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Snow Queen - Updated
I used to make this dessert regularly in England using ready made meringues. Ready made meringues are available in ordinary food stores in England, since they are a popular dessert with fruit, cream, ice cream etc. Obviously if you are happy making your own meringues, you know how easy this is to make. My grandfather would constantly have a huge glass jar full of meringues for easy desserts.
Traditionally, I would make it in a 4 c pudding basin shape so that it turned out looking like an igloo (with some stretch of the imagination). In England, this dessert would set really hard since our heavy cream has a far higher fat content and is thick and spoonable straight from the container.
This is truly a dessert made in heaven with the slight crunch from the meringues, the mild almond liqueur flavor and the punch of flavor from the raspberries. I have normally made this with brandy, but one day having run out of brandy I used Amaretto and far preferred it. You could always try hazelnut liqueur to marry with the raspberries, or a coffee or chocolate liqueur and serve this with my chocolate mousse recipe before whipping the mousse.
Ingredients - about 8 generous portions.
- 1½ c whipping or heavy cream
- 3 tbsp brandy or amaretto - almond flavored liqueur
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 6oz container of Trader Joe's meringues ($3.00) or meringues made with 3 egg whites. I also bought a 5oz container at Christmas Tree shop so the slight difference in size is acceptable.
Method
1. Whisk cream, sugar and liqueur until stiff. I found that shop bought meringues seem to be far sweeter than home made. So you might prefer to use less sugar when you whip sugar with cream. Add meringues and then taste to see if you want more sugar.2. Break meringues roughly with your fingers and fold meringue into cream. Don't crush them finely.
3. Pour into any shape container that has been lined with Saran Wrap - about the same size as a 9" pie plate but a bit deeper. Line heart shape or other fancy shaped pans with saran wrap, or line small individual pans.
4. Freeze, but realize that it will not freeze solid. Remove from freezer, invert onto serving dish, remove Saran Wrap.
5. Decorate with raspberries or serve with raspberry sauce.
Raspberry sauce (also known as 'couli') is made by thawing a packet of frozen raspberries, crushing them with a spoon and pressing them through a fine sieve to remove the seeds. Add sugar to taste. I find I like ¼ c powdered sugar to 10 oz packet of raspberries.
Note: You don't have to make this quantity since this recipe easily divides by three.
Oonagh Williams, proprietor of Royal Temptations, has a Culinary Arts degree, offers Catering services, teaches a variety of classes in International Cooking, makes regular appearances on WMUR ABC Channel 9's Cooks' Corner and has her own series on Merrimack TV. You can contact Oonagh at 603-424-6412.