Orange and Passion Fruit Roulade

This light and airy dessert consists of a meringue base filled with home made orange curd, whipped cream and passion fruit, which is then rolled up swiss roll style. The orange curd may be made a day or two beforehand and kept in the ‘fridge until needed.

For the curd you will need:

2 juicy oranges

125g of caster sugar

4 eggs

100g of butter, cut into small pieces

For the method of making the curd, see my blog post Coconut and Lime Pavlova with Tropical Fruit

For the meringue base you will need:

4 egg whites

250g of caster sugar

the rind of 1 orange

Method:

line a swiss roll type tin with greaseproof paper
preheat the oven to 200°C
beat the egg whites until they are stiff and hold their shape. It’s very important that both the mixing bowl and whisk are very clean – if there are any traces of egg yolk the whites will not whisk up properly
gradually add the sugar, about a dessertspoonful at a time, beating the mixture well after each addition
fold the grated orange rind into the meringue

spread the meringue into the baking tin, smoothing the mixture into the corners of the tin
bake the meringue for 8 minutes at 200°C, then reduce the oven temperature to 160C and cook the meringue for another 10 minutes, or until it is pale golden brown in colour
tip the cooked meringue out onto a sheet of greaseproof paper and leave it to cool for about 30 minutes

To assemble the roulade:

You will need the jar of orange curd, the pulp of 2 or 3 passion fruits, and a 250ml tub of whipping cream

whip the cream to soft peaks
spread the contents of the jar of orange curd over the surface of the meringue
sprinkle the passion fruit pulp over the top of the orange curd
lastly, spread the cream over the top of the curd and passion fruit

from the long side of the meringue, gently roll the roulade, using the greaseproof paper to help you do so

The orange curd and cream will probably ooze a little from the side of the roulade as you roll it, but the delicious flavour will more than compensate for the slightly untidy appearance!