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Prep time
15 minutes
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Cook time
2 hours
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Serves
6
Author Notes
This Strawberry Meringue Sundae was inspired by a Swedish classic, marängsviss, which is like the Swedish version of an English Eton Mess. It’s made with similar ingredients (meringues, whipped cream, a fruit of some sort), but with the very important addition of ice cream. If you were to make a classic marängsviss, you would assemble it family-style in a large bowl, and it would be filled with sliced bananas and drizzled with a heavy pour of warm chocolate sauce (kinda like a banana split).
You could still serve this recipe family-style, but instead of chocolate sauce and bananas, I've studded it with sliced fresh strawberries and made a deliciously peppery strawberry shrub. This vinegar-based fruit syrup is usually made in a 1:1:1 fruit/vinegar/sugar ratio and typically used to flavor drinks and cocktails, but it can also be delicious to use in desserts. Although most strawberry shrubs are made with apple cider vinegar, this one is made with half balsamic to give a richer flavor, and half water, because I didn’t want the vinegar to be overpowering.
This is a bit of a project, but there’s nothing difficult about any step. The result is a decadent, achievable dessert that’s a go-to in my family on birthdays and special events, especially during the summer.
Tips & Tricks
- If you don’t have balsamic vinegar, use apple cider vinegar instead. (If you have neither, just use water; stay away from white vinegar for this recipe.)
- I highly recommend making your own meringues, but you can also buy pre-made meringues if you’re in a time crunch
- Make the meringues and the shrub a day in advance. Store them both in airtight containers; the meringues at room temperature and the shrub in the fridge
—Nea Arentzen
Ingredients
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FOR THE FRENCH MERINGUE:
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3
large (90 grams) egg whites
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2 teaspoons
(10 grams) lemon juice
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1 pinch
salt
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heaping 1/3 cups
(90 grams) granulated white sugar
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heaping 3/4 cups
(90 grams) powdered sugar
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Flaky sea salt for garnish
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FOR THE STRAWBERRY SHRUB:
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1/2 cup
strawberries, diced
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1/4 cup
water
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1/2 cup
granulated white sugar
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1/4 cup
balsamic vinegar
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1 pinch
freshly ground black pepper
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1/2 teaspoon
freshly ground black pepper
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TO ASSEMBLE:
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1 cup
heavy cream
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1/2 cup
strawberries, sliced
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1 pint
vanilla ice cream
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1/2 cup
pistachios, coarsely chopped
Directions
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Make the meringues: Preheat the oven to 200ºF and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large mixing bowl combine the egg whites, salt, and lemon juice. Use an electric mixer and beat until foamy. With the mixer running, slowly pour in the granulated sugar. Beat on high speed until very stiff peaks form, 3 to 5 minutes.. Sift in the powdered sugar and fold in with a spatula.
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Transfer the meringue into a piping bag fitted with a round piping tip (I use a ¼-inch tip). (You can also use a sealable plastic bag and snip the end off, or dollop the meringue onto the sheet with spoons.) Pipe the meringue into 1½ to 2-inch dollops, about 1-inch apart. Optional: Sprinkle the tops with a little black pepper and flakey sea salt. Bake without opening the oven door for 45 minutes, then turn the oven off and prop the door open slightly. Let them cool for at least 30 minutes before removing from the oven.
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Make the strawberry shrub: In a medium saucepan, combine the strawberries, water, sugar, vinegar, salt, and black pepper in a medium saucepan. Bring it to a boil over medium-high heat, then simmer until the strawberries have broken down, the mixture looks syrupy, and reads about 220ºF on a kitchen thermometer, about 10 minutes. Let it cool completely.
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Assemble: Whip the cream into soft peaks. In the individual coupe glasses, layer the meringues with small spoonfuls of ice cream, whipped cream, strawberry shrub, and sliced strawberries. Sprinkle pistachios on top and serve.
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