Fruit Soup

A delightful summer dish. Top it with mini-meringues for the look and the crunch of it.

 Prep

  1. Soup. At least 6 hours before eating, tip the water into a heavy based saucepan with the 150g caster sugar. Stir over medium heat until the sugar has dissolved. Add the rosemary, strip of lemon zest and the wine or perry. Increase the heat. Simmer for 3 minutes. Pour into a large bowl. Leave it to cool down then put it to chill in the fridge until needed.
  2. Meringue. Pre-heat the oven to 150C/gas 2.
  3. Separate the eggs. Save the yolks for mayo or a tart. Tip the whites into a large grease-free bowl. Measure the sugar and have it nearby.
  4. Whisk the egg whites for a few seconds. As soon as they reach the white foamy stage start to add the sugar, a teaspoon at a time. Whisk until incorporated before adding the next teaspoon. Continue until it’s all in.
  5. Continue to whisk until the meringue is very stiff and glossy and stands in peaks when flicked.
  6. Dab a bit of mix in each corner of 2 baking trays. Lay greaseproof or silicone paper over each tray. To place the meringues: dab teaspoons of mix over the trays, using another teaspoon to tease it off. Leave space between. Or spoon the meringue into a piping bag fitted with a medium nozzle. Pipe blobs over each tray. Reduce the heat to 140/gas 1.

Cook

  1. Bake the meringues for 1 hour. If they are browning, reduce the heat a bit.
  2. Once crisp all though (lift one off the paper to check the base is cooked), turn the heat off. Leave them in the oven for an hour to dry out. Or remove them earlier if you prefer a fluffy or chewy centre.
  3. Sit the tray of meringues on a cooling rack. If you put them on a solid cold surface the meringue will crack. Leave until ready to eat. Or once cold, store them in an airtight container. They will last for a few days.

Assemble and Plate

  1. Wash, pat dry and chop your fruit as you like. Divide between bowls. Float a meringue on top of each one and pile the rest onto a plate for the table.

Useful Cooking Information

Weight

Metric Imperial
10 g½ oz
20 g¾ oz
25 g1 oz
50 g2 oz
75 g3 oz
110 g4 oz
150 g5 oz
175 g6 oz
200 g7 oz
225 g8 oz
250 g9 oz
275 g10 oz
350 g12 oz
450 g1 lb
500 g (½ kg)18 oz
700 g1½ lb
900 g2 lb
1 kg2¼ lb
1.3 kg3 lb
1.8 kg4 lb
2.2 kg5 lb

Volume

Metric Imperial
50 ml2 fl oz
75 ml3 fl oz
100 ml3½ fl oz
125 ml4 fl oz
150 ml5 fl oz¼ pint
200 ml7 fl oz
250 ml9 fl oz
300 ml10 fl oz½ pint
425 ml15 fl oz¾ pint
600 ml20 fl oz1 pint
800 ml1½ pint
1 l1¾ pints
1.2 l2 pints
1.5 l2½ pints
1.8 l3 pints
2 l3½ pints

Measurements

Metric Imperial
5 mm¼ inch
1 cm½ inch
2 cm¾ inch
2.5 cm1 inch
3 cm1¼ inches
4 cm1½ inches
5 cm2 inches
10 cm3 inches
15 cm4 inches
20.5 cm6 inches
23 cm9 inches
25 cm10 inches
30 cm12 inches

Spoon measures - mean level measures unless the recipe says 'heaped'

Eggs - are always large for baking, unless recipe says otherwise


Oven Temperatures

Gas °F °C
Mark 1275140
2300150
3325170
4350180
5375190
6400200
7425220
8450230
9475240

Fan assisted ovens - remember to reduce temperatures by 20°C

Most Useful US/European Conversions

ButterUS 1 cup / 2 sticks8 oz220 g
SugarUS 1 cup6 oz175 g
FlourUS 1 cup4 oz110 g
LiquidUS 1 cup8 fl oz225 ml
Prepped OnionsUS 1 cup4 oz110 g
Cheese, GratedUS 1 cup4 oz110 g
Diced FruitUS 1 cup5 oz150 g
Fresh BreadcrumbsUS 1 cup2 oz55 g

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