Meringue Bombe
Working at the Harborside Inn in Edgartown my first summer on Martha’s Vineyard I had heard about a unique restaurant in Menemsha on the other side of the island. The Beach Plum Inn had two seatings, a view of the sunset, and offered a rotating menu of four entrees each evening. When making a reservation, guests were required to select their entree in advance. I knew very little about its cuisine, but thought this restaurant sounded so interesting.Â
As the second week of August approached and it was nearly time to return to school for my junior year, I made a phone call to book a reservation for myself and one of my housemates at the Beach Plum Inn. The night arrived and we embarked on the trek to Menemsha in her VW van, dressed in the fanciest clothes we had.
Although I can’t recall the exact details of our dinner, the dessert, Bombe Favorite, left a lasting impression on me. It was a frozen meringue served with a raspberry sauce, and it was unlike anything I had ever tasted before. The unique flavors and textures made it a fitting end to a memorable evening and more memorable summer.
Reflecting recently on that summer and the memorable dinner, I remembered I had a copy of the Beach Plum Inn cookbook on my bookshelf. Looking through it was like taking a journey back in time, as many of the recipes reflect the culinary style of the 1970’s. To my delight, there in the dessert section was Bombe Favorite. This delightful dessert is quite simple to construct, made by baking meringue, breaking it into pieces, folding it into softly whipped vanilla-scented cream, and then freezing it in a springform pan.Â
Highly recommended for both taste and visual appeal is the addition of raspberry sauce. This easy to make, vibrant red sauce not only creates a stunning color contrast with the snow-white bombe but also its tartness beautifully balances the sweetness of the meringue, enhancing the overall flavor profile of the dessert.
This bombe is a fun, unique, delicious summer dessert that slices well and looks lovely on a plate. Make this on a dry day (best for meringues) and keep in the freezer for a ready-made dinner party dessert.
Meringue Bombe
| Yield: 1 8-inch dessert | # of Servings: 8 to 10 |
Ingredients:
Meringue:
4 egg whites (4 fl oz)
1 pinch salt
1 tbl (.30 oz / 9 g) cornstarch
1 cup (7 oz / 198 g) sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
Whipped cream:
2 cups (16 fl oz) heavy cream
3 tbl (.80 oz / 23 g) confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 recipe Raspberry Sauce
Special tools and equipment needed:
- One 8″ springform pan
- Parchment paper sheet (to fit baking sheet) and 8″ parchment paper circle
- Stand mixer with wire whip
- Optional: 21″ plastic pastry bag and a ½” plain round tip (#864)
Pre-recipe preparations:
- Preheat oven to 250°F.
- Trace two 8″ circles on a parchment paper and turn upside down.
- Lightly oil the bottom and sides of the springform. Place the parchment circle on the bottom.
Directions
Meringue:
- In clean bowl, whisk egg whites on medium speed (KA # 6) for about a minute until frothy. Add salt and cornstarch.
- Increase speed to medium high (KA speed # 8) and beat until soft peaks.
- Continuing on the same speed, slowly add the sugar and continue to beat until a stiff meringue. This could take several minutes.
- On low ““ medium speed (KA #4), add the lemon juice and vanilla and mix just until combined.
- Place a dab of meringue under each corner of the parchment to hold it in place.
- Pipe or spread the meringue in the traced 8″ circles. Any leftover meringue should be piped or spread on the parchment for testing doneness.
- Bake at 250°F for 1 ¼ hours. The meringue should turn a slightly off-white color.
- Reduce heat to 200°F and continue baking for another 45 minutes. Total baking time is 2 hours.Â
- Turn oven off and leave meringue in oven for another 2 hours, or overnight1 .
Finishing:
- Break the meringue into large pieces. There should be a generous 1 qt. of meringue pieces. Set aside.
- In a chilled mixing bowl, whip the cream, sugar and vanilla extract just until very soft peaks. The cream will continue to thicken as you mix the meringue pieces in so do not over whip.
- Fold in the meringue pieces just until combined.
- Pour and spread into the prepared springform pan.
- Cover with plastic film pressed against the top and freeze for up to 3 weeks.
- Slice and let sit on plates for 2 minutes to soften.
- Cover with raspberry sauce, garnish with a mint sprig.
Notes:
- For the two hours or more the meringue is in the turned off oven it is a good idea to put a post-it note by the oven as reminder. Otherwise, someone may turn the oven on and the poor meringue would be toast.
Baking tips:
- If the meringues are not dry and crispy when removed from the oven, or become soft before finishing the dessert, place them in 200°F oven for 45 minutes to dry and crisp.Â
