Recipe: Air-Nation Fruit Pies

These ‘pies’ are inspired by the airy pies eaten by the Air Nomads (specifically Aang and Gyatso) in Avatar: The Last Airbender. They feature a peppery galette breton biscuit, sweet peach flavoured mousse and an airy swiss meringue.

Ingredients

FOR THE GALETTE BRETON BASE:

2 Egg Yolks

85g Caster Sugar

85g Unsalted Butter, softened

140g Plain Flour

1tsp Baking Powder

1tsp Cracked Black Pepper

2 Pinches Salt

FOR THE PEACH BAVAROIS:

100g Tinned Peach pieces

240ml Full Fat Milk

3 Egg Yolks

45g Caster Sugar

4 tsp Agar-agar Powder

1 tsp Orange Blossom Extract

180ml Double Cream

2 Egg Whites

18g Caster Sugar

FOR THE SWISS MERINGUE:

2 Egg Whites, weighed

Caster Sugar, double the weight of your egg whites

Purple Oil-Based Food Colouring

Method

TO MAKE THE GALETTE BRETON BASE:

1. Whisk the egg yolks and sugar together in a large bowl until pale and fluffier.
2. Add the butter and beat into the egg mix.
3. Sieve the flour, baking powder, salt and pepper into another bowl and then sieve again into your egg mixture. Mix with a wooden spoon until you form a smooth dough with no lumps of flour left in it.
4. Lay a sheet of clingfilm on a level surface and put your dough in the centre.
5. Form the dough into a 1.5cm wide sausage and then wrap the clingfilm around it tightly. Put into the fridge to set for a minimum of 2 hours.
6. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C/350 degrees F/Gas Mark 4.
7. Line a mini muffin/cupcake tray with small piece of baking paper at the bottom of each hole.
8. Slice your dough into 8mm thick slices and place one biscuit in each hole.
9. Bake for 17-18 minutes or until golden brown with slightly darker edges.
10. Allow to cool in the tray completely before removing. You can store these in an airtight box until you’ve finished the next steps.

TO MAKE THE PEACH BAVAROIS:

1. Blend the tinned peaches to make a thick puree. Put into a small pan.  
2. Add your milk and orange blossom extract into a medium pan and put on a medium heat. Bring to the boil.
3. Whilst your milk heats beat your egg yolks and 45g Caster sugar in a bowl until pale.
4. Pour a small bit of your hot milk into your eggs and whisk together quickly.
5. Pour the remainder of the milk into your eggs and beat together.
6. If your milk pan is clean, pour your custard base back into the pan (otherwise get a clean pan to continue). Cook over a low-medium heat, stirring constantly, until the custard coats the back of your spoon.
7. Whilst your custard cooks put your peaches onto another hob and bring to the boil. Add your Agar-Agar and whisk until it’s fully incorporated. Take off the heat and leave to cool until the next step.
8. Add your peach puree and agar-agar to your custard and stir over a low heat for a couple of minutes.
9. Sieve your custard into a bowl and sit the bowl inside another bowl of ice. Stir occasionally as it cools, making sure it doesn’t cool so far it starts to become solid before it finishes (this is the most time-sensitive part).
10. Whisk your double cream to stiff peaks.
11. Whisk your egg whites until starting to thicken and then add your sugar whilst still whisking, continuing to whisk until it forms stiff peaks.
12. When your custard has cooled but is still liquid, fold your cream and egg whites into it with a silicon spatula.
13. Pour your bavarois mix into a deep tray and place in the fridge to set.
14. When the bavarois has set use a small round cutter to cut circles the size of your Galette Breton and place on top of your biscuits.

TO MAKE YOUR SWISS MERINGUE

1. Find a pan that fits a large bowl on top. Quarter-fill pan with water (so that the bowl doesn’t touch the water) and bring to the boil on a high heat. Turn the heat down to a simmer.
2. Put your egg whites into the heat-proof bowl that fits your pan with half the sugar.
3. Put your bowl over your pan of water and whisk until it starts to become thick and fluffy.
4. Whilst still whisking, slowly add your remaining sugar and a few drops of food colouring, continuing to whisk until you have thick, shiny peaks. Remove bowl from the pan.
5. Prepare a piping bag with a small patterned piping tip. Place your meringue inside and remove as many air bubbles as possible (whilst not taking the air out of the meringue itself).

• Pipe meringue swirls on top of your bavarois and serve.