Cocolemon Mess
This is a great prepare-ahead dessert which means you can spend less time in the kitchen and more time enjoying yourself. This dessert features mini meringues infused with native lemon myrtle, served with a refreshing lemongrass granita and silky coconut ice cream.
Serves
Serves 8Preparation time
60 minsIngredients
- For the Coconut Ice Cream
- 1 ½ cups cream
- ¾ cup icing sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 400 mL coconut milk
- 200 mL sweetened condensed milk
- 1 ½ cups coconut flakes, lightly toasted, divided
- For the Lemongrass Granita
- 4 stalks lemongrass, bruised and roughly chopped
- 2 cups water
- ¾ cup caster sugar
- Juice of 1 lemon
- Juice of 1 lime
- For the Lemon Myrtle Meringues
- 3 egg whites
- ½ tsp cream of tartar
- ¾ cup caster sugar
- ¼ tsp vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
- ¼ tsp ground lemon myrtle
- Edible flowers to garnish, optional
Method
For the Coconut Ice Cream
Combine cream, icing sugar and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer. Whip until cream has doubled in volume and stiff peaks have formed.
In a separate bowl, mix the coconut milk, condensed milk and 1 cup of toasted coconut flakes.
Take a couple of spoons of the whipped cream mixture and lightly fold it into the coconut mixture. Fold through the remaining whipped cream, gently so that you don’t knock out too much aeration.
Pour mixture into a shallow container, cover with cling film and freeze for approx. 6 hours or overnight.
To make the Lemongrass Granita
Combine all ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat and stir until the sugar has dissolved and liquid boils. Remove from the heat and set aside to infuse until cool. Pass the mixture through a sieve to remove any solids. Pour into a freezer-safe container and freeze until ready to serve.
To make the Lemon Myrtle Meringues
Preheat oven to 110C.
Whisk egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer until fluffy. Add cream of tartar and continue to beat for 30 seconds. Gradually add sugar one spoonful at a time, beating well after each addition. Continue to beat for approx. 3 minutes, until thick and glossy. Add salt, vanilla and lemon myrtle, and mix to combine.
Use a piping bag or spoon to transfer meringue mixture onto lined baking trays; meringues should be approximately 3 centimetres in size. Ensure that you leave room between each meringue to allow for spreading. Cook in oven for 1 hour. Turn oven off but leave meringues inside until completely cool.
To serve
Remove the ice cream from the freezer 15 minutes before serving.
Use a fork to scratch the granita to form fine crystals.
Layer coconut ice cream, meringues, granita, and toasted coconut in serving bowls. Garnish with edible flowers, if using, and serve.
