Brown Sugar Meringues with Strawberries & Cream

recipe adapted from A Modern Way to Eat

serves 8

for the meringue

• 4 egg whites
• 1 scant cup light brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons honey

Preheat oven to 275F and line a baking tray with parchment paper.

Put the egg whites into the bowl of an electric stand mixer and whisk until stiff peaks form. Gradually add the sugar while mixing on high speed until the mixture is thick and glossy. It’s ready when you can pinch the mixture and not feel any granules of sugar. Fold 2 tablespoons of the honey, leaving some ripples through the mixture.

Spoon into 8 mounds on the baking tray and bake for 1- 1/2 hours (depending on how chewy you like your meringues–less time means chewier middles). The meringues are ready when they are set and light to pick up. Set aside to cool.

for the strawberries & cream

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• strawberries, quartered (about a pint)
• 2 tablespoons Pimm’s Liqueur
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 heaping tablespoon lime zest, plus more for serving

Place cream in a jar. Put the lid on and shake until cream has thickened into whipped cream. Alternately you can mix the cream with a hand mixer/or KitchenAid until cream has thickened.  In a medium bowl, toss strawberries with Pimm’s, honey and lime zest. Let marinate for 30 minutes.

To serve the meringues, place a few dollops of whipped cream on the top of each meringue. Sprinkle extra lime zest on top of whipped cream followed by a large scoop of the sweetened Pimm’s strawberries. Serve immediately.