Pink meringues with pomegranate syrup recipe

This recipe for pink swirl meringues with pomegranate syrup is one of my all-time favourite recipes and was featured in my second cookbook sweet. These giant meringues are more like mini pavlovas with ith a crispy outer shell and a marshmallow middle. They are a showstopper dessert to end any feast.

I decided to publish this recipe again because all good things should be revisited. I didn’t reshoot them because I loved the way I styled them the first time around. This dark and moody look was how I rolled back in the day. They badly needed a re-edit though. In 2013 I hadn’t even heard of Lightroom and my post-production skills were very limited.

Meringues are tricky things to make. They are a combination of three variables namely ingredient ratios, temperature and time. If either of these is altered slightly it can have a big effect on your outcome. Higher sugar content will lead to a harder meringue as well as a higher or longer temperature.

How you like your meringue is a matter of personal taste. I like pavlova (or these giant meringues/mini pavlova) to be crispy on the outside and soft in the middle, They should still be firm enough to take a slice out of. I like small meringues to have a firmer and crumbly texture.

How to de-seed a pomegranate:

Cut into the pomegranate lengthways about 1/4 of the way down, and then pull the 2 halves apart thereby keeping more of the seeds intact. Do the same with each half, so you land up with 4 quarters of fruit.
Fill a large bowl with water and submerge the fruit in this. With your hands underwater, gently pull the seeds out of the shell removing any pithy bits. If any of the seeds burst, it all happens underwater and does not splatter all over your wall and you. It also helps prevent your fingers from getting stained.
You will notice that the white pithy bits float to the top and can be easily picked out.
Strain the seeds through a sieve picking out all remaining pieces of white connective pith.
To juice them, you could put these seeds through the juicer, or see below.

How to juice the pomegranate: (no de-seeding required)

Cut the pomegranate in half sideways through the centre. Hold the half firmly over an electrical rotary juicer, and juice them as you would an orange.
In seconds all the berries have been broken and the juice drips into the bowl.
To ensure that all the berries have been juiced (you may find a few strays that popped out and remained whole), push down on the pulp with a spatula.
Strain the juice.

How I adapted the original recipe:

I adapted the recipe slightly by using large eggs and I used caster sugar instead of granulated sugar. I added the cornflour right at the end with a teaspoon of vanilla extract. I made my own version of pomegranate syrup, which I cooked for quite a while to reduce to a syrupy consistency.

Topped with generous dollops of whipped cream, pomegranate syrup and seeds, this is an absolutely beautiful dessert.

Meringues | makes 4 large meringues – adapted from Manger

My other favourite pomegranate recipes:

Pomegranate mojito

guacamole with pomegranate

pomegranate & ginger spritzer

roasted aubergine with harissa yoghurt & pomegranate

broccoli pilaf with pomegranate and almonds

pomegranate lemonade

pomegranate scones

Prep Time:20

Cook Time:1 15

Ingredients

Meringues:

6 large egg whites – at room temperature
1 1/2 cups of caster sugar 320 g
about 1/2 tsp red food colouring I used a gel colouring
A pinch of fine salt
1 1/2 tsp cornflour
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 pomegranate seeds removed serve
250 ml – 350ml cream whipped (to serve)

Pomegranate syrup:

1 cup of freshly squeezed pomegranate juice
1/2 cup sugar

Instructions

To make the meringues:

Preheat the oven to 140° C /275F and line a baking tray with a silicone sheet or baking paper.
Using an electric mixer whisk the eggs white until firm peaks. Keep the whisk running and add the salt add the sugar very slowly, one tablespoon at a time. Keep whisking for 10 – 12 minutes on medium-high speed. Add the cornflour and vanilla at the end and mix through briefly.
Add the food colouring, and by hand gently swirl this through the meringue. Using two spoons, scoop out dollops of the mixture and shape them into rounds on the baking paper to create swirls *this is a little tricky but don’t worry, they look beautiful in the end.
Bake for 1 hour, then switch off the oven. Leave the meringues in the oven with the door slightly ajar for 15 minutes.

Syrup:

Bring the juice and sugar to a boil in a small pot, then reduce to a simmer and cook for about 10 – 15 minutes until it thickens. As it cools it will thicken more. Keep cooking it until it’s the thickness you like.

Servings: 4 large

Author: Sam Linsell