RASPBERRY, GIN AND HAZELNUT SPIRAL
Isn’t it amazing how many flavours of gin there are? Having recently discovered a raspberry gin my thoughts turned to how delicious this would be in a summer dessert, hence the combination of raspberries, gin, hazelnuts and meringue to make this crowd pleaser!
To make the meringue base it is important to make sure the egg whites are whisked until stiff then the sugar added a teaspoon at a time, this is possibly the easiest meringue method. The ground hazelnuts are folded through quickly so the oil in the nuts does not decrease the volume too much.
The AGA Hard Anodised Baking Tray is superbly large, excellent for cooking for a crowd, and slides directly onto the AGA oven runners or can be used on the oven floor (AGA Total Control, AGA60 and AGA er 3 Series use the floor grid under the tray). I prefer the hard anodised baking tray for its strength, it does not warp in the high heat of the Roasting Oven, it is a good conductor of heat, heats evenly and can be used for a number of tasks; roasting vegetables, roast potatoes, chicken or fish traybakes, its use as a baking tray for scones, puff pastry items and it can be employed much the same as the cold plain shelf, acting as a heat shield to protect food cooking underneath.
Partner it with Bake-O-Glide, the non-stick, reusable liner, to make the best of both products. The cooked meringue does not stick to the Bake-O-Glide, believe me!
Ingredients for meringue Cooked meringue base
Spread over the filling Rolling up!
Incidently you can buy ground and chopped hazelnuts already toasted but if you want to make your own from a packet of the whole nuts just lay the hazelnuts onto Bake-O-Glide placed on the AGA Hard Aodised Baking Tray and slide into the Roasting Oven for 4-5 minutes until browned to your liking (if the hazelnuts have their skin on them, rub the hot nuts rather vigorously to remove). Chop and grind as required.
When the meringue has been rolled into a spiral, don’t be afraid to perfect the roll’s shape through the baking parchment or cloth, it is remarkably well-behaved!
RASPBERRY, GIN AND HAZELNUT MERINGUE SPIRAL
Certainly a dessert for a crowd. The addition of ground nuts makes this a soft roulade which is rolled just before serving.
Serves 8-10
5 large free-range egg whites
280g (10 oz) caster sugar
50g (1¾ oz) toasted ground hazelnuts
Topping:
25g (1 oz) chopped toasted hazelnuts
For the filling
1 punnet raspberries – reserve a few for decoration
2 tbsp icing sugar
300ml (10fl oz) double cream
2 tbsp gin or raspberry gin
Method
Line a full-size AGA Hard Anodised Baking Tray with Bake-O-Glide. Whisk the egg whites until stiff, and then add the sugar a teaspoon at a time. Quickly fold in the ground hazelnuts. Spread the hazelnut meringue onto the baking tray and level out. Sprinkle with the chopped toasted hazelnuts.
3, 4 and 5 oven AGA: Slide the baking tray into the centre of the Baking Oven and cook for about 20-25 minutes until firm.
2 oven AGA: Slide the tray onto the oven grid shelf placed on the floor of the Roasting Oven with the cold shelf on the third set of runners down. Cook for about 8 minutes until pale and firm to touch, then transfer to centre of the Simmering Oven and cook for a further 20 minutes until firm.
Remove from the oven and allow it to cool.
For the filling, put a few whole raspberries aside for decoration and lightly crush the remainder with the sugar. Lightly whip the cream and gin to a ‘soft peak’ stage.
Turn out onto a piece of baking parchment, (or clean sugared cloth) and remove the Bake-O-Glide. Spread the cream onto the meringue, followed by the raspberry mix. Roll up along the longest edge using the baking parchment, or cloth, to form the roll or spiral. Decorate with the reserved raspberries and serve.
Conventional Cooking: Bake in the centre of a pre-heated oven at 220°C (425°F), Gas Mark 7. Cook the meringue for 10 minutes then reduce the oven to 160°C (325°F), Gas Mark 3 for approx 15 minutes until firm.
