MYTH: Meringues are Too Hard

My husband loved meringue nests, as a kid, he used to buy packets of them and eat them dry! As a good wife, I decided I really should learn how to make them but was a little afraid as I had heard so many stories of them going wrong, on top of the fact that fluffy pavlovas and lemon meringue pie topping gross me out!

I looked at a number of recipe and settled with one that looked simple enough and just gave it a go!

They turned out beautiful and chewy, just the way I like them (after I put them in the oven for the second time because they were sticky!) and I made them, and even larger pavlovas a number of times over the summer - even on very hot humid days! And once, I dripped a bit of egg yolk in, fished it out, and it still worked. So basically, if I can make these work - so can you!

So here is the recipe I borrowed from the blog Being Creative.

• 3 eggs
• pinch of salt
• 175g sugar (when on health kick I reduced this to 140g and it still worked)

• Preheat your oven to 140 degrees c and line a large baking tray with baking paper
• First you need to separate your egg whites, this can be a daunting task for some, and there are many methods out there. My favourite method, though it feel a little gross, is to simply tip the egg into my clean hand and let the white run through my fingers keeping the yolk in my hand. It eliminates the risk of the shell breaking into the yolk.
• Once you have your 3 egg whites (it really is important to keep it as pure as humanly possible) pour them into a large bowl and add a pinch of salt.
• Whisk your egg using an electric mixer for 1 minute on low
• Increase to medium speed and continue whisking for 2-3 minutes until your mixture is firm and fluffy and clings to the whisk when pulled out of the bowl.
• Keeping the mixer running, add the sugar, one tablespoon at a time and whisk until the mixture is very firm and glossy.
• Either spoon free-form shapes onto the baking tray, or pipe nests using a piping bag with 1cm nozzle.
• Bake for 30-40 minutes until the shapes are pale and dry to touch. Cool in the oven.

Serve with fresh whipped cream and/ or marscapone and fresh berries.

If you are looking for a snack on a diet, try it with Greek yogurt and a any fresh fruit!

Do you have a story of something you thought you could never cook?