Desserts

Baked Meringues with Fresh Berries and Cream

Makes about 16 meringues

Baked Meringues with Fresh Berries and Cream

Makes about 16 meringues

These little treats are best prepared on drier days. Humidity causes them to be a bit spongy and they lose their distinctive crisp.

Nutritional information per filled meringue (2 tablespoons of whipped cream and 1 tablespoon of berries): Calories 60 (21% from fat)
carb. 11g
pro. 1g fat 1g
sat. fat 1g
chol. 4mg
sod. 19mg calc. 8mg
fiber 0g

Ingredients

  • 3large egg whites
  • ½ teaspoon fresh lemon juice
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • sweetened whipped cream,
  • whipped to soft peaks, for serving
  • fresh berries, for serving

Preparation

  1. 1. Preheat oven to 200°F with the rack in
  2. the middle position. Line a rimmed baking
  3. sheet with parchment paper; reserve.
  4. 2. Put the egg whites in a large, non-plastic,
  5. mixing bowl. Using the whisk, start
  6. mixing on Speeds 1 to 2 and beat until
  7. frothy, about 30 to 60 seconds. Add the
  8. lemon juice, gradually increase to Speed
  9. 5 and whip until soft peaks form.
  10. 3. With the mixer running still on Speed 5,
  11. very gradually, 1 tablespoon at a time,
  12. add the sugar to the whipping egg whites
  13. (do not rush this process or the meringue
  14. will not be as stable and may not whip to
  15. the necessary stiffness. Be patient!). Once
  16. all the sugar has been added, increase
  17. to Speed 7 and continue mixing until the
  18. meringue holds stiff peaks, about 5 to 8
  19. minutes in total. Add the vanilla extract
  20. and mix to combine.
  21. 4. Transfer the meringue to a piping bag
  22. fitted with a star tip (any size or shape
  23. of star will work). First apply a bit of the
  24. meringue to a few spots on the underside
  25. of the parchment so that it sticks to the
  26. pan. Pipe the meringues, making about a
  27. 2- to 3-inch round, and then finishing the
  28. spiral shape in the center. Leave about 2
  29. inches between each meringue. You may
  30. need two pans to accommodate the
  31. full recipe.
  32. 5. Transfer the meringues to the preheated
  33. oven and bake until light, crisp and stiff,
  34. but where the meringues have picked up
  35. no color. This should take about 1 hour,
  36. but this is a rough estimate since it is
  37. based on the oven being used and the
  38. humidity of the room (it could take as little
  39. as 45 minutes, or as long as 2 hours).
  40. 6. Remove from the oven and allow to cool
  41. on a wire rack. Once completely cooled,
  42. meringues can be stored in a sealed
  43. container at room temperature for up to
  44. five days.
  45. 7. When ready to serve, fill with the
  46. sweetened whipped cream and top with
  47. the mixed berries.