Rhubarb Marries Meringue
A Mother's Day showstopper
Sometimes I’m inspired to create something new and beautiful—shades of my old pastry chef days. With rhubarb in season now, I’m always searching for new ways to use this old-fashioned vegetable.
I have a few treasured and tattered notebooks that contain my private collection of dessert recipes from my days as a pastry chef. I’ve relied on the basics from these books but really haven’t delved into the more serious desserts that lined my pastry cases. A piece of paper stained from multiple uses for almond meringue caught my eye. How could I make this special and new? I asked myself. Rhubarb! Suddenly, a flashback took me back to The Pantry, in Denver, where I was allowed free reign to fill the cases with pastries of my choice, many of them colorful fruit desserts. Layered meringue cakes were always a hit, slathered with fruit purees or decadent buttercreams. I quickly jotted down my ideas, excited to start cooking and already tasting the combination I dreamed up.
Rhubarb is one of those indescribable flavors that, if you love it, you really love it and count the days until it is in season. Rhubarb pie—who doesn’t love it? Every year, I wait for spring rhubarb and try all sorts of new recipes with it. Yes, it is technically a vegetable. Rhubarb is just beginning to make its appearance in Southern California. My friend Di lives in Iowa and told me that she and her sister planned to pick the rhubarb in their backyard, which grows like crazy, and make strawberry-rhubarb jam. I was envious. I became so whiny about her stash of rhubarb that she even offered to ship me some!
My vision for a cake with rhubarb turned out perfectly, in beauty and in bite. I assembled it yesterday afternoon, took photos, and then my mom and I dug in, anxious to taste it, as our dinner cooked. “Dessert first?” We asked each other. We both nodded and could not put our forks down. And yes, we did have another piece each after dinner!
As beautiful as it is, because it is a meringue, it has a short shelf life, and when cut, does not hold its shape for long. Use a serrated knife for best results. There are just two steps to the recipe, and each can be made a day ahead. The rhubarb compote will last for 7-10 days in the fridge, and once the meringues are baked, you can leave them in the oven (oven turned off) overnight so they stay dry and won’t collect moisture.
This recipe is one of the very best, I think, that I have ever created. I hope you make it and enjoy it as much as we did!
This recipe would be a show-stopper for Mother’s Day.
Almond Meringue Cake with Rhubarb Compote
Almond Meringue
3/4 cup sugar (150 grams), divided in half
1 1/2 cups ground almonds or almond meal (100 grams
1 tablespoon cornstarch
4 egg whites at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
Rhubarb Compote
1 cup sugar (200 grams)
1/4 cup water
6 cups rhubarb cut into 1” pieces
2 tablespoons lemon juice
The Rest
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
2 boxes fresh raspberries
Method
1. Preheat oven to 225°F.
2. Line two sheet trays with parchment paper. Place an 8” cake pan bottom on the paper and draw a circle for your template. Repeat two more times. You will need three circles for the three layers of meringue. Turn the paper over so you can see the outline, but the meringue will not absorb the ink or pencil.
3. Measure half the sugar, the almond meal, and the cornstarch together. Set aside.
4. Beat egg whites until foamy and starting to hold together. Slowly add the remaining half of the sugar. Beat until glossy, about 5 minutes total time.
5. Fold in the remaining sugar/almond mixture.
6. Fold in the almond extract.
7. Place the meringue into a 14-16” pastry bag, fitted with a plain tip. Starting on the outside line, pipe the meringue, working your way inward until the circle is completely filled with meringue. Repeat with the other two circles.
8. I had a little bit of meringue left over, so I made little buttons to use as added decorations.
9. Bake for about one hour or until very dry. Turn the oven off and let your meringues sit there until you are ready to use them.
Rhubarb Compote
Yield: 3 cups
1. Combine sugar and water in a saucepan. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Add rhubarb and lemon juice.
2. Cook on medium heat for about 10 minutes. The rhubarb will break down. This is the reason I cut it into such large pieces.
3. Cool and refrigerate until ready to use.
To assemble:
1. Whip cream until soft peaks form. Place whipped cream in a pastry bag, ready to pipe.
2. Place one meringue round on a cake plate or cardboard cake round. Spread about 1 cup of the rhubarb compote evenly over the meringue.
3. Pipe a whipped cream border around the edge of the cake, then fill in the middle. You can go lightly on the cream in the middle. The whipped cream adds a creaminess, but you don’t want the cake to be mostly cream!
4. Sprinkle about 3/4 of one of the boxes of raspberries on top of the cream. I made sure some of the raspberries stuck out of the sides for the glamour effect.
5. Repeat with another meringue, rhubarb compote, cream, and raspberries.
6. Place the last layer on top and spread with the remaining rhubarb. Sprinkle the remaining raspberries on top and voila!
7. This would be delicious served with chilled Prosecco.
Delectable.
“Ode to Rhubarb: When winter wanes and springtime knocks, Out come tender, fleshy stalks. That taste most tart, but when they’re stewed, Create a most celestial food.” — Stevo, The Merry Dairy
Ciao for now!
