Sunday, June 04, 2006

A pre-Ceilidh Summer Pudding: meringue nests with cream and berries

A very good Norwegian friend of mine was in Edinburgh couple of weeks ago. Svein and I had both stayed in the same halls of residences back in 1998-1999, when we were still studying for our MSc's. He was in town with his brother and two friends for a day, and we had agreed to go for a ceilidh - a kind of Scottish dancing that you can read more about here (and for the sceptics out there - it is actually much more fun that it maybe sounds!). In any case, I had invited all 14 Ceilidh-goers for a quick meal at my place before the dance - Ceilidh being a fairly energetic dance, you do need some calories under your belt! On the other hand, it has to be something reasonably light, so you'd be able to dance at all - alias something high-carb. I served two huge potfuls of pasta - pasta alla vodka and pasta with blue cheese and mushrooms, plus a green salad.

For the pudding, I made something light and easy, which I knew would be well received at this time of the year:

Meringue nests with cream and berries
(Imelihtsad beseekorvikesed marjadega)



I had already prepared these for the Cambridge buffet a fortnight earlier. Back in Cambridge I had roasted some English rhubarb in the oven with a sprinkling of demerara sugar and a pinch cinnamon until soft, mashed the cooled rhubarb with a fork and mixed it with whipped cream and some yogurt for sharpness. This time, it was simply a choice of berries and whipped cream.

I had reckoned one pudding per person is enough, but have now realised - twice! - that I need to be much more generous after all. Also - these would ideally be served at a garden party, so you wouldn't have to worry about the meringue crumbs on your carpet:)

meringue nests (you can obviously make your own, but if you want to skip that bit, then in the UK, I like M&S ones, as they are nicely crisp on the outside and deliciously chewy inside. Walkers, another widely available brand, makes crisp'n'dry ones)
whipping or double cream
some sugar
roasted rhubarb/berries
finely shredded fresh mint leaves for decoration

Lay meringue nests on the serving trays. Whip the cream until soft peaks form, season with sugar to taste. Spoon the cream on the nests and decorate with berries.
Or mush roasted rhubarb with a fork, mix with the cream and some yogurt and spoon this roasted rhubarb fool on the meringue nests, decorating with some mint or even basil sugar.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Pille it all looks fabulous!!

Hope you had a great night at the Ceilidh. I haven't been to one in many years, they're brilliant!

Kalyn Denny said...

It sounds to me like you are a very good hostess. I wish I could come to dinner at your house!! I would go off my diet for the occasion.

Valentina said...

These look stunning. I am going to read about Ceilidh as it is something new for me.

K and S said...

Wow! these look great!

Kat

Spinning Girl said...

oi

magus maiustus

leiutasin salati:

vaata!

Molly Kay said...

“Thrilling to read…A delight from start to finish.” – Anthony Bourdain

MOSTLY TRUE

A Memoir of Family, Food, and Baseball


Molly O'Neill of New York Times and The New York Cookbook fame, is now the author of MOSTLY TRUE: A Memoir of Family, Food, and Baseball, a lush memoir that treats each of these subjects with affection, hilarity, and, of course, the rich and beautiful writing that she is so well-known for.

“Mostly True reads like a comic novel . . . O’Neill trots merrily from one anecdote to the next – from testing recipes for Lillian Hellman’s culinary memoir to publishing under her own name.” – New York Times Book Review

“One of the funniest, most heartwarming memoirs in years from the esteemed food columnist for The New York Times Magazine . . . Foodies will cheer for the remarkable O’Neills.” – People (4 stars)

“Amazingly alive.” – Boston Globe

“Hearty nourishment for foodies.” – New York Newsday

Sribner is happy to offer you a promotional copy of Mostly True to review on your website, and would be delighted to talk to see if there are any possible promotional opportunities online. Please contact Kristen.Giorgio@simonandschuster.com for more information!



Kristen Giorgio
Marketing Manager
Simon & Schuster

Pille said...

Pamela - yeah, ceilidhs can be loads of fun. And I definitely prefer them to gym:)

Kalyn - it would be an honour to host you one day!

Valentina - those meringue nests were yummy - a perfect pre-ceilidh treat indeed. There are lots of ceilidh's in Edinburgh, so whenever you're in town, check The List for some. They're a must-try!

Kat - thank you!

Spinning Girl - magus maiustus jah:) Su maisisalat tundub samuti maitsev!