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1
To make the soup base, in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the water and 2/3 cup (130 g) sugar to a boil.
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2
Meanwhile, coarsely crush the cinnamon, star anise, cloves, and black peppercorns in a mortar and pestle or seal them in a sturdy plastic bag and crush them with a rolling pin.
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3
Add the spices to the boiling syrup and turn off the heat.
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4
Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean and add them to the saucepan, then drop in the pod along with the orange zest, lemongrass, and ginger.
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5
Cover the pan, and let the mixture steep to allow the flavors to infuse, at least 1 hour.
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6
Pour the soup base through a mesh strainer into a medium bowl.
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7
(The vanilla pod can be rinsed, dried, and used for another purpose; see page 14.)
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8
Stir in the rum, cover, and refrigerate until icy cold.
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9
Preheat the oven to 350F (175C).
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10
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
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11
To make the meringue, in a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment (or in a bowl by hand), whisk together the egg white and salt on low speed until frothy.
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12
Increase the speed to high and continue whisking until the white begins to hold its shape.
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13
With the mixer running, gradually sprinkle in the 1/4 cup (50 g) sugar and continue whisking until the meringue is shiny and holds stiff peaks.
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14
Fold in the coconut.
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15
Using an offset icing spatula, spread the meringue into a very thin circle about 12 inches (30 cm) in diameter on the prepared baking sheet.
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16
Bake until the meringue is deep golden brown, about 10 minutes.
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17
Let cool completely.
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18
Slide the icing spatula under the meringue to release it from the parchment paper or silicone mat.
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19
Break the meringue into large shards.
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20
In a large bowl, toss the fruit with a sprinkling of sugar.
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21
To assemble, divide the fruit evenly among four chilled wide soup bowls, then ladle the cold soup base over.
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22
Finely chop some mint leaves and scatter them over the soup.
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23
Place a scoop of the coconut sherbet in the center and stick a shard of the coconut meringue, pointing upward, into the sherbet.
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24
The soup base can be made up to 1 day in advance of serving and the coconut meringues shards can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
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25
Sliced kumquats, sliced strawberries, and orange segments are nice additions to the mixture of tropical fruits.
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26
You can use any other tropical-flavored sorbet in place of the Toasted Coconut Sherbet, such as Passion FruitTangerine Sorbet (page 159) or Strawberry-Mango Sorbet (page 166).
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27
I like to use flat soup bowls for serving so guests can see all the tropical fruit floating in the spiced syrup.
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28
Put the bowls in the refrigerator or freezer before assembling the dessert to make sure theyre very cold.
