Vacherin
A classic dessert of crisp meringue shells filled with whipped cream and fresh fruit.
Ingredients
Plain meringue (or chocolate meringue, Swiss meringue)
to taste
Sweetened whipped cream
to taste
Fruit (your choice)
to taste
Sponge cake (diced, soaked with flavored syrup (optional))
to taste
Fresh or candied fruit
to taste
Instructions
1
Draw the mold
For a large Vacherin, draw a circle of 20 or 23 cm diameter on parchment paper; for individual ones, draw a circle of 6-7 cm diameter.
2
Make the base
Using a plain nozzle, pipe a spiral of meringue about 12 mm thick inside the circle to form the base.
3
Make the sides
Pipe meringue rings the same size as the base. A large one needs 4-5 rings, while individual servings need 2 rings.
4
Bake
Bake according to the method for Crisp Baked Meringues (page 292).
5
Unmold
Carefully lift the baked meringue off the parchment paper, taking extra care because the rings are fragile.
6
Assemble the shell
Use unbaked meringue as glue to stack the rings on top of the base.
7
Smooth the sides
If the sides look uneven, smooth them with fresh meringue, or mask them later with buttercream.
8
Bake again
Return the shell to the oven to dry the fresh meringue, then let it cool.
9
Fill
Fill the shell with sweetened whipped cream and fruit (such as strawberries or peach slices); syrup-soaked sponge cake cubes can also be added.
10
Decorate
Pipe more whipped cream on top with a piping bag and arrange fresh or candied fruit as garnish.
