Sunday, July 6, 2008

Meringues - I even learnt to spell it

M E R I N G U E S


I was stuck on my sick bed, down with glandular fever, when my bestie came to visit me with meringues. I have always seen her as somewhat of a cooking genius. It came as no suprise to me that she had mastered the slippery business of the meringue. The first time I went shopping with her it was for a good knife. She knew how to check its balance and everything. Well, her meringues were mind blowing, so much so that when I found myself with left over egg whites, I decided to give it a try myself. What could I lose? I was totally astonished when it worked. They were so easy, I don't know where the myth of their capriciousness comes from. As I see it (in light of past failures) the key is to have really really clean beaters. Even a drop of water can upset the chemistry of the egg whites, but if the beaters are clean, you can't fail. Also, clean bowl and pristine egg whites; no shell etc.

So I used:
4 egg whites (left over from tirimisu)
250g of castor sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla essence
a couple of drops of red food dye ( to make them pink)

Set oven to 100 degress. Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Gradually add sugar. Add vanilla and colour. Scoop out meringue sized blobs onto a baking tray. Bake for 45 minutes. Turn oven off and open door slightly before removing from the oven. A sudden change in temperture can cause the meringues to crack.

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