Rhubarb and Custard Meringues

These meringues came about as a result of some alchemaic discussion at work. 

Intially I had made some custard cream biscuits (the recipe from a Nigella Lawson book).

I had received an audition for the British Bake-Off where I had to make a sweet and savoury baked good that would wow the judges (Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood) and was hoping to take these along, they were melt-in-the-mouth delicious. Rhubarb and custard are a classic combo so I thought about piping some rhubarb compote into the centre of each biscuit and then surround it with the custard butter cream to create a jammy dodger type deal.

That same week though I had taken some meringues to work too, as I felt I needed to practice making them. 

They went down a treat and it was my indecision about which to bake for the audition that brought about the conversation about filling the meringues and that married the two concepts together.

Bake a meringue, using the method where you dissolve the sugar into the egg whites over a pan of simmering water and then whip them up.

Pipe them onto a lined baking sheet and bake them until they are dried out and crisp. Using an apple corer, drill into the base of each meringue them and once cool, pipe in your filling. 

I used a baked rhubarb compote and some butter cream in mine.

Mary Berry said she was initially disappointed as they didn't look 'WOW' and Paul Hollywood agreed initially, however after they bit into them they were pleasantly surprised. Telling me they had never seen anything like it before and it was very original. Paul enjoyed them so much he ate two, I went away from that experience very pleased with my first dabbling into alchemaic baking!