Strawberries and Cream Meringue Cups
Crushed meringue folded into softly whipped cream, layered with macerated strawberries. A no-cook dessert that is crisp, creamy and bright.
- Total
- 20 min
- Prep 15 · Rest 5
- Serves
- 1
- Difficulty
- Easy
You'll practice: Whisking · Folding
- Sweet
- Quick
- No cook
Instructions
-
Hull 400 g strawberries and slice them 5 mm thick. Toss in a bowl with 2 tbsp sugar and set aside for 5 minutes so they release their juices.
~5 min
Sugar draws water out of the strawberries by osmosis, creating a syrup that will soak into the meringue and flavor the layers.
Macerating the strawberries in sugar draws out a syrup that soaks into the meringue, so spoon some of that juice over each layer.
-
While step 1 waits
While the strawberries macerate, pour 300 ml cream into a cold mixing bowl and whisk to soft peaks, about 3 minutes. Stop while the cream still holds a soft, droopy shape.
~3 min
Cream whipped to soft peaks still holds air but stays foldable; over-whisking breaks the fat globules and turns it grainy.
Whisk the cream only to soft peaks: it thickens further as it sits, and stiff cream turns grainy when folded with meringue.
Whisking Whisk cold cream in a cold bowl and stop at soft peaks, when the whisk leaves a droopy trail. Over-whisking past this point turns the cream grainy and stiff.
-
Crumble 80 g meringue with your hands, keeping some pieces the size of a hazelnut for crunch.
~2 min
-
Fold three quarters of the crumbled meringue into the whipped cream with a spatula, just until combined. Do not overmix or the cream will deflate.
~2 min
Folding gently preserves the air bubbles in the whipped cream, while overmixing collapses them and makes the dessert dense.
Folding Use a spatula to cut down, across and up, rotating the bowl, until just combined. Stop as soon as streaks disappear; extra strokes deflate the cream.
-
Spoon a layer of strawberries and their juices into 4 glasses, add a layer of cream, then repeat. Finish with the remaining meringue crumbled over the top.
~4 min
-
Chill the cups for 5 minutes so the layers set, then serve.
~5 min
Chilling firms the cream and lets the layers settle so the cups hold their shape when served.