Christmas meringue swirls

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Are you in Christmas mood already? I’ve just decorated my tree, made some spiced nuts and am really enoying my time with a glass of wine. I’ve been cooking and baking all day to share some Christmas recipes with you. First- christmas swirl meringues. I love how they look! All you need is red gel coloring paste , sugar and egg whites.

I once wrote all the things I find essential to bake a perfect meringue. I will copy it again-

Meringues: “I used to make them with a handheld mixer, which can be treated as a nice upper body workout, since you beat the egg whites for about 10 minutes but then M. bought me my long dream gift – Kitchen Aid stand mixer and making those white beauties became a true pleasure. I’ve been trying different oven temperatures and I stick to the hot oven(150C/302F) in the beginning and 110C/230F(without the fan) the minute I close the oven door and everyone in the house knows they can’t touch the oven door. The key to perfect meringue is beating it until it is truly stiff and glossy which takes about 10 minutes. And if you look at the timer(which I recommend) it is the hell lot of time(especially with a handheld mixer).

Any other suggestions? All ingredients should be room temperature, and there shouldn’t be any trace(!) of egg yolk in the egg whites plus the bowl you’re mixing in should be wiped with some lemon juice and a paper towel. I usually use 50-55grams of sugar per egg white ratio and get the best results with that.

RECIPE – MERINGUES

5 egg whites
275 g confectioners' sugar
pinch of salt
red gel food coloring

Preheat your oven(no fan) to 150C/302F. Beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar by tablespoon, mix, and add another. Mix for good 10 minutes until stiff and glossy and holds shape. I use a piping bag with star nozzle to make these meringues. With a point brush covered in gel food coloring I paint three lines inside the piping bag, I repeat to make them thicker- check photo below. Put the meringue mixture inside the bag. I pipe them onto baking paper. Give them some space. Put in the oven and immediately turn the temperature down to 120C/248F. Let them bake for an hour and ten minutes.

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