Grape and sauternes vacherin

Though many pride themselves on making the perfect pavlova, a vacherin (meringue dessert topped with ice-cream) is a step to the next level. This can be made with store-bought ice-cream, or if you make your own, it'll be even better! Track down a bottle of sauternes from a good-quality bottle shop; its rich sweetness is worth seeking out for this dessert.

• serves

  6

• prep

  1 hour

• cook

  2 hours

• difficulty

  Mid

Series. Cooking. Rated PG.

Stream Now On Demand

The Cook Up with Adam Liaw

series • CookingPG

Ingredients

• 2 g powdered gelatine
• 10 g cold water
• 120 g milk
• 30 g sauternes
• 70 g thin cream
• 1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped
• 60 g white sugar, divided
• 25 g cornflour
• 50 g egg yolks
• 15 g butter
• 250 g thick cream
• Halved mixed grapes, 20 g elderflower cordial, good-quality vanilla ice cream, to serve

For the meringue

• 100 g egg whites
• 200 g caster sugar

Cooling time: 1 hour. Chilling time: 3 hours.

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 100˚C.
2. To make the meringue, combine the ingredients in a large heatproof bowl set over a small saucepan of simmering water. Whisk the egg whites, to dissolve the sugar, then remove from the heat. Transfer the egg white mixture to a stand mixer with the whisk attachment fitted and whisk on medium speed until the mixture forms medium-firm peaks.
3. Spoon the meringue onto a baking tray lined with baking paper, spreading to a 20 cm circular deep, nest shape. Bake for 2 hours, then turn off the oven and allow to cool in the oven for a further hour. Store in an airtight container until needed.
4. To make the sauternes cream, whisk together the powdered gelatine and cold water in a small bowl, allowing the gelatine to bloom.
5. Bring the milk, sauternes, cream, vanilla and half the sugar to the boil in a medium saucepan. Whisk the remaining sugar and cornflour with the egg yolks in a medium bowl, then strain over the hot cream mixture, whisking to combine. Return the mixture to the saucepan and bring to a simmer, whisking continuously.
6. Remove from the heat, then place the gelatine mixture into the custard, whisking to dissolve. Whisk through the butter, then blitz briefly with a stick blender until the mixture is smooth and glossy. Pour the mixture into a large heatproof jug and cover with a layer of plastic wrap, pressing to the surface of the custard, then refrigerate until completely chilled.
7. When almost ready to serve, whip the thick cream to double peaks. Combine the halved grapes in a small bowl with the elderflower cordial and allow to macerate. Gently fold the whipped cream through the cooled sauternes custard.
8. Spread the custard over the meringue shell, then top with macerated grapes and scoops of vanilla ice-cream. This can be stored in the freezer until ready to serve.

Want more from The Cook Up? Stream all the seasons here and for free at SBS On Demand.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.