There’s nothing better than the look and taste of a fresh meringue – especially when you’ve made it yourself. These soft gooey peaks can be used for a whole mix of other recipes – try with fresh fruit, a coulis, or make into smaller sizes, and add extra flavourings and fillings to change the taste for a naughty treat – lemon, chocolate, raspberry and a passionfruit are all great flavours to add to this dish. That, or add small nuts, or chunks of chocolate inside them so that they’ll melt and be nice and gooey.
6 egg whites
350g Caster Sugar
1tsp White Wine Vinegar
2tsp Cornflour
1stp Vanilla Extract
1.      Heat the oven to 130 C, or Gas Mark 1, and Line two baking trays with baking paper
2.      In a large, dry bowl, beat the egg whites until they are stiff and full of bubbles
3.      Slowly add in the Caster Sugar, constantly whisking until it forms substantial peaks. At this point, add in the vinegar, cornflour and vanilla.
4.      If you’re going to add in any flavourings, do so now – the best way to do so is to add in some flavouring plus food colouring, and gently fold together in order to create a marbled effect.
5.      For larger meringues, spread out onto a trap, with a slight lip to hold whatever will be poured on top and bake for ninety minutes before turning the heat off and leaving to cool in the oven. For smaller meringues, bake for fifty minutes to an hour, and again, leave in the oven to cool.
Great toppings include fresh berries, sliced fruit (like peaches), or a variety of nuts with different sauces.
Photo Courtesy of: Stu Spivack