These luscious small meringues are so easy to make and so very much tastier than the bland ones you can buy. The lovely lavender flavour echoes the soft lilac coloured swirls of the meringues. What's more, if you want to keep them a while these beauties can be wrapped in cling film and frozen in freezer bags until you're ready to use them. I plan on defrosting a batch of these for the upcoming virtual Mad Tea Party on 28th July, I really can't wait.
Recipe
My own
Makes approx 8 smallish meringues
3 large eggs, whites only, room temperature
150g caster sugar
1 tablespoon of lavender florets, which have been chopped small or ground in a pestle and mortar
food paste colouring - I used SugarFlair paste in Grape Violet
1. Turn the oven to 150C (130C fan), and line a couple of baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Beat the egg whites in a large bowl for a couple of minutes until stiff. You'll need to use an electic whisk or mixer to beat the whites hard enough.
3. Gradually add the sugar, a tablespoon at a time, beating between each addition. Add the lavender. Beat until well combined and glossy and smooth. The mixture should be stiff enough that it stands up in stiff peaks.
4. Add a pin prick or 2 of colour paste, gently and briefly swirling it into the meringue with a metal spoon or skewer.
5. Spoon the meringue in smallish circles onto the parchment paper. Leave enough room between them to allow the meringues to expand, I fitted 4 or 5 on each baking tray. If you want to turn them into nests just make a well in the centre of each.
6. As soon as the meringues go in the oven turn the heat down to 120C (100C fan) and bake for 2 hours.
7. When the time is up, turn off the oven and leave the meringues in it to cool for half an hour or so. After this time you can place them on a wire rack if they need to cool further.
8. Once cool, serve with whipped cream and perhaps some berries.
These meringues were idly baked while listening to Charlie Mingus play Mingus Ah Um
