Meringue

Meringue is a new term to me. For those like me, here is the definition. It is a French dessert made from whipped egg whites, cane sugar, confectioner's sugar and little corn starch. It's perfect dessert to prepare for parties as they are as light as a feather and serving them is also easy and hassle free. There is endless possibility of flavours to play with. I made mine with vanilla and some cashews. I was inspired to try this after looking at the gorgeous pictures of my fellow blogger Pavithra's meringue. I was so tempted that I made them right away.


Since my supplies were minimal, I stuck with vanilla meringue and topped them with roasted cashews. Once baked for 2-3 hours, they are ready to taste after cooling. They were super delicious, very sweet and airy. We loved it! I had an ordeal using the piping bag. I haven't done any cake decorations/ icings before, so it was quite a job to get my whipped batter in to the bag. I proudly invested on a Martha Stewart re-usable icing bag and was so excited to use it. But last night, my hands, the kitchen island, the bowls, the bag everything went sticky with my messy handling. I gotta learn on how to use it from Anita,my dear friend and also an expert cake decorator. Anita, are you reading this???


These cookies reminded me of Tuticorin macaroons and infact they tasted the same way. Next time when I bake this, I will add some crushed roasted cashews into the mixture and pipe them. I was first introduced to the Tuticorin sweet treats by my periappa (dad's elder brother) when I was in class two.To satisfy my intense craving ,my family would hunt for it in Chennai. Interestingly those weren't sold during early 90's in Chennai or probably we weren't smart enough to find a bakery that sold it. So everytime someone visits Tuticorin, they would get a packet for me. I loved it so much then but now when I realize the amount of sugar that goes into it, I wouldn't trade it for those extra flesh that's gonna pop out . This is a once in a while treat.


We found it really sweet.So next time I make them (which I am sure will be in few days time), I would add less amount of sugar than the one the recipe calls for.

Ingredients
3 eggs egg whites
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup confectioner's sugar
1tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp corn flour

Method
Whip the egg white with a hand mixer at high speed, approximately 20 minutes until they form stiff peaks. Now mix in the sugars and beat for another 10-15minutes.

Slowly add the corn flour and vanilla extract. Beat for further 5-8 minutes. Pipe them into a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle some crushed roasted cashewnuts on top.Bake at 170'F for 2-3 hours. Let it dry in the switched off oven for another hour. Store in airtight containers. It tasted the best next day.