Coffee Meringues

Preparation time: 30 minutes, plus cooling

Cooking time: 1 hour, plus overnight drying

Ingredients

Meringue

* 5 medium egg whites

* 300g golden caster sugar

Coffee syrup

* 200g caster sugar

* 150ml hot espresso coffee (try Kenya AA)

Instructions

Make the syrup. Put the sugar in a pan with 100ml water. Heat gently until the sugar dissolves, then bring to the boil. Boil for 10-12 minutes until deep amber. Remove from the heat and carefully add the espresso (it will spit). Return to the heat and cook for 5-6 minutes until you have a thick syrup. Cool completely. You'll have more syrup than you need for this recipe - try it with ice cream.

Preheat the oven to 120°C/gas ½. Line two baking sheets with baking parchment.

Whisk the egg whites until stiff, then gradually add the sugar, whisking well between each addition, until you have a thick, glossy meringue. Fold in 3 tbsp of the coffee syrup, allowing it to marble through the mixture.

Spoon 6 large mounds of meringue on to each tray, spaced well apart. Bake for 1 hour. Don't open the oven, but switch it off and leave the meringues inside to dry overnight.

Yield: 1 Servings

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Line one or two cookie sheets with parchment paper or lightly spray with cooking spray (wipe off excess with a paper towel).

2. Beat egg whites and cream of tartar until frothy. With mixer running, alternately add 1 T. at a time of the sugar and brown sugar. Sprinkle in a little coffee at a time between the additions of sugar.

3. Continue beating until stiff peaks form.

4. Using a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip, pipe into small (1"-2") mounds on the cookie sheets. Or, if you don't have a pastry bag, use a spoon to drop small dollops onto the cookie sheet.

5. Bake about 45 minutes until meringues are dry and can be easily lifted from the sheet. To aid in the drying process, do not open oven door until near the end of the baking time.

These generally come out to 15-30 calories apiece. For an accurate calorie count, divide 480 (total calories in the recipe) by the number of meringues you get out of it.

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* 3 large egg whites

* 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

* 3/4 cup sugar

* 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

* 1 1/2 tablespoons instant espresso powder

* 1 tablespoon whole roasted coffee beans

1. In a bowl, with an electric mixer (fitted with whisk attachment) on high speed, beat egg whites and cream of tartar until thick and foamy. Gradually add sugar and continue to beat until mixture holds stiff, shiny peaks. Beat in vanilla and espresso powder.

2. Spoon meringue in 1 1/2- to 2-inch-wide mounds, about 1 inch apart, onto cooking parchment-lined or buttered and floured 12- by 15-inch baking sheets (see notes). Gently place one coffee bean on each mound.

3. Bake in a 200° oven until meringues are light brown and give slightly when gently pressed, 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours; switch pan positions halfway through baking. Turn off heat and leave meringues in closed oven for 1 hour.

4. Slide a spatula under meringues to release.

Notes: If you like, in step 2, use a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain or star tip to pipe meringue into 1 1/2-inch-wide mounds. For best results, line baking sheets with cooking parchment. Store meringues airtight for up to 1 week.

Note: Nutritional analysis is per meringue.

Yield: Makes about 40 1 1/2-inch meringues

NUTRITION PER SERVING: CALORIES 16(0.0% from fat); FAT 0.0g (sat 0.0g); PROTEIN 0.3g; CHOLESTEROL 0.0mg; SODIUM 42mg; FIBER 0.0g; CARBOHYDRATE 3.8g

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Irish Coffee Meringues are naturally low in fat.

INGREDIENTS:

Draw 2 x 7 inch circles onto a sheet of parchment paper

PREPARATION:

Put the egg whites into a spotlessly clean and dry bowl. Add all the confectioners' sugar except 2 tablespoons. Whisk until the mixture stands in firm dry peaks. It may take 10-15 minutes. Sieve the coffee with the remaining icing sugar together and fold in carefully.

Spread the meringue carefully with a palette knife onto the circles on the silicone paper. Bake in a very low oven 300 degrees for approx. 1 hour or until crisp. The discs should peel easily from the paper. Allow to get quite cold.

Add the whiskey to the whipped cream. Sandwich the meringue discs together with Irish whiskey flavored cream. Pipe 5 rosettes of cream on top. Decorate with chocolate coffee beans if available.

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Makes 20-25

Ingredients

Method

Place sugar, coffee and 2 tablespoons water in a saucepan over low heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil. Remove from heat and cool. Place eggwhite, vinegar and cornflour in bowl of an electric mixer, beat for 2 minutes. Add coffee mixture in a slow steady stream, continue to beat on high for 10 minutes.

Preheat oven to 100°C. Line 2 baking trays with baking paper. Spoon meringue mixture into a piping bag with a plain nozzle and pipe rosettes 2cm apart on trays. Bake for 30 minutes. Turn off heat and leave in the oven for 1 hour to dry.

Place chocolate, butter, Nutella and coffee essence in a bowl, beat with electric beaters until thick and glossy. When meringues are cool, spread one meringue with mocha cream and another half with whipped cream, sandwich the two halves together.