Eva's Moose-y Meringue Party Dessert All Grown Up

Directions

1. For the Meringue and the Mango Pudding
2. To Make the Meringues: Preheat the oven to 225 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and draw a 10-inch circle on it, and then flip the parchment paper (make sure you can see the pencil line). Set aside. Using a very clean mixing bowl, beat the egg whites on medium to high speed. Add the cream of tartar. Add the sugar a tablespoon at a time, and continue to beat the eggs whites until they form very stiff peaks. Then beat for a minute or two longer.
3. Using a rubber spatula, form a circle of meringue onto the parchment paper, and build up a circle shape that resembles a one layer cake - about 1 1/2 inches high. Place in the top third of your oven, and bake anywhere from 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours. I find that 2 hours is generally the right amount of baking time in my oven. Allow the baked meringue to sit overnight if possible.
4. For the Pudding: Mix the lime juice and water in a small saucepan. Sprinkle the gelatin on top of the liquid, and allow to sit for a few minutes. Then, stir over low heat until the gelatin is completely dissolved. Take off the heat and allow to stand until the mixture is cooled, but not completely set.
5. Combine the mango, sour cream ( or combination of sour cream, mascarpone, etc.), milk, sugar, and rum in a blender on high speed until smooth. Add the gelatin mixture and blend again. Pour into an 8 or 9 inch glass bowl and place in the refrigerator overnight.

1. For the Raspberry and Mango Purees, the Rum Whipped Cream, and the Assembly:
2. For the Purees: Add to either a food processor or a blender 3 oz. of raspberries, 2 TBS. water, 1 TBS. of lime juice, and 1TBS. of sugar. Blend until emulsified and pureed. Place the raspberry puree in a ramekin, cover, and refrigerate. For the mango puree, follow the same directions, but add 2 TBS. of rum in addition to the other ingredients. Place the mango puree in the refrigerator.
3. The day of assembly: Place the meringue on a 14" to 15" round platter. Cut out a circle shape from the top of the meringue, leaving about a 2" margin. Gently lift out the crust. The meringue insides may be gooey - that is a good thing. If there are holes or cracks on the floor of the meringue, you can patch in crusty pieces from the lifted top. Crumble the remaining meringue top crust and place back into the meringue shell.
4. Spoon the jam evenly around the rim of the meringue top (photo attached). Then, slide a rubber spatula around the sides and base of the mango pudding bowl. With some care you can invert the pudding into the meringue shell. With your spatula, smooth out the pudding so it reaches the sides of the meringue rim. Decorate the top of the pudding with the remaining fruit.
5. Use a very cold bowl to make the whipped cream. Mix the heavy cream on high speed, and add the vanilla and the rum. Beat until the peaks are stiff, but don't overbeat. Place the whipped cream in a pastry bag with a fluted tip. Pipe little stars around the rim of the meringue, and around the base. Decorate with the fruit purees to your liking. Serve additional fruit purees on the side.
6. Note: You can serve the dessert as slices (albeit somewhat jiggly) or go for it sleepover style and serve in small cups or glasses. We always used plastic cups at the sleepovers.