Recipe Tip: Brioche-Meringue Pudding with Strawberry and Rhubarb Compote

Top Recipe for 4 Persons by Max Stiegl. All ingredients and tips for getting it right. A rather sophisticated, meringue-topped version of bread pudding with strawberries and rhubarb.

Ingredients

• 500 g stale brioche or stale croissants
• 250 ml milk
• 3 eggs
• 1 vanilla pod (pulp scraped out)
• 4 apples (Golden Delicious ideal)
• 2 tablespoon dark rum
• 1 teaspoon(s) ground cardamom
• 1 teaspoon(s) ground cinnamon
• 125 g dark chocolate
• 50 g butter
• 20 g sugar
• 5 eggs (whites only)
• 1 pinch(es) salt
• 400 g fresh strawberries
• 400 g fresh rhubarb
• 250 ml crisp white wine
• 150 ml water
• 1 vanilla pod (pulp scraped out and removed)
• 100 ml honey
• juice of one lime
• 1 bunch(es) mint, roughly chopped
• 170 g sugar

Steps

1. Cut the brioche or croissant into thin slices. These are best if they are a few days old and slightly dry, they will absorb more of the milk mixture that way and not fall apart.
2. Whisk together the milk, eggs and vanilla pulp in a bowl. Dip brioche slices in it to allow to fully soak.
3. Peel the apples, core and cut into thin slices approx. 1.5 to 2cm thick. Place the apple slices in a dish and cover with a mix of the rum, cardamom and cinnamon and allow to marinate whilst you are preparing the other ingredients.
4. Finely chop up the dark chocolate. Preheat oven to 200 °C. Butter a rectangular baking dish, then begin to layer the ingredients.
5. Start with the milk soaked brioche, then the apples, then add a thin layer of finely chopped chocolate.
6. Repeat the layering until everything is used up - the last layer should be a brioche layer and you should be near the top of the dish at this point. Bake for approx 25-30 minutes.
7. Whilst this is cooking, prepare the meringue by whisking the egg whites with a pinch of salt, then gradually add the sugar.
8. When you have reached firm peaks, your meringue is ready. Remove the apple and bioche dish from the oven, spread the meringue over the hot brioche mixture and place in the oven for another 10 minutes.
9. Ensure there is enough room in the oven so that when you place the dish back in, you do not knock the meringue as it is cooking.
10. When the meringue has taken on a dark golden colour it will be ready to remove. Serve with strawberry-rhubarb compote.
11. Hull the strawberries, remove the stalk and any green leaves, cut into quarters then place to one side.
12. Clean and peel the rhubarb, then cut into pieces of about 2cm in size and place in a large mixing bowl.
13. Bring the wine, water, sugar, vanilla pulp, honey and lime juice to the boil in a pan. When fully dissolved, remove from the heat and pour the hot liquid over the rhubarb and leave to infuse for 20 minutes.
14. When the compote is lukewarm, add the strawberries and mix to a coarse texture. Sprinkle with roughly chopped mint leaves just before serving.