Meringue Nests

One of my favorite summer desserts is simply berries and cream in a Meringue Nest. I find they are fairly easy to make – more forgiving than Pavlovas anyway – and though they can be made to look more decorative with piping, I’m fine with mine being a bit more ‘informal’ as they say on Bake-Off. I usually make several and freeze the extras. They keep well in the freezer – as long as I need them to, anyway – so they’re nice to have on hand for summer desserts.

Meringue Nests

Ingredients:

• 2 large egg whites (room temperature)
• 1/2c/100g sugar (caster/superfine sugar if you have it)

Method:

Whisk egg whites on low speed until foamy, then increase the speed to medium until stiff peaks form.

Add the sugar a tablespoon at a time until it is fully combined, and meringue is stiff and glossy.

Pre-heat oven to 225 F/100 C

Drop meringue into 6 or 8 mounds on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Shape into shallow cups roughly 3 inches in diameter with the back of a spoon. Alternatively, place meringue mixture into a pasty bag fitted with a star tip, and pipe the mixture into cups.

Bake in a preheated oven for 1 hour to 1 hour and 45 minutes, or until set and dry. Once cooked, turn off the oven, but do not open the door. Leave the meringues in the oven until it has cooled completely. (The slow cooling helps to prevent the meringues from cracking).