Little meringues

Today, instead of cleaning the flat (I’m leaving that for this evening, or perhaps tomorrow), Ninka and I got down to making Easter mazurek cakes. And of course, when you make the pastry for a mazurek, you’re left with two egg whites. So what do you do with them? You can make meringues to decorate the cake in question, or simply to eat on their own.

We didn’t think about it for long; we just got started. Especially since making little meringues is exceptionally easy, and basically, if you have a mixer, it will make them for you. I recommend it: easy, quick and enjoyable.

Recipe facts:

Preparation time: 5 minutes

Baking time: 35 minutes

Baking temperature: 135 degrees Celsius

Serves: makes about 30 small meringues (ideal for decorating)

Calories: oh, come on, 8 tablespoons of sugar have practically no calories 😉

Ingredients for simple meringues:

• 2 egg whites (from medium hen’s eggs)
• 4 tablespoons of white sugar (level)
• 4 tablespoons of icing sugar (level)

Recipe for little meringues, perfect for decorating and serving with coffee:

I poured the egg whites into a deep bowl. I beat them with the mixer on a low speed until I had a firm, stiff white foam. I gently sprinkled in the sugar, mixing all the time. Once the foam had absorbed all the sugar, I gently added the icing sugar and kept mixing.

The foam should be firm and glossy.

I preheated the oven to 135 degrees Celsius and lined a baking tray with baking paper.

I transferred the foam to a piping bag (a rather rubbish one I once bought for about 10 złoty) and piped small meringues onto the paper (you can see them in the photo below). The meringues rise a little, so it’s a good idea to leave 2 – 3 cm between them to stop them sticking together as they bake.

I put them in the oven and baked them for about 35 minutes. Then I took them out and set them aside to cool. The little meringues are ready. You can eat them with coffee or tea, for example, or use them to decorate, say, an Easter mazurek cake. Enjoy!