Raspberry Meringue Hearts #SundaySupper
Love is in the air. Really!
With Valentine’s Day just around the corner there is plenty of red everywhere I look. It is such a happy occasion. When I graduated college and was living on my own without a boyfriend, my dad used to send me flowers for Valentine’s Day. That gesture left me with so many warm and loving memories.
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Today, Sunday Supper is all about helping you create loving memories this Valentine’s Day. Sunday Supper partnered with Gallo Family Vineyards to present romantic recipes for two.
It’s ironic that a holiday filled with love, actually, stemmed from a very dark period in history, dating back to the 3rd century. The Roman Emperor Claudius II believed that if men married, they would lose their focus because their loyalty would be their family to whom they were emotionally attached. So, Emperor Claudius banned all marriages. However, there was a Bishop, Valentine, who secretly wed couples. Once discovered, he was imprisoned and. ultimately, killed. In the 5th century Pope Gelasius declared February 14 to be a Christian feast day in honor of St. Valentine.
We owe a great debt to Chaucer and Shakespeare for romanticizing Valentine’s Day. In the Middle Ages, homemade paper cards were a big thing. Once Hallmark Cards began mass producing Valentine’s Day cards in 1913, there was no looking back.
My definition of a romantic evening includes a fabulous bottle of wine, candles to help set the mood and dessert to insure a sweet night. This is why it makes perfect sense that Gallo gave us the option of pairing our course with either their Sweet Red or their Riesling.
Gallo Family Vineyard’s Sweet Red Wine is bursting with flavors of red fruit, black cherry and raspberry jam with a velvety smooth finish. Gallo Family Vineyard’s Riesling is vivid and sweet with whispers of honeysuckle, juicy peach and ripe citrus notes. It pairs, beautifully, with my Orange Creamsicle Cheesecake, one of the most refreshing cheesecakes I have, ever, made.
It was a very difficult decision but, ultimately, I knew that my love for the color red on Valentine’s Day meant that the Sweet Red Wine was the winner. Raspberries came to mind first to complement the wine; yet, what dessert would be a showstopper remained the question.
The answer came to me in the middle of the night and I was thankful I remembered it in the morning! Raspberry Meringue Hearts.
After outlining two hearts on parchment paper, be sure to flip the paper over so that your meringue is not being piped onto either lead from a pencil or ink from a pen. The meringue hearts must cool completely before filling or the filling will melt.
Mascarpone cheese does a great job helping to stabilize the whipped cream. Lemon zest and confectioners sugar add wonderful flavor to the filling. After spooning it into the cooled shells, I topped each heart with red raspberries. Drizzling seedless red raspberry jam over the berries insures a gorgeous shine.
All that’s left to do is uncork your bottle of Gallo Family Vineyards’ Sweet Red Wine and treasure your romantic evening with your special someone and Raspberry Meringue Hearts.
| Raspberry Meringue Hearts #SundaySupper | Print |
- Meringue hearts:
- 2 egg whites, room temperature
- ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup sugar
- Filling:
- ½ cup mascarpone cheese
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream
- ¼ cup confectioners sugar
- ½ teaspoon lemon zest
- Topping:
- 26-28 red raspberries
- 2 tablespoons seedless raspberry jelly, melted and cooled a bit
- For the meringue hearts:
- Preheat the oven to 200°.
- Place a piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet. Use a 5" wide heart to trace two hearts onto the paper. Set aside.
- Place the egg whites and cream of tartar into a mixing bowl fitted with a whisk attachment. Whisk on medium speed until soft peaks form. With the mixer on, slowly add the sugar into the bowl. Scrape the bowl down, increase the speed and beat on high until stiff peaks form and the sugar is dissolved. Add the vanilla extract.
- Place a round tip (#6) into a gallon plastic freezer bag or pastry bag. Fill the bag with the meringue.
- Dot the corners of the baking sheet with meringue. Place the parchment paper with the writing side facing down onto the baking sheet and press the edges down. The meringue dots will work as 'glue' to keep the paper in place.
- Starting on the outside perimiter, trace inside the lines of the heart working your way towards the middle. Build a 'wall' by continuing to pipe over the outside edge of the meringue heart, leaving the center with only one layer of meringue. Repeat for the second heart.
- Bake at 200° for 30 minutes. Turn the oven off and leave the hearts in the oven for another hour. Remove from the oven and cool completely.
- For the filling:
- Once the meringue hearts are cool, place the mascarpone, heavy cream, confectioners sugar and lemon zest into a mixing bowl. Using a whisk attachment, beat on medium speed until stiff peaks form. Do not overbeat.
- Spoon the filling into the meringue hearts.
- For the topping:
- Place raspberries over the meringue. Drizzle raspberry jelly over the top.
Compensation was provided by Gallo Family Vineyards via Sunday Supper, LLC. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author, and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Gallo Family Vineyards.
Check out Gallo Family Vineyards store locator that spares you from driving all around in search of the perfect wine.
You can get more information on Gallo Family Vineyards by clicking here. While you are thinking about it, be sure to follow GFV on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
Many thanks to Isabel Reis Laessig from Family Foodie for doing such a great job hosting this week’s Sunday Supper. Please be sure to check out all of the wonderful Gallo Family Vineyard Valentine’s Day Wine Pairing recipes that my fellow Sunday Supper family members have made. Want even more wonderful ideas? Head over to Gallo Family Vineyards’ Valentine’s Day blog post.
Alluring Appetizers and Brunch:
- Burrata and Garlic Tomato Appetizer by Family Foodie
- Shrimp Stuffed Mushrooms by Life Tastes Good
- Strawberry Love Bombs by Peaceful Cooking
Magnificent Main Dishes:
- Braised Lamb Ragu by The Girl In The Little Red Kitchen
- Bruschetta Chicken and Pasta by Casa de Crews
- Mahi Mahi with Roasted Tomatoes and Fennel by The Messy Baker
- Seafood Risotto by Serena Bakes Simply From Scratch
- Thai Sweet Chili Glazed Salmon by The Foodie Army Wife
Dazzling Desserts and Sweets:
- Caramel Apple Pie Bites for Two by Feed Me, Seymour
- Chocolate Coconut Haystacks by Peanut Butter and Peppers
- Chocolate Coeur a la Creme by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
- Chocolate Espresso Creme Brulee by Kudos Kitchen by Renee
- Gluten Free Deep Dish Red Velvet Brownies for Two by Cupcakes & Kale Chips
- Creamy Lemon Tart by Magnolia Days
- Mocha Fudge by Alida’s Kitchen
- Polenta Cake with Honey Yogurt and Peach Preserves by The Wimpy Vegetarian
- Raspberry Custard by Nosh My Way
- Raspberry Meringue Hearts by Desserts Required
- Strawberry Chocolate Mousse Brownie by Flavor Mosaic
- Valentine’s Day Cream Puffs by Ruffles & Truffles
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