There were always meringues at any given local bakery in Australia, along with other usual fare. Crunchy, sweet, a little chewy in the middle, a few happy little sprinkles on top. Very light, void of fat...
...ok, void of real nutrients too, but not really the point here huh.
...and perfect for a summer day, or a kids birthday party.
Meringue is wonderfully versatile, and can be used as a base for more eleborate desserts, served with ice cream or simply eaten as they are. And of course, they are perfect for Christmas. You can add coloring and/or flavoring. As mentioned, in Australia, they always have little colored sprinkles, so feel free to add them to the top before baking.
Preheat oven to 250F or 120c.
You'll need:
Ziploc bag with a corner cut off, or piping bag, large coupler and tip. I like the star tip. Cooking parchment paper or 'greaseproof' paper
2 egg whites
1/2 cup of sugar (castor sugar, 'berry sugar' or superfine sugar if you have it),
2 pinches of Cream of Tartar (available in the spice aisle)
and a dash of vanilla or other flavoring.
Beat egg white and cream of tartar in an electric mixer until very stiff, then gradually add sugar.
Tip: is not to add a whole lot at one time, add in 1/4 amounts, reduce the speed while adding.
Scrape sides and bottom after each addition, and beat until a good portion of the sugar has dissolved. If you have superfine or castor sugar, you should be able to get almost all of the sugar dissolved.
Keep going until all the sugar has been added, and it will resemble this:
Fill the prepared bag with the meringue, and pipe onto a tray lined with cooking parchment (or greaseproof) paper. You can make these large or small. Its entirely up to you. They will expand a little while cooking, but not much. I made smaller ones here (about 2" diameter), but my girls like larger ones (3" diameter)
Place tray in oven and bake for about 35-40 minutes for smaller sizes and for large (about 6), for about 45-50 mins. Meringues should release easily from the paper when they are done. They are fragile, so be careful not to squeeze them too hard. Though I can totally understand if you do. Ooops, it broke, I better eat it....
Let them cool on a rack, and then enjoy, or keep in an airtight container for up to a week.
see ya later,
Helen
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Helen, I remember my grandmother making meringues but she tinted them green and red and also tossed a bit of mint flavoring in them. Sometimes she would also carefully fold in chocolate chips. Those were so yummy, thanks for the memory. I miss going to my grandma's house and heading out into the store room and opening up all the cookie tins to pick out a few of my favorites.
ReplyDeleteoh those look delicious. i have always loved them and didn't realize you can make them fairly easily. i am not a baker but i like to try ;)
ReplyDeletethey are beautiful, too
Wonderful post, I have linked it on Things that Fizz & Stuff:
ReplyDeletehttp://thingsthatfizz.blogspot.com/
Thanks
AV
Laura, I think these were more common a couple of generations ago. An older lady at the PD knew what they were but I know very few people in thier 30's and younger that are familiar with them here in the US. Some of those good old fashioned recipes should never die.
ReplyDeleteEllen, thanks for visiting. I like to try to bake too!!
no, really, they are very easy to make.
Hey Mr A. Vulgaris! good to see you around! Thanks for the post! :D