3 light and airy meringue desserts

Sashay into the weekend with these melt-in-mouth treats

Meringue is a mixture of stiffly beaten egg whites and sugar, often used in confections and desserts around the world. The sweet concoction invented in the early 1700s, is light, sweet, fluffy and surprisingly low in fat, making it the perfect post-dinner dessert.

Metrolife brings to you some meringue-based desserts that you can whip up easily at home.

Mini tropical pavlovas

Ingredients

4 large egg whites

1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/3 cup shredded coconut

4 large passion fruits, halved

2 kiwis, peeled and diced

1 small mango, peeled and thinly sliced

Method

Preheat the oven to 140°C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar at medium speed until frothy. Beat in the sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the meringue is thick and glossy. Lastly, add the vanilla extract and whisk and then fold in the shredded coconut.

Scoop the meringue into six small mounds on the prepared baking sheet. Using the back of a spoon, carefully make a dent in the center of each meringue.

Bake the meringues in the centre of the oven for about 1 hour, until crisp and lightly golden but still chewy on the inside. Remove from the oven and let cool.

Set the meringues on plates. Mound the kiwi and mango or any tropical fruits of your choice into the centre of the meringues, spoon the passion fruit on top and serve.

Meringue kisses

Ingredients:

4 egg whites

1 cup powdered sugar

1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Gel food colours (optional)

Method

Preheat the oven to 140°C. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a bowl add egg whites and beat with an electric whisk until foamy, then add cream of tartar and salt. Add vanilla to whisk.

Start adding sugar to the mixture slowly, 1 tablespoon at a time. The egg whites should appear stiff and glossy. At this stage, you can separate the mixture into separate bowls and mix in a drop of gel food colours, if desired.

Transfer mixture to a piping bag fitted with a large star tip. Pipe meringues onto a baking sheet.

Bake for 1 hour exactly, then turn off oven and let meringues sit in the unopened oven for three hours. Once cooled, they are ready to eat.

Lemon meringue pie

Ingredients

30 digestive biscuits, crushed

6 tablespoons butter, melted

1 tablespoon honey

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1/2 cup lemon juice

1/4 cup sugar

3 large eggs, separated, room temperature

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

6 tablespoons sugar

Method

1. Preheat oven to 170°C.

In a bowl, mix together crushed digestive biscuits and 4 tablespoons butter, until a crumb is formed. In a greased pie mould, press down the crumb to form a crust. Refrigerate for one hour.

In a medium bowl, beat sweetened condensed milk, honey, lemon juice, sugar, egg yolks and remaining 2 tablespoons melted butter until blended. Pour into crust; bake for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, beat egg whites and cream of tartar until frothy. Add vanilla and gradually beat in sugar 1 tablespoon at a time, on high until stiff glossy peaks form and sugar is dissolved.

Spread evenly over hot filling, sealing edges to crust. Bake until meringue is golden brown, about 15 minutes.

Cool on a wire rack for 1 hour. Refrigerate at least 3 hours before serving.