Cara Cara Oranges with Rosewater Meringue
This is an easy, light dessert that takes advantage of our Winter/Spring citrus season. I love the juicy citrus flavors of the Cara Cara combined with the crunch and floral flavor of the Rose Water meringues and all topped with the slightly tart cream topping. If you make the meringues a day or several days before, you can put this together in just a few minutes. As the seasons progress, you can use other fruits, and other flavors in the meringues. Try berries with cocoa meringues and chocolate shavings on top of the whipped cream, or peaches with almond extract meringues topped with whipped cream and crumbled candied almonds. The preparation time shown for this recipe includes the two hours to bake the meringues.
Ingredients
- 1 full recipe for Meringues Meringue Cookies and Shells
- 1 tsp Nielsen & Massey Rose Water Extract (4.3g)
- 6 Cara Cara (or Blood) oranges
- 1/4 cup Mascarpone (70g)
- 1 cup whipping cream (237ml)
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar - sifted (60g)
- 1 tsp Nielsen & Massey vanilla extract (4.3g)
- 2 tsp orange zest (4g)
Instructions
- Prepare the meringues as instructed in the Meringues Cookies and Shells .When you add the vanilla also add the Nielsen & Massey Rose Water. Bake as directed. You will not need exact shapes for this recipe as you will be breaking the meringues into chunks. Piping them into shapes of not more than two tablespoons is best. This size will insure that the centers, as well as the outer shell will be crisp and dry.
- Peel the oranges and cut slices about 1/4" thick, and cut each slice into bite size pieces. Place the slices in a bowl to retain the juices.
- Place the Mascarpone and whipping cream in the bowl of your mixer. Note, it is best if the Mascarpone, cream, along with the bowl are very cold. Fit the mixer with the whisk attachment. Beat until it just starts to form soft peaks, then add the sifted powdered sugar, the orange zest and the vanilla. Continue to beat until firm peaks are formed.
To Assemble
- Crumble some meringue (about 2 tablespoons) at the bottom of each of the 6 compotes or small dessert dishes. Top with some of the orange slices along with a bit of the accumulated juices. Add a dollop of the mascarpone and whipping cream mixture and a bit more of the crumbled meringue.
- Now, add the final layer of orange slices, another big dollop of the cream and several pieces of meringue. Garnish with a sprig of mint or candied rose petal.