Okay, so I’ve been seeing this “vacherin” thing all over my food blogs, and it looked fancy and delicious. I decided to give it a shot myself, and let me tell you, it was a bit of an adventure!
Getting Started
First, I gathered all the ingredients. I needed:
- Egg whites (lots of them!)
- Sugar (caster sugar, to be precise)
- Some fresh berries (I went with raspberries and strawberries)
- Heavy cream
- A bit of vanilla extract
Making the Meringue Shells
This was the tricky part. I whipped the egg whites until they were all foamy, then slowly added the sugar, beating until it formed stiff, glossy peaks. It took a while, and my arm got a bit tired, but I powered through! The mixture should be thick, and when you stop the mixer, there should be no “liquid” left.
Then, I piped the meringue onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper. I tried to make nice, round shapes, but they ended up a bit wonky. Oh well, rustic charm, right?
I baked them at a low temperature for what felt like forever (about an hour and a half). The goal was to get them crispy on the outside and dry all the way through.
Whipping the Cream
While the meringues were baking, I whipped the heavy cream with a bit of sugar and vanilla extract until it was nice and fluffy. Easy peasy!
Assembling the Vacherin
Once the meringues were completely cool (I learned the hard way that warm meringues melt whipped cream!), I started layering. I put a meringue shell on the bottom, topped it with whipped cream, then added a layer of fresh berries. I repeated this process until I had a beautiful, towering dessert.
The Final Result
Honestly, it looked a bit messy, but it tasted AMAZING! The crispy meringue, the sweet whipped cream, and the tart berries were the perfect combination. I will try to do a cleaner swirl and pattern with the whipped cream.
It was definitely a bit of work, but totally worth it. I’d recommend giving it a try, even if you’re not a pro baker (like me!). Just be patient with the meringue, and don’t be afraid to get a little messy. Have a good one!
