Meringues

I adore meringues – from the mini ones sometimes served with coffee or tea to the enormous, cloud-like meringues sold in Ottolenghi and other upmarket cafes.  For me, the perfect meringue is one that is crunchy on the outside but with a chewy interior.  One of my favourite (and easy) summer desserts is Eton Mess – crumbled meringues served with whipped cream and strawberries.  Bliss!

(*If you are wondering what to do with the leftover egg yolks, you can make custard, mayonnaise or hollandaise sauce)

1. Preheat the oven to 130°C fan or 140°C.
2. Separate the eggs.  The safest method is to use three bowls.  One for the collective whites and one for the collective yolks – and a smaller bowl to crack each egg over one by one.  This way, if you accidentally get any egg yolk into the white you only have to throw out one egg, rather than a whole bowlful of carefully separated whites!  Egg yolk is the enemy of meringue!!  Even one tiny speck and the whites will not whip up properly.  Similarly, make sure the bowl you are using to whip up the egg whites is scrupulously clean.
   
3. Put the whites into the bowl of a freestanding mixer or into a large bowl if using handheld beaters and beat at a medium speed until the whites are frothy.  This should take around 4-5 minutes.
   
4. With the mixer or beaters going at medium-high speed, scatter the sugar over the whites a spoonful at a time.  You want lots of air to be incorporated so don’t just dump all the sugar in at once.  This should take around 5 – 7 minutes.
   
5. The meringue is ready when it is thick, glossy and holds a very stiff peak when the whisk or beaters are lifted.
   
6. Prepare two baking trays.  Dab a little of the meringue mixture in each corner of the trays and lay a sheet of baking paper over the top. This will anchor the paper so it doesn’t move around while you are fashioning the meringues.
   
7. To Form the Meringues:  You can either use a piping bag or two teaspoons to create the meringues.  A piping bag will make more uniform shapes and will be quicker in the long run but don’t worry if you don’t have a piping bag or are put off by the thought of anything so dextrous! The more “rustic” spoon-shaped ones will taste just as good.
8. Spoon Method  Drop one heaped dessert spoon of meringue onto the baking paper and using two teaspoons and a circular motion, prod and curve the meringue into a rosette shape.
    
9. Piping Method I use very large (21″/52cm) disposable piping bag (you can buy rolls of these online fairly cheaply) and a 10mm round piping nozzle.  You can use a smaller piping bag but you will just need to refill it if the meringue is greater than the capacity.
10. When the meringues have been formed, put them into the oven and cook for 50 minutes.  The exterior should be crunchy and the interior chewy.  Store them in an airtight container.
    
11. Once you have mastered basic meringue making, you can experiment with adding colour or flavours.  Here, I have coloured and piped small meringues and attached them to a croquembouche polystyrene cone with a little royal icing to make a birthday centrepiece.