberries and mash with a fork.
7. Speak the cream evenly over the meringue shells, drizzle with the mashed blackberries, garnish each meringue with a whole blackberry and lemon balm leaf.

This dessert is fairly labor intensive and the meringue can be difficult but it tastes like spring and is like biting into a cloud. I want to try a couple of variations of this recipe: Basil-Strawberry and Mint-Lemon. I will let you know how they turn out when I make them! Have a great Friday and a wonderful weekend!

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