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Adaptrix
Other fruit
Use a similar weight of raspberries
or strawberries in place of the
plums. The Sumac blackberries
(page 279) are also incredible here!
Toffeed bananas
are a year round fruity friend
and add fresh passionfruit to
bring  the zing.


Roasted quinces or toffee figs
are my autumnal go-to, and coconut
is such a bosom buddy to them
both. With quince, this roulade is
beyond next level.


Scrape the mix out onto the prepared baking tray. Using an offset
spatula, smooth it evenly over the tray, leaving a 1.5 cm in) border
around the edges to allow for some expansion during baking. Bake for
1 hour until the top feels like a crunchy pillow that cracks when gently
pressed. Remove and allow to cool at room temperature on the tray,
until ready to roll.* Moving it off the tray while it’s hot makes the sheet
prone to breaking.


While the meringue cools, whip the cream to billowy soft and cut
most of the grilled plum pieces into smaller pieces (four pieces per
plum half). Reserve a few slices or whole pie ces for the top.

To roll, lay two overlapping pieces of plastic wrap on the work surface
to make a sheet slightly larger than the meringue sheet. Carefully flip
the meringue sheet off the tray, with the shortest side closest to you,
and peel off the baking paper. The meringue should now be crunchy
top side down and the underside, now exposed, should feel soft and
a little sticky.


Keeping the short side closest to you, evenly spread 400 g (14 oz) of
the cream over the meringue, but only smooth a light smear over the
2 cm in) strip at the top of the sheet. This will become the seal, so
it’s best not to overload it with cream that will ooze out upon rolling.


Scatter the grilled plums evenly over the cream (except for the strip
along the top). Tear the pieces up a little if they are too big, as big
pieces make a lumpy roll.

Take a firm hold of the plastic wrap closest to you and use a repetitive
‘lift and roll’ motion to gradually roll the meringue, until you do a final
full roll to reach the end, with the seam underneath. Form a spine of
reserved cream then plum pieces. Drizzle the reserved syrup on top.


* Overbaked meringue will be uber-crisp and unbending, threatening to snap.
To repair, place the cream and fruit on the she et and chill for an hour, then roll.


If your meringue is underbaked, bake the meringue sheet for another 20 minutes
at 140°C (285°F), even if you do this the day after.


If the sheet has cracked irreparably, stack large shards with the cream and fruit
in an avant-garde (but totally meant it) way.