Ingredients
Meringue
- 4egg whites, at room temperature
- 200 gsugar
- a pinch of salt
- a squeeze of lime
Fruit
- 300 gguava or naranjilla pulp
To serve
- cones or small cups
- sprinkles
- a drizzle of syrup
Directions
- Cook the fruit pulp down with half the sugar for about 10 minutes until thick, then cool it completely.
- Cool the fruit fully. Warm pulp folded into whipped whites deflates them instantly and there is no recovering the volume.
- Whisk the egg whites with the salt to soft peaks.
- Add the remaining sugar a spoonful at a time, whisking to a stiff glossy meringue.
- Add the cooled fruit pulp a spoonful at a time, whisking continuously rather than folding it in.
- Keep whisking as the fruit goes in. Espumilla is beaten into a stable foam rather than folded like a mousse, and street vendors whip it by hand for twenty minutes or more.
- It is ready when it holds its shape firmly enough to be scooped like ice cream and does not slump on the cone.
- Add a squeeze of lime, which sharpens it and helps the whites hold.
- Scoop into cones or cups and finish with sprinkles or a drizzle of syrup.
- Serve immediately. It weeps and collapses slowly over an hour or two, which is exactly why it is made fresh at the cart.
- It contains raw egg white. That is how it is made and sold, but anyone pregnant, elderly, very young or immunocompromised should use pasteurised whites instead, which whip perfectly well.
Technique
- It looks exactly like ice cream and is served from the same cones, which is half the joke of it.
- Guava is the classic, naranjilla the sharper alternative, and both are sold as frozen pulp.
- The lime does real work. Without it the whole thing is flatly sweet.
Substitutions
- Pasteurised egg white, which whips just as well and removes the raw egg question.
- Any thick fruit purée, cooked down until it holds its shape.
Variations
- Made with blackberry or mora.
- Piped rather than scooped, in a swirl.
- Served in a cup with a spoon rather than on a cone.
History
Whipped guava or naranjilla meringue piled into a cone like ice cream and sold from street carts.
Frequently asked questions
What is Espumilla?
Espumilla is a dessert from Ecuador: guava meringue cream scooped like ice cream on the street. Whipped guava or naranjilla meringue piled into a cone like ice cream and sold from street carts.
How long does Espumilla take to make?
Espumilla takes 30 min of preparation and 10 min of cooking. The recipe makes 6 cones. It is rated medium to make.
What can I substitute in Espumilla?
Yes, within limits. Pasteurised egg white, which whips just as well and removes the raw egg question. Any thick fruit purée, cooked down until it holds its shape.
What is the most important thing to get right in Espumilla?
Add the cooled fruit pulp a spoonful at a time, whisking continuously rather than folding it in.
