Rhubarb & Ginger Meringue Roulade

This is a wonderful recipe and a showstopping centrepiece for Easter (it’s not too hard to make either!). Rhubarb is really at its best in March / April and paired with ginger, the flavours cut through the sweetness of the meringue. Topped with a few mini eggs and decorated with some mini fluffy chicks, it’s a fun and delicious pudding to make for the bank holiday weekend.

Ingredients

• 7 egg whites
• 450g caster sugar
• 400g of rhubarb (4 sticks), chopped into 5cm chunks (leaves removed)
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 250ml double cream
• 2 desert spoons of stem ginger puree*
• 3 tbsp icing sugar
• 50g white chocolate
• 1tbsp chopped freeze dried raspberries
• 12 chocolate mini eggs
• Vegetable oil

Method

• Preheat the oven to 180C
• Put the rhubarb into a baking dish, sprinkle with 50g of the sugar and the vanilla essence, cover with foil, cook for 20 minutes until very soft. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
• Meanwhile, line a 21cm x 30cm baking tray with foil and brush with vegetable oil
• Whisk the egg whites using an electric hand whisk in a very clean bowl to soft peak stage
• Continue to whisk and add the remaining caster sugar spoonful by spoonful until glossy
• Spread the egg white mixture evenly into the lined baking tray and bake in the oven for 25 minutes until puffed up (the meringue does not need to be completely cooked through, it should still be soft underneath). Allow to cool in the tray.
• Strain the cooled cooked rhubarb and keep the syrup separate.**
• Whip the cream until soft and airy, not overwhipped. Fold through the ginger puree until completely combined, and then the strained rhubarb. Taste the mixture, the rhubarb should retain some tartness; add a little sifted icing sugar to taste if you feel it needs extra sweetness

Now it’s time to roll!

• Cut a rectangle of greaseproof paper, a little larger than your meringue tray and lay onto a flat surface
• Dust the paper with the icing sugar, sifted
• Upturn your meringue tray onto the icing sugar, top side down, carefully remove the tray and the foil, don’t worry if it cracks!
• Now spread the rhubarb mixture over the meringue so it is completely covered
• Take both ends of the paper along the longest side of the meringue and roll, ease it over with your hands so it rolls evenly. It doesn’t need to be particularly tight, keep going until your meringue is fully rolled.
• The roulade  will now be encased in the greaseproof paper, lift onto your serving plate and remove the paper.

Now the fun bit… decoration!

• Melt your white chocolate in the microwave or over a bain marie until just about melted (don’t heat too much, white chocolate can be tricky!)
• Drizzle haphazardly over the roulade
• Sprinkle with the freeze-dried raspberry pieces and dot with mini eggs. Be creative! Add edible glitter and fluffy chicks for extra effect.

*I always buy jars of stem ginger in syrup, blitz the full jar and then return to the jar as a puree. It’s delicious on ice cream, as an addition to cake fillings or even Asian stir fries or marinades.

**The rhubarb syrup is a delicious addition to prosecco or cava for a festive Easter cocktail