Yes I'm aware meringuing is not a word, but those sweet, soft, chewy, crumbly treats best sum up today. A planned picnic in the park with a few girlfriends signaled the right circumstance for me to take up my wooden spoon and get baking. Like the food bloggers picnic I thought I'd strike a balance, choosing to bring both a sweet and savoury dish. However, my criteria for today was to whip up something impressive, yet crowd friendly, and enjoyable for devouring on a humid high twenties day. After a little deliberation I settled on Bocconcini Tomato Skewers over Salmon Blini for the savoury course. Upon a quick flick through my Australian Women's Weekly macaroons & biscuits cookbook i settled on making lemon meringue kisses. I do want to attempt making macaroons and I believe getting savvy with meringues could be a good step to mastering those magnificent morsels adored by many. Both recipes were super easy and straight forward. My tips are get the eggs to room temperature for lovely meringues and really beat them until the peaks form. I use a hand beater and it only took me five minutes whereas the recipe says it will take about 15 with an electric mixer.
Tomato Bocconcini Skewers
Ingredients:
- small whole bocconcini or larger ones sliced into quarters
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley
- 2 teaspoons chives
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- cherry tomators
- basil leaves
Method:
- Place Bocconcini in a medium sized bowl
- Finely chop the herbs
- Add the oil, herbs, salt and pepper to the bocconcini and refrigerate for at least an hour or overnight if possible
- Half the cherry tomatoes, then place on half of each on a toothpick. Thread on a basil leaf, then bocconcini, then another basil leaf, then another bocconcini, then another basil leaf, followed by the other half of the cherry tomato. Repeat this for the remaining skewers
Lemon Meringue Kisses
Ingredients
Lemon curd
- 90g unsalted butter
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup caster sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon rind
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 egg whites
- 1/2 cup caster sugar
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
Method
- Chop the butter and lightly beat the egg
- Combine the ingredients in a small heatproof bowl.
- Stir over a small saucepan of simmering water for about 10 minutes or until the mixture coats the back of the spoon.
- Refrigerate the lemon curd for three hours or overnight
- Preheat oven to 120 degrees celsius. Grease the oven trays and line them with baking paper.
- Beat the ingredients with an electric or hand mixer for 5-15 minutes (depending on when the sugar is dissolved and soft peaks form.
- Spoon the mixture into a piping bag or tool with a 2cm fluted tube; pipe 4cm stars on trays 2cm apart.
- Bake meringues for 40 minutes to an hour until they appear to have formed a skin on the outside or in my case begin to turn golden.
- Cool on trays
- When cool, sandwich meringues with lemon curd
 | |
| Jess' magnificent fruit platter |
Our picnic also featured taramasalata & hommus dips (I wanted to make my own but didn't leave time), avocado, pita bread, soft chewy chocolate brownies, red rock deli and doritos chips and of course a magnificent choc-a-bloc fruit platter (pictured above that was assembled by Jess). With our picnic mats poised underneath a shady tree we sumpted on our banquet, drinking Becks beers, Spanish Cava (sparkling wine) and Strawberries & Cream iced tea.
How lovely
x
