French Meringues

Santa Claus brought me a marvellous cookbook of French recipes, The Bistro Cookbook by Richard Bertinet. Richard is from Brittany in North West France and is the author of a variety of cookbooks (Pastry, Cook in a Class of your own with Richard Bertinet...). He has great recipes : Baked Camembert, Cassoulet, Mussels in Wine, Brochettes de crevettes, French Onion Tart, Vanilla Macarons, Soufflé au chocolat...

Today I want to share with you Meringues' recipe. These delectable meringues were invented in Meiringen, a Swiss village in the canton of Bern.

When I was a kid, I remember the pastries in the French Bakeries, they were a delight for the eyes. I wanted to eat one of each delicious pastry. I remember the Meringues white or pink, small or huge!

It's very simple to make. You just need egg white and sugar. Don't forget to let the eggs at room temperature before you whip them. It makes the whipping process go much faster.

You can decide whatever shape you want, it's so fun to make for the whole family. Next time, I am thinking to add some shredded coconut into the finished mixture.

You can serve as a dessert or a afternoon tea with raspberries and heavy cream, lightly whipped :) 

• Makes 13
• Prepared in 15 minutes, plus cooling
• Cooks in 1 1/2 hours

Ingredients :

• 4 egg whites
• pinch of salt
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 2/3 cup superfine sugar

Directions :

1. Preheat the oven to 250 degree F. Line three baking sheets with sheets of parchment paper.
2. Place the egg whites and a pinch of salt in a large clean bowl and, using an electric handheld mixer or a balloon whisk, beat until stiff. (You should be able to turn the bowl upside down without any movement from the beatened egg whites.)
3. Beat in the granulated sugar, a little at a time; the meringue should begin to look glossy at this stage.
4. Sprinkle in the superfine sugar, a little at a time, and continue beating until all the sugar has been incorporated and the meringue is thick, white, and forms peaks.
5. Transfer the meringue mixture to a pastry bag fitted with a 3/4-inch star tip. Carefully pipe about 26 small whirls of the mixture onto the prepared baking sheets.
6. Bake in the preheated oven for 1 1/2 hours, or until the meringues are pale golden, and can be easily lifted off the paper.