Pistachio Meringues with Vanilla-Pistachio Custard
North Alabama weather can be pretty unpredictable. Maybe its 90 degrees in October and we’re all wondering what happened to fall. Or maybe it’s only June and already a stifling 100 degrees. Either way, when it’s simply too hot to turn the oven above 275 degrees, I like to make meringues. Super simple – sugar and egg whites – 2:1 ratio.
Pistachio Meringues
- 4 large egg whites (130g), room temperature
- 260 g caster sugar
- pinch of kosher salt
- Pistachio cream, 2-3 TBS, for swirling
Make sure the bowl of your stand mixer is clean, dry, and free from any oils.
Preheat oven to 275 degrees and line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
Beat the egg whites on medium speed until frothy. Add a pinch of salt, then gradually add the sugar, a few tablespoons at a time. Increase the speed to high and beat until the meringue is thick and glossy and holds stiff peaks, approximately 10 to 15 minutes.
Using a pastry syringe, thinly swirl thin ribbons of pistachio cream onto the meringues, do not stir. Spoon 6 large mounds onto the prepared sheet pan, allowing the pistachio to marble through the meringue as you scoop.
Bake for 1 hour. Turn the oven off, crack the door, and leave the meringues inside to completely cool.
Vanilla-Pistachio Custard
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 7 ounces sugar
- 7 egg yolks
- 1/2 vanilla bean – split and scrape beans
- 2 tsp pistachio cream
Prepare a bowl of ice water and set aside.
Combine the cream, vanilla bean and seeds in a sauce pan. Heat to a gentle simmer, stirring.
In a medium bowl, whisk sugar and egg yolks until smooth and slightly thickened.
Slowly ladle some of the hot cream into the yolks, whisking constantly. Continue adding the cream gradually until the yolks are tempered.
Return mixture back to the sauce pan and cook over medium heat until custard thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon.
Strain through a fine mesh sieve into a clean bowl. Set the bowl of anglaise over the ice bath and stir until cool.
Remove the vanilla bean and stir in the pistachio cream.
Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. This thin pouring custard – a classic créme anglaise – can be made several days ahead.
KABIE PLATES
Place a single meringue slightly off center in a shallow bowl. Pour a little pistachio custard at the base on the side, do not pour over the meringue. Scatter with chopped roasted salted pistachios.
A café in Paris
Chez André, in the 8th arrondissement, is a two block walk from our hotel in Paris. It’s starting to rain a bit, but the temperature is nice. It’s early still, and the outdoor seats under the red awning are beginning to fill, and a queue is starting to form outside the bistro. Inside, there’s a warm glow of light coming from the red shades adorning the fixtures, reflecting off the golden walls. Wood chairs and small tables clad with crisp white cloths fill the front bar room.
The French gentleman across from me, wearing a fitted wool slate blue sweater, sits erect in his chair, carefully manipulating every bite of cheese perfectly onto the downward pointing tines of his fork. A paunchy boisterous man, in a bright orange polo, plops down next to us alone. Loudly, he calls out to the waitress, “Are ya livin’ the dream?” followed by his own roar of laughter. She inscrutably replies, “Vous voulez commander?” He orders an entrée of foie gras, a bone in lamb chop, and a glass of vin rouge. A young Asian girl sitting along the walled bench seat enjoys a half bottle of vin blanc, focusing on her dinner, but occasionally glancing at her phone. She lingers after finishing her meal to giggle a while at her cellular date.
The French onion soup arrives at our table in the quintessential white porcelain lion’s head bowl topped with loads of chewy cheese. Next is the sole meunière . Another couple has ordered 2 floating islands and to our surprise they finish both. The très grand meringue topped with nuts and caramel and swimming in a pool of crème anglaise is too irresistible. Meanwhile, the unpalatable guest has finished his meal, announcing his departure as he shoves the small cozy intimately close table away from him, making a loud skreetch as it resists the movement across the tile floor.
