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Rose Oeufs à la Neige

This dessert was the brainchild of Amanda Clarke, one of my cooks, who went on to become pastry chef at Jean-Georges’s Perry Street Restaurant in New York. The floral notes of the rose, the bitter edge of the Campari, the sweet acids of the tangerine and citrus, all meld into a unique balance of flavor and texture.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    serves 6 to 8 it¿s own or 12 as part of fourplay

Ingredients

For the Carbonated Citrus Curd

Citrus Curd (page 257)

For the Meringue

1 large egg white
Cream of tartar
2 tablespoons (25g) sugar
3/4 teaspoon (4g) rose water

To Serve

Tangerine-Campari Granité (page 239)
Petit Beurre Crumbs (see page 200)
Crystallized rose petals (see page 186)

Preparation

  1. For the Carbonated Citrus Curd

    Step 1

    Put the curd into a siphon and charge it with a cream whipper charger (N2O). Shake vigorously for at least 1 minute. Test, and if the curd is too flat, charge it with a second charger, shaking vigorously for another minute. Refrigerate until you’re ready to serve dessert.

  2. For the Meringue

    Step 2

    Put the egg white and a pinch of cream of tartar in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the whisk. Turn it on to low, and whisk the white gently for 2 minutes, to start establishing a structure. The white will look frothy but still a bit wet. Turn the speed up to medium and add 1 tablespoon of the sugar. Continue to beat at medium speed until the white has body and is just shy of having soft peaks. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon sugar and continue beating until the white is glossy and smooth and almost stiff. Beat in the rose water.

  3. To Serve

    Step 3

    Bring a saucepan of water to a simmer.

    Step 4

    Drop heaping teaspoons of the meringue into the water and simmer gently until cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes. The meringues will double in size. Remove with a slotted spoon.

    Step 5

    Spoon some granité into bowls or glasses. Squirt some curd around it and top with a meringue or two. Garnish with petit beurre crumbs and crumbled crystallized rose petals.

Reprinted with permission from Dessert Fourplay: Sweet Quartets from a Four-Star Pastry Chef by Johnny Iuzzini and Roy Finamore. Copyright © 2008 by Johnny Iuzzini and Roy Finamore. Published by Crown Publishing. All Rights Reserved. Johnny Iuzzini,, executive pastry chef of the world-renowned Jean Georges restaurant in New York City, won the award for Outstanding Pastry Chef from the James Beard Foundation in 2006. This is his first book. Roy Finamore, a publishing veteran of more than thirty years, has worked with many bestselling cookbook authors. He is the author of three books: One Potato, Two Potato; Tasty, which won a James Beard Foundation award; and Fish Without a Doubt.__
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