Meringues - A Great Tea Time (or anytime !) Treat ....

Light and airy, fat free and easy to make, meringues are always a hit with both children and adults alike.

You can serve them with afternoon tea, or accompanied by freshly whipped cream (or ice cream) and fresh fruit for a more decadent dessert. They?re also great to pack into school lunch boxes or to take with you when you?re going on a long car journey -:


Meringues (taken from the book ?Cook and Enjoy It? by S.J.A. de Villiers)

3 Egg Whites
pinch of Salt
¼ tsp Cream of Tartar
1 cup Castor Sugar (very fine sugar)
½ tsp Vanilla Essence

Preheat the oven to 120?C-130?C/250?F/Gas Mark 1-2. Beat the egg whites with the salt & cream of tartar until stiff but not dry. Add the castor sugar by the spoonful, beating well after each addition and adding the vanilla essence just before the last 2 spoonfuls of sugar. Line a baking sheet with buttered paper. Shape the meringues on the paper with a spoon, or use an icing bag & tube* Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour and lift the meringues off the paper with a spatula.

Variations : Add chopped nuts, or chopped dates & nuts to the mixture before shaping the meringues on the baking sheet.

*I like to place spoonfuls of the meringue mixture into lightly buttered paper cup cases, & decorate them with coloured sprinkles etc before baking.