Meringue Kisses with passionfruit and Yuzu Curd 

Meringue+Kisses (1).jpeg
 

INGREDIENTS

Meringue Kisses:

  • 4 egg whites
  • 1 ½ cups caster sugar

Passionfruit and Yuzu Curd:

  • 2 eggs
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 2 tbsp passionfruit pulp, seeds removed
  • 1/3 cup yuzu juice
  • 2 sheets gold gelatine, bloomed in cold water
  • 150g butter, cubed

Hazelnut Praline :

  • 2 tbsp roasted hazelnuts, skin removed and roughly chopped
  • 1/2 cup caster sugar

METHOD

  1. Preheat oven to 120C.
  2. For the Meringue Kisses, combine egg whites and sugar in a medium bowl. Place over a medium saucepan of boiling water, ensuring water does not touch base of bowl. Whisk over heat until sugar is completely dissolved and mixture is glossy. Remove from heat and transfer mixture to the bowl of stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Whisk on high speed until stiff peaks form and mixture has come to room temperature. Transfer mixture to a piping bag fitted with 1cm round nozzle.
  3. Holding the piping bag vertically, pipe meringue onto paper lined baking trays to a diameter of 3cm, about 4cm apart. Lift piping bag quickly upwards to create a smooth meringue with a pointed tip. Repeat with remaining mixture.
  4. Place in oven to bake until shell is just crispy, about 10-12 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.
  5. For the Passionfruit and Yuzu Curd, place eggs, sugar, passionfruit and yuzu juice into a medium metal bowl and set over a saucepan of simmering water, ensuring water does not touch the base of the bowl. Cook, whisking, until temperature reaches 80C. Remove from heat. Add bloomed gelatine and stir to combine. Allow to cool to 50C then add butter and use a stick blender to blend until smooth. Transfer mixture to a piping bag fitted with a 5mm round nozzle. Place in freezer until thick and cold, about 30-40 minutes.
  6. For the Hazelnut Praline, spread hazelnuts out on a paper lined tray.
  7. Place sugar and 2 tablespoons water into a small saucepan and cook over medium heat, swirling the pan, until sugar dissolves and turns a golden caramel colour. Pour over hazelnuts and place in fridge to set.
  8. Once set, break into pieces and set aside.
  9. To serve, remove Passionfruit and Yuzu Curd from freezer and carefully insert tip of piping bag into the base of each Meringue Kiss to fill. Place filled meringues onto a serving plate. Using a micro plane, grate hazelnut praline over the top of meringues.