Home Cooking Column

Home Cooking Column - By Barbara Collins

The lovely people at McKinney’s Sugar sent me this recipe for the most magical meringues. I love colour and it was great fun unleashing my inner child with these. The kids did join in!

The edible glitter is an absolute must. We had them with cream and fruit. Makes 40-60 meringues

Ingredients

4–5 egg whites (about 150 g)
300g McKinney’s Granulated Sugar
½ tsp vinegar
Piping bag
For colours & toppings:
2 tbsp lemon zest
50g desiccated coconut
3 tbsp freeze-dried raspberries
3 tbsp cocoa
Yellow, red & pink food colouring
Edible glitter

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 200 °C.
Line a baking tray (30cm x 40cm) with parchment paper, pour the sugar onto it and place in the oven for about 5 minutes.
Meanwhile whisk the egg whites into firm white peaks.
Take the sugar out of the oven and lower the heat to 100 °C.
Continue whisking the egg whites at high speed and add the hot sugar a little at a time.
Add the vinegar.
Now whisk at maximum speed for 5–10 minutes, or until the mixture is opaque and completely stiff.
Click or pipe out small meringues. Bake in the oven for 3 hours, then switch off the oven and leave the meringues in the residual heat for a few hours, until they are completely dry.

Add flavourings as desired:

2 tbsp lemon zest, yellow food colouring
50 g desiccated coconut, half added to the meringue mixture and half scattered over the top
3 tbsp freeze-dried raspberries, red/pink food colouring
About 3 tbsp cocoa, 1 tbsp folded into the mixture and 2 tbsp scattered over the meringues
Sprinkle with edible glitter to add a magical touch

Contact Barbara @thegoodchinaset or on [email protected].