Freyja's Mead Sabayon with Strawberries and Hazelnut Meringues
Servings 4 servings
Ingredients
Hazelnut Meringues
- 1 cup toasted hazelnuts *see note
- 4 egg whites
- pinch kosher salt
- 1 cup sugar
Mead Sabayon
- 4 egg yolks
- 6 tbsp sugar
- ¼ cup mead
To serve
- 1 lb strawberries
Instructions
Hazelnut Meringues
- Preheat the oven to 225°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. Add the egg whites to the bowl of a stand mixer. Whip the egg whites on high speed with a whip attachment. When the egg whites begin to stiffen and create soft peaks, add the salt and begin to slowly add the sugar. Add the sugar in several small increments.
- Once the sugar is fully incorporated, continue beating the egg whites until it has dissolved completely. You can tell if the sugar is dissolved by rubbing a little meringue between two fingers – it should feel completely smooth with no grains of sugar in it. If you still feel the sugar, continue to beat the meringue. This will take about 6 to 8 minutes.
- Roughly chop the toasted hazelnuts. Once the meringue is fully whipped, fold in the hazelnuts. Spoon heaped tablespoons of the meringue onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving a little space between them.
- Bake the meringues for 2 hours. When done, turn the oven off. Use a ball of aluminum foil to prop the oven door open and leave the meringues in the oven for another hour. Remove and allow to cool completely.
Mead Sabayon
- Make the mead sabayon shortly before you intend to serve the dish. Place a saucepan with an inch of water over medium heat. Bring the water to a boil and then lower the heat so the water is barely simmering.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the egg yolks, sugar, and mead. Whisk until blended. Place the bowl over the simmering water. Whisk the mixture constantly until it is thick, pale yellow, and has tripled in volume. The sabayon should leave a ribbon trail when you lift the whisk. This will take about 8 to 10 minutes.
To serve
- To serve, slice the strawberries into halves or quarters. Arrange a pile of strawberries in the middle of each plate. Break one or two meringues over each plate and crumble them on and around the berries. Spoon the warm sabayon over the berries and meringue. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Notes
*See the post above for instructions on how to toast hazelnuts
**This recipe will make more meringues than you need. They are delicious on their own or can be crumbled and folded into whipped cream and berries for another simple dessert.