French Rosemary Meringue with Cabernet Reduction, Fresh Summer Berries, Vanilla Ice Cream & Chocolate Sauce

Ingredients for Meringue

100g                     Egg Whites
100g                     Castor Sugar
100g                     Icing Sugar
15g                       Corn Flour
5g                          Rosemary, finely chopped

Method

Pre heat oven to 80*C
Prepare an oven tray with either a silicone mat or baking paper
Mix together the sugars, corn flour and rosemary
Beat the eggs until soft peak in an electric beater, this is a long process so trying it by hand will be tiring.

Add in the dry ingredient one tablespoon at a time, making sure that it is fully incorporated before adding the next. Once everything has been mixed in keep on mixing until the egg mix is glossy and almost hard peak stage.

Put into a piping bag, pipe onto the tray keeping about a finger width between each piece. I normally don’t go bigger than 5cm in width with the meringue.

Place into the oven for about 2hours. This is a low and slow process because you don’t want any colour on the meringue. After 2 hours just check if the centre of is dry and not moist, if it is still moist return to the oven for another 30min

Remove form the oven once done and let cool completely. These meringues will last you a good month in an air tight container.

Ingredients for Cabernet Reduction

750ml                  Stone Road Cabernet Sauvignon
1Cup                    Sugar

Method

Put all the ingredients into a pot

Over a medium heat reduce the wine and sugar until it covers the back of a spoon. To check if it is the right consistency simple dip the spoon into the wine, swipe your finger along the back of the spoon horizontally, if the line stays clear for about 5 seconds you are done, if not just let it cook a little longer.

This is something you and can make way in advance, it keeps up to 6 months in a air tight container in the fridge.

Ingredients for Chocolate Sauce

170g                     Dark Chocolate, chopped
1C                         Cream

In a small sauce pan bring the cream to a boil
Remove from the heat and add the chocolate.
Whisk through to make sure there are no lumps
Chocolate sauce is done, simply and quick

Assembling your dessert

Grab a fancy plate, the dessert is not for the faint hearted

Arrange a couple of the meringue on the plate along with some fresh berries. Drizzle over the chocolate sauce and the cabernet reduction, don’t put too much wine reduction you can always come back for more.

Finish off with a scoop or 2 of ice cream and enjoy.

This dessert is both complex in flavours as well as light, what more could you ask for.