Meringues

As a child, I loved meringues, and as a grown-up, I still do (although now not in my top 5 favourite treats). What's not to like? They're ever so cute with their pastel-coloured, dainty ballerina's tu-tu appearance, with a crunchy coat enrobing their soft, marshmallowy heart which melts in your mouth.

I had 5 egg whites left over after Friday's champagne custard making, and thought instantly that meringues would be the perfect way to use them up. Compared with some of the other alternatives I could have used them for, meringues were the easy option, with few ingredients and relatively easy to make.

Recipe

5 egg whites
1 1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons cornflour
1 teaspoon white vinegar
food colouring and flavouring of your choice (I used pink and green colouring, and rosewater)

Preheat oven to 150 degrees Celsius.

Beat egg whites with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar until mixture is white and glossy. Mix the sifted cornflour and vinegar into the mixture. Colour and flavour as desired (or not at all, if you prefer!). Spoon or pipe 3cm rounds of mixture onto baking trays which have been greased or lined with baking paper. Put meringues into the oven and turn the temperature down to 120 degrees Celsius. Bake for approximately 45 minutes, or until the meringues turn faintly golden and have set. Cool in the oven.

You can enjoy meringues in their pure, unadulterated form on their own, or served with fruit and cream or icecream. Either way, if you are a sweet tooth, I'm sure that you will love them!