Petit à petit, l’oiseau fait son nid.
Sometimes a dish turns out exactly the way you want it to. This was one of those times. I had been wanting to make meringue nests for a while, but couldn’t think of anything to do with all the leftover yolks, and hated the idea of wasting them. But then one day, I came home, and my mum had made a bavarois (a cold-set custard) that used three egg yolks… Voilà! Leftover egg whites! The stars had aligned, and I set to work making my meringues.
Meringue nests are really easy to make, but one thing I would suggest is that you use a stand mixer. I used a hand-held electric beater, and my arm got really tired. Stand mixer all the way! Muscle fatigue aside, these are super simple to put together. They do take a little while to cook, but the actual hands-on cooking time is minimal, so once they’re in the oven they’re the sort of thing you can just set-and-forget.
Raspberry, white chocolate, pistachio and rose are a winning combination, and the tartness of the raspberries ensures that this dessert doesn’t tip over into being too sweet. The meringues are delightfully sticky, while the pistachios add a nice crunch. You don’t have to add food colouring to the meringue mixture, but I think the pinkish colour is a nice touch.
As usual, let me know how you get on with the recipe. Don’t forget to tag your photos on social media with #wonderlandeats so I can find them. And be sure to sign up for my newsletter so you don’t miss any of my future posts!
Happy baking!
Ingredients
- 3 egg whites
- 150g caster sugar
- 1.5 tsp rosewater
- 2 drops red food colouring
- 8 tbsp white chocolate buttons
- 4 tbsp pistachios, roughly chopped
- 1 cup raspberries
Method
- Preheat oven to 100ºC. Line a baking sheet with baking paper.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat egg whites on high until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar, beating continuously on a low speed. Once all the sugar has been incorporated, beat on high again until stiff peaks form.
- Add rosewater and food colouring, and gently fold through egg whites using a spatula.
- Drop spoonfuls of meringue mixture onto prepared baking tray, using the back of a spoon to form a nest shape with a shallow well in the centre.
- Bake for 3 hours or until the meringue has dried out. Turn off the oven and leave the meringues inside to dry for another hour.
- When ready to serve, melt the white chocolate in a glass bowl over a pot of simmering water (or in the microwave). Drizzle chocolate over meringue nests. Top each nest with raspberries and chopped pistachios. Serve.
Notes
Keeping time: the meringues will keep for 3 days in an airtight container. Only put the raspberries, chocolate and pistachios on when you're about to serve.
