The Wiltshire Life October 2021 75th Anniversary issue comes with a bonus recipe booklet, A Year of Recipes, showcasing some of the county’s finest chefs and food producers.
In the issue we talk with acclaimed chef Ping Coombes and from her home in the county she shares her love of cooking and the countryside. She also shared a special dessert recipe with us, a delicious Malaysian mess with spiced pineapple and coconut meringue.
Order the single issue HERE to read Ping's interview and to enjoy the rest of the recipes by Wiltshire chefs available in A Year of Recipes.
Malaysian mess by Ping Coombes, chef, author, and 2014 MasterChef champion www.pingcoombes.com
'The spiced pineapple reminded me of the pineapple tarts that my mum used to make before Chinese New Year. She would make the jam round about now and orders from friends and relatives will start to flood in two months before the celebrations. I love that smell wafting through her kitchen and it is so heartwarming. This exciting pudding would make a sensational ending to any festive gathering.'
Feeds six, 90 minutes to make
For the coconut meringues:
4 medium egg whites
100g caster sugar
100g icing sugar
70g dessicated coconut
For the compote:
1 pineapple
70g brown sugar
½ lemongrass, bashed
2 star anise
Juice of one lime
For the whipped coconut cream:
180ml full fat coconut milk, chilled
200ml double cream
To serve:
6 tablespoons of desiccated coconut
To make the Malaysian Mess:
1. Make the meringues by whipping the egg whites into soft peaks, add half of the caster sugar then gradually add in the rest until mixture is really thick and glossy. Fold in sieved icing sugar and desiccated coconut.
2. Lay two baking trays out with baking parchment cut into size. Make small dollops at the 4 corners of the trays. They act as glue to hold the baking parchment in place. Put dollops of meringue on the tray using a metal spoon roughly the size of a tennis ball. I had about 12. You will have more meringues than you need.
3. Bake the meringues for 90 minutes and at 110°C fan/130°C/gas mark 1.
4. Cut the pineapple and remove the core. Dice into 1cm cubes. Put diced pineapple, star anise, lemongrass and lime juice in a pan and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 25 minutes until they are soft but still hold their shapes. Remove from heat and set aside. Discard the lemongrass and star anise.
5. Toast coconut in pan till golden brown, about 5 – 7 minutes. Set aside to cool.
6. Using a hand held electronic whisk or a free standing one, whisk the coconut milk and cream to soft peaks. You want it to be just whipped and still run off the spoon.
7. Assemble the dessert in a bowl or a small glass tumbler. Layer with pineapple, broken bits of meringue and coconut cream. Sprinkle toasted coconut.
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