When I came across this recipe on Pinterest I was first drawn to the pretty shape then the slight oddness of the recipe. Before now I hadn’t seen jelly used in a meringue recipe. Next I had to try to decipher and anglicise the recipe. Ok I know jello is jelly in the UK but where did it go in the recipe? what type? Thankfully twitter came to the rescue and stopped me from mixing jelly cubes with hot water to make a kind of dodgy Italian meringue and use jelly crystals instead. What would the texture be like? Would it be like marshmallow because that is made from sugar, egg geletin? Turns out it was more like a stiff meringue. The jelly crystals do a great job of flavouring and colouring the meringue in one beat of a whisk. The blackcurrant jelly gives the meringue a delicate vintage pink hue.
Gelatin helps keep the mixture stiff so it doesn’t lose it shape while baking and piping roses is easier than it looks. Use a large open star tip (Wilton 1M) and unlike piping a cupcake swirl where you pipe from the outside in, pipe from the inside out with about two revolutions. Keep the piping bag vertical to stop the tip ruining the already piped rose. alternatively this mixture is so stable you can also pipe other shapes. I also managed to pipe some simple star shaped peaks. If you struggle with traditional meringues try this recipe.
Ideally when making these hope that the village doesn’t have a power cut. After these had been in the oven around 90 minutes the electricity went down. This issually signified by a neighbours burglar alarm beginning its 15-minute long ear-piercing wail. Once the electricity clicked back on an hour later the meringues had cooked with the residual heat in the oven. At least I didn’t have a cake in the oven as the break in heat wouldn’t have been so forgiving. I know of someone who claims to make the perfect meringues by ‘cooking’ them in the airing cupboard overnight, admittedly something I’m yet to try.
These do have a slightly different texture than traditional meringues; slightly denser, but still delicious. In the mouth they start quite dry then dissolve into a chewy meringue thanks to the the jelly crystals. The taste of the jelly is also strong. I’d be interested to see if they would work with vegetarian jelly crystals or vege-gel as this could bring more flexibility with flavours. These meringues would be a great way of decorating an elegant pudding. By using strawberry crystals it could make a rather fancy Eton Mess.
Blackcurrant Meringue Roses
makes around 15 roses
based on Chocolate Dipped Strawberry Meringues
1 large egg white
1 packet (23g) of jelly crystals (like Hartley’s Sugar Free)
2 tbsp caster sugar
¼ tsp vanilla extract
1) In a clean bowl whisk the egg white until you have soft peaks.
2) In a separate bowl mix together the jelly crystals and sugar then gradually whisk into the egg whites until the mixture is thick, glossy (like shaving foam) and you have stiff peaks.
3) Spoon the mixture into a piping bag fitted with 1M tip. On a baking sheet lined with baking parchment pipe roses about 4cm in diameter (read above for the rose piping technique)
4) Bake at 100°c for approximately 2 hours then leave to dry in the turned-off oven overnight. Store in an air tight container.
17 comments
Skip to comment form ↓
Nelly
August 16, 2011 at 3:07 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Oh my goodness! These look divine! These are definitely going on my “to-make” list. Also must look you up on Pinterest. My username is “justnelly”.
Kennedy
August 16, 2011 at 3:51 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Those are stunning. I personally think they would look gorgeous on top of a white wedding cake.
Jules
August 16, 2011 at 4:51 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
I agree, I think they would look fantastic. I have also seen cakes before (like this one) that has roses piped on it with buttercream.
Louise
August 16, 2011 at 5:23 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
These look amazing. Must give them a whirl! (no pun intended). :)
Phil
August 16, 2011 at 5:31 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
They look fantastic.
Dawnies Kitchen
August 16, 2011 at 7:11 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
I’m loving your work here, Jules!
Jacqueline
August 16, 2011 at 10:16 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
So, so pretty!
Alice
August 16, 2011 at 11:03 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Wow – these look so elegant, so beautiful!!!
Chele
August 17, 2011 at 6:54 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Certainly is a very interesting recipe. Lovely shape and colour too, these would stand out on a plate for sure, So pretty.
Lucy
August 17, 2011 at 10:07 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
These are so pretty and elegant – what a gorgeous shade. Intriguing recipe technique too!
Reme89
September 28, 2011 at 10:19 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Hello :)
Thanx for the recipe. Im sure gonna try it ASAP :)
But can I make it and store it??? And for how long would it stay good to eat??
Thanxx
Jules
September 28, 2011 at 10:20 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Yes you can store them. Once cooled put in an airtight container and I guess they would last about a week.
Reme89
September 28, 2011 at 10:30 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Thank u very much xxx
Reme89
September 29, 2011 at 8:21 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
I tried them but they came out with different color after baking them :( do u know why?
Jules
September 29, 2011 at 9:32 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
What brand of jelly crystals did you use? Some food colourings can fade when baked. The same can happen in cakes.
Reme89
September 30, 2011 at 12:39 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
I dont think its popular there in ur country… But Which brand should I use?
Jules
September 30, 2011 at 6:50 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Here in the UK we only really have one brand of jelly crystals and that is Hartleys. Maybe try a different brand.