Brown Butter Passionfruit Meringue Bars

Author: Claudia Brick

Ingredients

Brown butter crust

Passionfruit layer

3 large eggs
2 egg yolks
200 g caster sugar (1 cup)
2 tablespoons icing sugar
pinch of salt
3/4 cup passionfruit pulp, strained to give approximately 2/3 cup liquid (top up with lemon juice if you don’t have quite enough). Approx 6-8 large passionfruit.
35 g flour (3 tablespoons)

Swiss Meringue

Instructions

Brown butter base

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease and line a 20cm square baking tin.
In a medium pot, ideally with a light coloured base so you can see the colour of the butter, melt the butter over medium heat. Continue to cook, stirring intermittently, until it begins to brown and smell nutty, approximately 5 minutes.
Tip into a medium bowl and set aside for 5 minutes to cool slightly (start making the filling while you wait). Add the remaining ingredients to just combine, then tip into the lined baking tin. Use an offset spatula to smooth evenly into the base of the tin. Bake for approximately 15 minutes - until golden brown - while you make the filling.

Passionfruit filling

Strain the passionfruit pulp in a sieve to give 2/3 cup of liquid - use the back of a spoon to stir vigorously to break up the pulp and remove as much of it from the seeds as you can - this takes a few minutes.
In a bowl, whisk together all the filling ingredients.
When the base is golden brown, open the oven and pour the filling over the top of the base. Close the oven and reduce the oven temperature to 160°C. Bake until the filling is just set, approximately 15-20 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool completely, then refrigerate until cold.

Torched Swiss Meringue

Remove the cold passionfruit bars from the tin.
Bring about an inch of water in a small saucepan to a simmer.
Combine the egg whites, sugar and salt in the (very clean) bowl of a stand mixer or regular bowl if using an electric hand beater. Place the bowl over the simmering water and stir the egg mixture with a clean metal whisk or fork until frothy and all of the sugar has dissolved when you pinch a little bit between your fingers.
Remove from heat and beat on high speed (with the whisk attachment of stand mixer or electric beaters) until very thick and glossy and holding stiff peaks that just flop over at the top, approximately 5-10 minutes. Do not overbeat past this as the meringue can go grainy.
Spoon over the base and spread out with a spoon or offset spatula. Use the spatula to create a striped pattern or swirls in the meringue. Blow torch the meringue.
Use a sharp knife to cut into bars. Serve immediately or refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 2 days. Best served on the day the meringue is made.