Meringue Nests Food

MERINGUE NESTS

Steps:

• Place egg whites in a large bowl; let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Beat the egg whites, vanilla and cream of tartar on medium speed until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, on high until stiff peaks form. , Drop meringue into 8 mounds on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Shape into 3-in. cups with the back of a spoon. Or place meringue mixture in pastry bag fitted with star tip. Pipe meringue onto parchment to form eight 3-in. cups., Bake at 275° for 45-50 minutes or until set and dry. Turn off oven and do not open door; leave meringues in oven for 1 hour. Fill with fruit. If desired, top with whipped cream and mint.

MERINGUE NESTS

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 eight 3-inch disks on the baking sheets, then pipe around the edge of the disks to create 2-inch-high sides. 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.
• For the filling, whisk the mascarpone with the confectioners' sugar, then whisk in the heavy cream until soft peaks form. Spoon into the meringue nests; top with sugar pearls.

SUMMER BERRY MERINGUES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 110C/fan 90C/gas ¼. Tip the egg whites and lemon juice into the clean bowl of a food mixer. Whisk until the whites double in volume and hold a peak when the whisk is drawn through them. Keep the whisk running and add the sugar a tbsp at a time, incorporating completely before adding the next. Whisk until all the sugar has been added and the whites are glossy.
• Place a square of baking parchment on a large baking sheet. Pencil nine circles, about 7cm each, onto the parchment. Spoon the meringue into a large piping bag fitted with a plain nozzle and pipe concentric rounds to fit each drawn circle, piping two or more rings around the edge to form a nest. Bake for 2 hrs until they are crisp and lift off the paper easily. Leave to cool completely.
• Whisk the crème fraîche until stiff, then fold in the yogurt. Set 2 strawberries and 9 raspberries aside and roughly chop the rest. Tip the chopped berries, mint and ginger into a bowl. Sprinkle with a little icing sugar and use a wooden spoon to mash to a rough purée. Gently fold the berries into the yogurt mix, adding icing sugar to taste.
• To assemble, cut the remaining strawberries into 9 slices and place a slice inside each meringue case. Generously share the rippled cream between the cases, then top with a raspberry and a mint sprig. Dust with a little icing sugar just before serving. ( Meringues keep in an airtight container for 2 days.)

GOOD MERINGUE

Steps:

• In large bowl, beat egg whites and cream of tartar with electric mixer until foamy. Gradually add sugar, beating until mixture forms stiff peaks.

EGG IN CHEESE MERINGUE NEST

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450°F with a rack in the middle. Line a baking sheet that can take high temperatures without warping, with parchment paper or Silpat.
• Separate the egg yolks from the whites. It helps if you are making more than one egg nest to keep each egg yolk in a separate prep bowl.
• Place the egg whites in a very clean mixer bowl and add the salt. Beat the egg whites with a whisk attachment in a mixer (or using a hand mixer), starting on low speed and then slowly increasing to high speed, until stiff peaks form.
• Gently fold in the grated Gruyere cheese, taking care not to deflate the egg whites.
• Create two mounds of the egg white mixture on the lined baking sheet. Form the mounds so they look like nests, with indentations in the centers.
• Place in the oven for 3 minutes.
• After 3 minutes, open the oven, pull out the rack with the egg white nests, and gently add an egg yolk to the center of each nest.
• Return the baking sheet to the oven and cook for 3 more minutes.
• Serve immediately.

COCONUT MERINGUE NESTS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 250ºF.
• Beat egg whites and cream of tartar in medium bowl with mixer on high speed 5 min. or until mixture forms soft peaks. Add sugar, 1 Tbsp. at a time, beating constantly after each addition until stiff peaks form. Beat additional 3 min. or until mixture is glossy. Gently stir in half the coconut.
• Spoon egg white mixture into 10 mounds on each of 2 parchment-covered baking sheets. Use back of spoon to shape each into 2-1/2-inch round, then make depression in center of each mound to resemble nest. Sprinkle remaining coconut around edges; press gently into egg white mixture to secure.
• Bake 50 min. to 1 hour or until meringues are dry and coconut is golden brown. Cool completely on baking sheets. Meanwhile, beat pudding mix and milk with whisk 2 min. (Pudding will be thick.) Stir in COOL WHIP. Refrigerate until ready to use.
• Spoon pudding mixture into meringue nests just before serving; top with almonds.

GRAPEFRUIT MERINGUE NESTS WITH MIXED BERRIES

Steps:

• PREPARE MERINGUE NESTS:
• Preheat oven to 200°F.
• Line large cookie sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat.
• In large bowl, with mixer on high speed, beat egg whites and cream of tartar until soft peaks from.
• Sprinkle in sugar 2 tablespoons at a time, beating until sugar dissovles and meringue stands in stiff, glossy peaks when beaters are lifted.
• With large rubber spatula, gently fold grapefruit peel into meringue until well combined.
• Divide mixture into 8 even mounds (heaping 1/4 cup measuring cup) on prepared sheet, spacing about 2 inches apart.
• Pressing back of spoon into center of each meringue, form mounds into 3 inch round nests.
• Bake 2 hours or until firm.
• Turn off oven; leave meringues in oven 1 hour or overnight to dry.
• When dry, carefully remove from parchment.
• Meringues can be stored in tightly sealed container at room temp up to 2 weeks.
• PREPARE BERRIES:.
• In large bowl, combine blueberries, raspberries, and half of strawberries.
• In 12 inch skillet, combine sugar and grapefruit juice.
• Heat to boiling on medium, stirring occasionally.
• Boil 2 minutes or until sugar dissolves and mixture is clear pink.
• Add the first half of strawberries and cook 1-3 minutes or until berries release their juices and have softened slightly.
• Pour mixture over un-cooked berries in large bowl.
• Stir gently until well combined.
• Place meringue nexts on serving plates.
• Divid berries among nests and drizzle grapefruit syrup all around.
• Serve immediately.

MERINGUE NESTS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 200°F (100°C).
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
• In the bowl of an electric stand mixer, begin whipping the egg whites with the salt at medium speed until frothy.
• Increase the speed of the mixer to medium-high and whip until the egg whites thicken and begin to hold their shape. Continue whipping the whites while adding the granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time. Once the sugar's been added, add the vanilla and continue to whip for 2 minutes, until stiff and glossy.
• Remove the mixer bowl from the stand and sift the confectioners' sugar over the meringue while simultaneously folding it in.
• Divide the meringue into 8 portions, evenly spaced, on the baking sheet. (They'll all fit if you arrange 3 down each side lengthwise and 2 in the center.)
• Take a spoon, dip it in water, tap off the excess, and make a hollow in the center of each meringue, like mashed potatoes in preparation for gravy.
• Bake the meringues for 1 hour. Turn the oven off and continue to let the meringues dry out in the oven for 1 hour more.
• The meringues are done when they feel dry and lift easily off the parchment paper or silicone baking mat.
• Variations
• Meringue nests lend themselves to many variations. Here are some of my favorites. Simply fold the additional ingredients into the meringue after adding in the confectioners' sugar.
• Cinnamon: 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• Coconut: 1/2 cup (40 g) dried shredded coconut, toasted
• Cocoa Nib: 6 tablespoons (60 g) cocoa nibs
• Coffee: 1 tablespoon best-quality instant coffee (crush the crystals into a fine powder with the back of a spoon first) or espresso powder
• Chocolate: 3 tablespoons (21 g) unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
• Chocolate Chip: 1/2 cup (80 g) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips (regular or mini)
• Chocolate-Chocolate Chip: 3 tablespoons (21 g) unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder and 1/3 cup (60 g) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips (regular or mini)
• Green Tea and Black Sesame: 1 1/2 teaspoons matcha (green tea powder) and 2 tablespoons black sesame seeds
• For Almond Meringue Nests: Replace the vanilla with 1/4 teaspoon almond extract, and press 2 tablespoons sliced almonds into the top of each meringue before baking.
• Storage
• Once cool, store the meringues in an absolutely airtight container until ready to serve. They can be made 1 week in advance.