Meringues
This makes meringues with a lovely crunchy shell that are slightly chewy on the inside.
Makes 24
Ingredients:
- 4 large egg whites
- 1/8 tsp salt (also known as a pinch ;))
- 285g (10oz) (1 cup) caster (superfine) sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla or almond extract
Equipment:
- Hand whisk/mixer
- large bowl
- metal spoon
- two large baking sheets
- greaseproof paper
- silicon spatula
- Metal spatula
- measuring implements
Instructions:
- Put the oven on at 110C/230F/1/4 Gas Mark
- Grease and line the baking sheets with the greaseproof paper (you can grease and flour them instead if you don't have any of the paper).
- Make sure that the bowl and whisk are very clean - any trace of fat will mean the egg whites won't whisk up properly. If you have one, use an old lemon to run round the inside of the bowl to make very sure.
- Whisk the egg whites and the salt to the soft peak stage.
- With the whisk still going, add half the sugar.
- Whisk the mixture to the stiff peak stage.
- Add the rest of the sugar and the vanilla/almond extract and fold in with the metal spoon. Folding is where you use a cutting motion and then fold the mixture on itself to maintain all the air in it.
- Either pipe or spoon the mixture into little rounds on the baking sheets (the mixture makes 24, so 12 on each)
- Put the meringues in the oven for 2hrs
- Take out the meringues and pry them off of the baking sheets with the metal spatula, turning them over.
- Turn off the oven and put the meringues back in and leave as the oven cools.
