You will need
3 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 t (5 ml) lemon juice
½ cup (125 ml) castor sugar
2 t (10 ml) cornflour (Maizena)
600 g strawberries, washed, hulled and cut into halves lengthways, reserve some of the best whole berries for garnish
½ cup (125 ml) strawberry jam
¼ cup (60 ml) water
1 x 250 g Ina Paarman’s Lemon Flavour Cheesecake Mix (reserve 2 T to stabilise cream topping)
2 cups (500 ml) fresh cream
a few drops red food colouring
150 g strawberries
2 T (30 ml) sugar
2 t (10 ml) balsamic vinegar
red food colouring, a few drops
1 cup (250 ml) fresh cream
2 T (30 ml) reserved Cheesecake Mix
reserved best berries
100 g blueberries
strawberry coulis
Using leftover egg yolks
Use the egg yolks to make an egg custard, mayonnaise or to add to scrambled eggs or mashed potatoes.
Method
Meringues
Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 120°C. Line a baking sheet with non-stick baking paper. Separate the eggs. The whites go into a spotlessly clean, medium-sized glass mixing bowl (not plastic).
Beat the egg whites with lemon juice using an electric beater on high speed until the whites stand up in soft peaks. (Do not add castor sugar until this stage). Now gradually add the castor sugar, little by little, while beating on high speed. You will end up with snow white, thick and shiny meringues.
Fold in the Maizena. Spoon or pipe smallish meringues onto the baking paper. Bake for 20 minutes, reduce temperature to 100°C and dry the meringues out for a further hour or longer depending on size. Switch off the oven and leave the meringues to cool down in the oven.
Strawberry Ice Cream
Line 2 x 20 cm cake pans with baking paper.
Reserve about 1 cup (250 ml) of the best strawberry halves to garnish.
Liquidise remaining strawberries until smooth. Add strawberry jam.
Now add the water and Cheesecake Mix and whizz it all together to form a smooth mixture.
Whip cream until firm and fold into strawberry mixture.
Stir in food colouring. Divide mixture between the two lined pans and freeze overnight.
Cream Topping and Berry Garnish
To Make Strawberry Coulis
Cut up the strawberries and sprinkle with sugar.
Pulverise the cut up berries until smooth, use a hand held blender or food processor.
Add balsamic vinegar to taste and a few drops of red food colour. Decant into a squeeze bottle.
Store in the fridge.
Cream Topping
Half whip the cream.
Add the 2 T (30 ml) reserved Cheesecake Mix to stabilise the cream.
Beat cream until firm.
To Assemble
Place one meringue disk on a presentation plate.
Top with a frozen ice cream layer.
Repeat layers.
Spread cream over the top of the cake.
Garnish with berries and drizzle with coulis.
