For my second lesson with Lemonade, Marcin and I wanted to tackle another common ingredient, this time being eggs. Truthfully, the lemon meringue cookies could have been used for both lessons, since I showcased how to use the yolk and the white in a dessert, but I figured I would tackle an entirely different dessert with similar techniques, but in a plated format. So the first egg-related desserts I could think of were floating islands and Eton mess. But I realized, I have so much more to work with going the Eton mess route, since it is cream, berries, and baked meringue. I opted to include a creme patisserie or pastry cream underneath it, since that could use the egg yolks, and then pair that with simple whipped cream, fresh berries, and meringue sticks. The meringue sticks, also called “wind crystal meringues” are great because unlike normal baked meringues, they take only 10 minutes to bake because of how thin they are.

For the meringue sticks:
1 egg white
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
a pinch of salt
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
a pinch of cream of tartar
pitaya powder*

Whip everything but the pitaya powder together to stiff peaks. Transfer into a piping bag with a small, round piping tip and pipe out sticks onto parchment. Bake the meringues at 285 degrees F for 10 minutes. Sieve on the pitaya powder afterwards. Cool down at room temperature and place into an airtight container.

For the creme patisserie:
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 cup heavy cream
a pinch of salt
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Heat up milk and salt in a pot. Whisk together your egg yolk with sugar and cornstarch. Temper the two together and whisk on medium heat until thickened. Take off heat and whisk in your butter and vanilla. Pass through a sieve. Refrigerate with cling wrap. Transfer to a piping bag for plating.

For the chantilly cream
1/4 cup heavy cream
a pinch of salt
1 tablespoon confectioner’s sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Whip everything together to stiff peaks. Transfer to a piping bag.

For garnish:
Fresh berries

In a bowl, start with a small row of your pastry cream on the bottom first. Place onto that dollops of cream and your berries. Garnish with your meringue sticks to finish.