piping bag with round and star shaped nozzle attachments
oven trays or racks
pastry mats or baking paper
pastry spatula
hand mixer or kitchen aid
Ingredients
3egg whites
200gramscaster sugar
½teaspoonvanilla extract
Instructions
In a bowl, combine the egg whites, sugar and vanilla essence.
Use a hand blender or kitchen aid, with the whisk attachment and mix on low.
Once the sugar has completely dissolved, gradually increase the speed to high.
Check the consistency of the meringue by holding up the whisk attachment. The mixture should be stiff. Rub a small amount between your fingers, it should be sticky without any grains from the sugar.
to make meringue drops
Place the mixture in a piping bag with a star shaped nozzle attachment. Pipe meringue drops onto to the pastry sheet leaving enough space between them.
Bake in the oven at 80 degrees for 1 hour 15 minutes. Switch off the oven and leave the door closed for at least 2 hours, best overnight to dry them out completely.
To check if they are done, try to lift a meringue gently. It should come off the baking sheet easily and not stick to your fingers.
to make meringue shards
Place a pastry mat or baking paper on a flat oven tray or rack. Use a long pastry spatula and spread the meringue mixture on the pastry sheet as thin as possible. Bake the same way as you did the meringue drops.
Once the meringue has cooked and dried, using a small knife or spatula, seperate the meringue shard from the pastry mat. Slowly lift the meringue shard and break into desired sizes.
to make meringue sticks
Meringue sticks are created by piping the meringue mixture on a baking tray in thin lines and then baked as in the steps before. The sticks don't have to be that thin. You can pipe the mixture to the size of a grissini stick, it all depends what you intend to use them for.
Notes
Seperate the eggs straight away after taking them out of the fridge, while they are still cold. It is much easier to separate and you avoid risking egg yolks running into your whites.
Leave the whites out for 30 minutes as they are easier to work with at room temperature.
Store leftover meringues in an air tight container, at room temperature, away from moisture. You can keep them for up to two weeks. In case they turn soft, bake them again for 10 minutes in the oven at 80 degrees.