Meringue Kisses With Passion Fruit Fool Food

MERINGUE KISSES WITH PASSION-FRUIT FOOL

Steps:

• Make meringues:
• Preheat oven to 175°F and line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Beat whites with salt in a standing electric mixer at high speed (or with a handheld mixer in 2 batches) until they just hold stiff peaks. Gradually add sugar, beating at high speed until whites hold stiff, glossy peaks.
• Spoon half of meringue into pastry bag and pipe 1-inch-wide kisses onto 1 baking sheet, about 1/2 inch apart. Pipe more kisses onto second sheet in same manner. (All kisses will fit on 2 baking sheets.)
• Bake meringues in upper and lower thirds of oven until crisp but still white, about 2 hours.
• Turn off oven and cool meringues in oven 1 hour, then cool completely on sheets on a rack..
• Make fool while meringues bake:
• Sprinkle gelatin over 2 tablespoons pulp in a small heatproof cup and let stand 1 minute to soften.
• Melt softened gelatin in cup in a pan of simmering water, then stir into remaining pulp.
• Beat heavy cream with confectioners sugar using cleaned beaters until it just holds soft peaks, then beat in sour cream until mixture holds stiff peaks. Fold pulp into cream and chill fool, covered, at least 4 hours and up to 1 day.
• Serve fool with meringues.

MERINGUE KISSES

Steps:

• Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven; preheat to 250 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Beat the egg whites, cream of tartar and salt in a large clean dry bowl with a mixer on medium speed until foamy. Increase the speed to medium high and beat until thick and opaque, about 1 more minute. Gradually add the confectioners' sugar, about 1/4 cup at a time, and beat until stiff shiny peaks form, about 5 more minutes.
• Transfer the meringue to a pastry bag fitted with a large round tip. Pipe about seventy 1-inch drops on the baking sheets, pulling the bag up to form a peak; leave space between each. Bake at 250 degrees F until dry and crisp, about 3 hours. Let cool completely on the baking sheets. Store in an airtight container in a dry place for up to 1 week.
• Combine the white chocolate chips and coconut oil in a microwave-safe bowl; microwave, stirring every 30 seconds, until melted. Dip the bottoms of the meringues into the white chocolate, then dip in red sanding sugar; let set on parchment.

MERINGUE KISSES

Steps:

• Line two large baking sheets with baking parchment. In a small bowl, mix both sugars together. In another small bowl, mix the jam with enough food colouring to create a vibrant red colour.
• In a clean, grease-free bowl, whisk the egg whites until they form stiff peaks, using electric beaters or a tabletop mixer. Add about a third of the sugar, whipping for 1 min or so, until stiff and glossy. Gradually add the remaining sugar until you have a glossy meringue that holds stiff peaks.
• Heat oven to 120C/100C fan/ gas 1/2. Turn your pastry bag inside out and, using a spoon, paint three lines of coloured jam from the top to almost the end of the bag. Fill with the meringue mix and twist the end to close.
• Holding the bag vertically over the tray, apply enough pressure to create a base, then quickly draw the bag upwards to create little points. The jam will give the meringues a stripy pattern as they pass through the bag.
• Bake in the oven for 1 hr or until the meringues sound hollow when you lift one and tap the base - they should have a crunchy shell and not be too chewy. Leave to cool in the oven with the door closed, then store in a plastic food bag or airtight container until ready to use.

MERINGUE KISSES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 200°F.
• Butter and flour a large baking sheet, knocking off excess flour.
• In a bowl with an electric mixer beat whites until they hold soft peaks.
• Gradually add sugar, beating, and beat until meringue holds stiff, glossy peaks.
• Drop heaping teaspoons (not measuring spoons) of meringue about 1 inch apart onto baking sheet and bake in middle of oven 45 minutes.
• Turn oven off and leave meringues in oven 1 hour more.
• With a metal spatula transfer meringues to a rack to cool completely.
• Meringue kisses may be kept in an airtight container at room temperature 5 days.
• Makes about 24 meringue kisses.