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Jim Dixon wrote about food for WW for more than 20 years, but these days most of his time is spent at his olive oil-focused specialty food business Wellspent Market. Jim’s always loved to eat, and he encourages his customers to cook by sending them recipes every week through his newsletter. We’re happy to have him back creating some special dishes just for WW readers.
A long-ago bite of boccone dolce at Portland’s legendary Italian restaurant Genoa introduced me to the magical contrast of fresh fruit and whipped cream with ethereally crunchy meringue. Over the years I’ve ordered it, or its close cousin pavlova, whenever I find them on a dessert menu. But since I’m a lazy baker, the stern warnings about meringue pitfalls and the differences between French, Italian and Swiss versions kept me from trying it at home.
So when I saw Benjamina Ebuehi’s recipe in The Guardian for Eton Mess that included a simple approach to meringues, I decided to take the leap. That the eponymous dessert from the 500 year old English boys’ school combines fresh berries with whipped cream and crumbled meringues so I could forgo any fussy assembly was an added bonus. And Ebuehi’s version substitutes peaches for the traditional berries, a good use for the case from local grower Baird Family Farms I had ripening in the basement.
It also gave me an excuse to make more of the olive oil whipped cream I’ve been playing around with. I add a generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a dollop of Greek-style yogurt to a very lightly sweetened whip for a tangy, more complex flavor.
Recipe
2-3 ripe peaches, pitted and sliced, peeling optional
1-2 teaspoon sugar (if your peaches are perfectly ripe you might not need it)
Meringue
3 egg white
¼ cup granulated sugar
¾ cup light brown sugar
Olive Oil Whipped Cream
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon sugar
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ cup plain Greek-style yogurt
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
Heat the oven to 250F and line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Beat the egg whites to the stiff peak stage, then beat in the sugars a few spoonfuls at a time until it looks glossy. Dollop spoonfuls of the egg whites onto the sheet pan to form small, separate mounds. Don’t worry if they’re not exactly uniform or run together since they get broken up later. Bake for 60–80 minutes or until they’re firm to the touch. Turn off the oven but leave the meringues inside with the door closed for at least a couple of hours to let them cool completely.
Whip the cream with the vanilla and sugar until it forms soft peaks, then add the olive oil and yogurt and whip a little more until completely mixed.
Serve in individual bowls by breaking up one or two meringues and blending in some sliced peaches and a couple of dollops of the whipped cream. Any leftover meringues can be stored in an air tight container for a week or so.
