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Rhubarb Fool with Vanilla Meringues

An easy breezy chilled dessert to make the most of spring and summer fruit. Roasted and folded into whipped cream and yogurt is just so dreamy. Crumbled vanilla meringues on top add a perfect extra texture.

Ingredients

Rhubarb Fool

  • 14 oz rhubarb or 400 grams. Forced or greenhouse Rhubarb will be more pink, the garden variety will have a green tinge to it
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar or 80 grams
  • 1 orange juiced
  • 1 vanilla pod
  • 1 1/3 cups heavy whipping cream 35-45%, or 300 ml
  • 1/2 cup plain yogurt or any yogurt of choice, or 100 ml

Vanilla Meringue Cookies, made in advance

  • 2 egg whites from large eggs
  • 1/4 cup icing sugar or 30 grams
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar or 50 grams
  • 1 tsp vanilla

Instructions

Rhubarb

  1. Preheat the oven to 350F (180C)
  2. Trim the ends of the rhubarb and cut into one inch long pieces. Place these onto a small rimmed baking sheet. Add the sugar and the orange juice, combining everything together. Cut the vanilla pod in half lengthwise and scrape out the seeds with the back of your knife, adding both the seeds to the rhubarb. Finish by adding the vanilla pod to the baking sheet as well.
  3. Roast the rhubarb for 10-12 minutes until tender but the rhubarb is still holding its shape. Your oven may affect the time needed.
  4. Drain all the juices into a small jar. Use a fork to completely crush up half of the roasted rhubarb. Store it apart from the whole rhubarb. Chill till needed. The juices will thicken slightly as they chill.

Whipped Cream

  1. Whip the cream just until firm peaks form. Stop before it gets any more firm. Too soft and the whipped cream will get watered down when added to the rhubarb.

To Assemble

  1. Combine the puréed rhubarb with the yogurt in a medium bowl. Stop before it becomes to homogenous, you want to see streaks of rhubarb. Add 2/3 of the whipped cream to the rhubarb mixture, again only till mixed, but not completely blended.
  2. Crumble some of the meringue cookies at the bottom of each serving glass. Spoon some of the rhubarb whipped cream mixture into each glass. Follow with a few pieces of whole rhubarb. Repeat with the remaining rhubarb mixture. Top with remaining whole rhubarb pieces, the plain whipped cream and more crumbled meringue cookie. Finish with a drizzle of the reserved syrupy juice.

Vanilla Meringue Cookies

  1. Preheat oven to 350F (180C) It must be thoroughly heated through.
  2. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper
  3. Whisk egg whites with pinch of salt until stiff and dry. The liquidy, clear egg white texture should be replaced with a foamy texture. Gradually add the sugars, starting with the icing sugar, and scraping down the sides if needed, whisking until a thick and glossy meringue is achieved.
  4. Using a tbsp, drop spoonfuls (but don't go any larger) onto the parchment, spaced 1" apart.
  5. Put the baking sheets into the oven. Shut the door. Immediately turn the oven off.
  6. Leave these alone without opening the door overnight. In the morning, they will easily come off the parchment paper. They will keep in an airtight container for a week. But who are we kidding, they'll be gone before you know it!If you are

Recipe Notes

The Fools can be assembled and stored in the fridge for a couple of hours before serving. If not serving right away, don't drizzle the syrup on until ready to go out.
If baking the cookies on a humid day, you may find that the meringue doesn't come together, or that they don't completely cook through, and the insides are still sticky.
If this is the case, thoroughly warm the oven again at 350F, and put the cookies back in, and turn off the oven again. Check after 4 hours.
You will have more cookies than needed for the recipe. Just enjoy!