Easter Meringue Cups Recipes

EASTER MERINGUE CUPS

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 eight mounds on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Shape into 3-in. cups with the back of a spoon. , 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. Spread cups with lemon curd and fill with fruit.

RED, WHITE, AND BLUE MERINGUE CUPS

Steps:

• Using a 3-inch bowl or cookie cutter, draw 8 circles on a sheet of parchment paper. Turn the paper over, and place on a baking sheet; set aside.
• Preheat oven to 200 degrees. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine whites, lemon juice, and vanilla. Beat on medium-low speed until soft peaks form, about 1 1/2 minutes. Reduce to low speed, and gradually sprinkle sugar over whites. Increase speed to high and beat until stiff glossy peaks form, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from mixer; sift cornstarch over, and fold to combine.
• Fit a pastry bag with a plain pastry tip with a 1/2-inch opening (Ateco No. 6), and fill bag with meringue. Beginning in the center of one of the circles, cover with an even layer of meringue. Pipe around the perimeter to form a 1-inch collar. Repeat process with remaining circles.
• Transfer baking sheet to oven, and bake for 1 hour. Reduce heat to 175 degrees, and bake until meringue has dried but is still white, about 1 hour more. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
• Place a meringue on a dessert plate. Fill with a scoop of sorbet, and drizzle with blueberry sauce. Serve immediately.

MERINGUE CUPS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 200 degrees. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine whites, lemon juice, and vanilla. Beat on low speed, gradually increasing to high, until soft peaks form, about 1 1/2 minutes.
• Sprinkle sugar over the egg white mixture; beat on high speed until glossy peaks form, about 3 minutes. Sift cornstarch over mixture, and fold to combine.
• Using two soup spoons, drop balls of meringue onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Press down on center of each ball with one spoon to form a small cup.
• Bake 1 hour. Reduce oven temperature to 175 degrees; continue baking until outside is dry and crisp and inside is chewy, about 1 hour more. Remove from oven; let cool completely.

CRISPY MERINGUE CUPS WITH BERRIES AND SORBET

Steps:

• Stir together the strawberries, blackberries, sugar, lemon juice and a pinch of salt in a medium bowl. Set aside to macerate, stirring occasionally, while you make the meringue cups.
• Whisk together the egg white, vanilla, remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt and lemon zest in another medium bowl. Add the confectioners' sugar and stir with a rubber spatula until mostly combined, and then mix with your hands until a thick, firm dough forms.
• Remove about 1/8 of the dough and place in another bowl. Add the red gel food coloring. Wearing gloves, knead the dough to swirl in the color until no streaks remain. Return the red dough to the bowl with the other dough and mix together until swirled throughout.
• Transfer the dough to a cutting board and pat into a disk. Cut into 8 equal pieces (about 2 tablespoons each), and then roll each into a ball. Use a finger to poke a hole, about 1/2 inch across and 1/2 inch deep, into the center of each ball. If the ball starts to crack when poked, use your fingers to press it back together. Cover with a slightly damp kitchen towel so they don't dry out.
• Line a microwave-safe round dinner plate with a paper towel. Place 1 ball in the center of the plate and microwave on the highest setting until the dough puffs into a crispy meringue about 5 inches across-it should be hollow when tapped, about 1 minute 30 seconds. Use an oven mitt or kitchen towel to remove the very hot plate from the microwave and transfer the paper towel with the meringue to a wire rack.
• Line a second large microwave-safe round dinner plate with a new paper towel and repeat this process with the remaining pieces of dough, alternating between the two plates so that they have a little time to cool down after microwaving each meringue cup.
• Let the meringues cool completely, then carefully peel away the paper towels.
• Place each meringue cup on a serving plate and top each with about 1/2 cup of the macerated berries and a scoop of lemon sorbet. Drizzle with some of the juices from the fruit and serve immediately.

MERINGUE KISSES II

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 250 degrees F (130 degrees C). Cover cookie sheets with parchment paper.
• Beat egg whites until very stiff and dry. Add 1/4 cup granulated sugar slowly and continue beating until mixture holds its shape.
• Add flavoring extract. Fold in another 1/4 cup sugar and 1/3 cup finely crushed nut brittle or other crushed candy.
• Drop or form into desired shapes on parchment covered cookie sheet. You can sprinkle lightly with either more crushed candy or powdered confectioner sugar, if desired. Place in oven for 30-35 minutes until set and delicately brown.
• To remove baked kisses from paper if you have a problem, lay out a hot, wet towel and place paper with kisses on towel. Let stand about 1 minute and steam will loosen kisses. Slip them off the paper with a spatula.