Christmas Meringue Nests With Fresh Berry Sauce

A beautiful summer dessert that is easy to prepare! These light, melt-in-the-mouth vanilla meringue

nests are filled with creamy ice cream and topped with a gorgeous berry sauce. Taking the kids to

go pick the berries themselves at Wildebraam, will of course teach them the profoundness of

gathering fresh food directly from the soil. Christmas dessert sorted!

Serves 6

For the meringues:

4 large egg whites, room temperature

200 g castor sugar

small pinch of salt

5 ml (1 tsp) vanilla paste

30 ml (2 tbsp) flaked almonds

vanilla ice cream to serve

rosemary or mint leaves to decorate

For the berry sauce:

125 ml (½ cup) Wildebraam blackberries

125 ml (½ cup) Wildebraam youngberries

50 ml castor sugar

30 ml (1 tbsp) water

Preheat your oven to 120 °C and line a large baking tray with baking paper.

Whisk the egg whites until they form stiff peaks when the beaters are lifted. Gradually add the

castor sugar (about one tablespoon at a time) while beating, and beat well between each addition.

Whisk in the salt and vanilla paste.

Drop six very highly heaped tablespoons of the meringue mixture onto the prepared tray.

Remember to allow space for spreading - use two smaller trays if you need to. Use the back of a

teaspoon to hollow out the middle of each pile of meringue to create a nest shape.

Sprinkle the flaked almonds around the edges of the meringue nests.

Bake the meringues for 1 hour. Switch the oven off but leave the door closed, and allow the

meringue nests to dry out for a further hour.

Prepare the sauce by combining the blackberries, youngberries, castor sugar and water in a small

saucepan. Stir over a medium heat to dissolve the sugar, then simmer gently for 8-10 minutes,

stirring regularly, until slightly thickened. Taste and adjust the sugar if necessary.

Cool the sauce slightly, then whizz in a food processor until smooth. Chill in the fridge until serving

time.

Fill each meringue nest with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and top with a generous drizzle of berry

sauce. Decorate with rosemary or mint leaves. Store any leftover meringues in an airtight

container. The berry sauce should be stored in the fridge.

Teresa’s tips and tricks:

• Berry picking is a great holiday activity for the kids. Plan a visit to Wildebraam Farm, then make

this dessert with all your delicious berries when you get home!

• Double up the berry sauce recipe and enjoy the extra sauce on pancakes, yoghurt or even your

morning oats.

• Add even more Christmas bling to this dessert by adding a sprinkling of edible glitter before

serving.