Name: Two fillings for a meringue base
Yield: 0 serving
Cuisine: Bake
Ingredients: 3.00 eggs extra-large, whites only; salt pinch; 250.00 ml castor sugar; 10.00 ml vinegar; 15.00 ml cornflour; 250.00 g apricots dried; 150.00 ml sugar; 1.00 lemon zest and juice; 5.00 ml vanilla essence; salt pinch; 250.00 ml cream thick; 410.00 g gooseberries preserved in syrup; 45.00 ml custard powder; 60.00 ml sugar; 250.00 ml cream thick or evaporated milk

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Ingredients (15)

MERINGUE BASE

3.00	eggs — extra-large, whites only
	salt — pinch
250.00 ml	castor sugar
10.00 ml	vinegar
15.00 ml	cornflour

APRICOT FILLING

250.00 g	apricots — dried
150.00 ml	sugar
1.00	lemon — zest and juice
5.00 ml	vanilla — essence
	salt — pinch
250.00 ml	cream — thick

GOOSEBERRY FILLING

410.00 g	gooseberries — preserved in syrup
45.00 ml	custard powder
60.00 ml	sugar
250.00 ml	cream — thick or evaporated milk

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Method:

Preheat the oven to 120 ºC (250 ºF). Line a large baking sheet with wax paper and dust with cornflour. Whisk the egg whites and salt together until soft peaks are formed. Add the castor sugar by the spoonful, beating continuously until all the sugar has been added and the mixture retains its shape. Fold in the vinegar and cornflour using a metal spoon. Spoon the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet and shape into a circle using a spatula. Make a slight hollow in the centre with a spoon. Bake for 1 hour, switch off the oven and cool completely. Carefully remove the meringue from the baking sheet and place on a serving platter.
Makes 1 meringue base. Fill with one of the fillings.

APRICOT FILLING
Add 500 ml (2 c) water to the apricots and boil until most of the water has been absorbed. Add the sugar and lemon juice and rind and continue to simmer until the apricots are tender but still intact. Remove a few whole apricots and reserve for decoration. Thicken with a little custard powder if the mixture is too thin. Cool and add the vanilla essence and salt. Whip the cream until stiff and fold into the mixture. Spoon into the meringue base just before serving, decorate with the whole apricots and dust with icing sugar.

GOOSEBERRY FILLING
Set the gooseberries aside and add enough water to the gooseberry syrup to make up 500 ml. Mix a little of the syrup with the custard powder and set aside. Add the sugar to the remaining syrup and bring to the boil. Add the custard paste and bring to the oil, stirring continuously until the mixture thickens. Cool. Whip the cream or evaporated milk until stiff and fold into the mixture. Reserve some of the gooseberries for decoration and mix the rest with the custard mixture. Just before serving, turn the filling into the meringue crust and decorate with the remaining gooseberries.
The fillings make enough for two meringue bases.