When I made the Spiced Strawberry Tart recently I had 3 left over egg whites which I knew I had to put to good use.  Meringue was an obvious choice, but I wanted to do something a little different than your ordinary meringue.  I also had an abundance of naval oranges so decided I would incorporate them.  I then remembered a beautiful post I saw on He Needs Food, by Sydney food blogger John, where he made Aliter Dulcia and topped it with orange zest and pistachios, so inspired by that I settled on Orange and Pistachio Meringue Cookies.

Making meringue cookies is easy, in fact making a meringue is deceptively easy, although that doesn’t appear to be the case if you are a fan of the British version of Come Dine With Me, as I am.  Each week on the show someone seems to make a complete mess of making a meringue.  While it meringue failures make for amusing television, I thought I would share a few tips with you so that you don’t run into the same issues at home.

1. Make sure your mixing bowl is clean.  Sounds obvious, but any moisture or oil on your mixing bowl can affect your meringue.  I like to wash my mixing bowl in the dishwasher as it ensures it’s perfectly clean.
2. When separating your eggs it’s easier to do this while they are still cold, so do this then, but let the egg whites come to room temperature before whipping as room temperature egg whites allow you to incorporate more air, and therefore result in a greater lift.
3. Separate each egg into a bowl or measuring cup rather than directly into your mixing bowl. Add each egg white to the mixing bowl after you’ve successfully separated the white.  This way, if you accidentally pierce the yolk of one egg it won’t ruin all the egg whites.
4. When choosing a mixing bowl opt for stainless steel or copper as plastic bowls can be difficult to clean effectively to ensure that no oil remains on the surface.
5. Moisture is the enemy of meringues, so don’t cook meringues if it’s an especially humid day or raining as this will cause the meringues to weep.
6. Adding a pinch of salt to the egg whites before you begin whipping helps stabilise the mixture, helping the whites stiffen before you incorporate the sugar.
7. Add the sugar only after you’ve whipped the egg whites to soft peaks.  I also find caster sugar works best as it dissolves quicker.  To test if the sugar is incorporated properly rub a bit of the mixture between your fingers.  If it feels at all gritty, then the sugar is not dissolved and you need to keep whipping.
8. When adding sugar to your meringue mixture, add it gradually, this way it enables the sugar to be incorporated better.
9. To make meringue cookies, you want stiff peaks as this will lead to a firm meringue.  So keep whipping the egg whites until peaks are formed where the top stands straight.

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Orange & Pistachio Meringue Cookies Recipe

 

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

3 hours

Total time

3 hours 15 mins

 

Makes approximately 30 cookies, depending on size.

Author: Delicieux

Serves: 30

Ingredients

• 3 egg whites
• a pinch of salt
• 1 cup of caster sugar
• zest of 1 orange
• 1 tablespoon of orange juice
• ¼ of chopped, unsalted pistachios
• 1 teaspoon white vinegar

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 175 degrees Celsius (350 Fahrenheit) and line 2 large baking sheet trays with baking paper.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, add the egg whites and salt. On a medium speed beat until soft peaks form.
3. Increase the mixer to a medium high speed and gradually add the sugar, a spoonful at a time,
4. Once the sugar has been added add the vinegar and whisk on high until the mixture is firm and glossy and forms stiff peaks.
5. Remove the mixing bowl from the mixer and carefully fold through the orange zest, orange juice and pistachios.
6. Pipe or spoon onto the prepared sheet trays.
7. Place the sheet trays into the preheated oven and then turn the oven off. Leave the cookies in the oven undisturbed for at least 3 hours.

Notes

If using a piping bag to pipe your cookies, make sure that the pistachios are well chopped otherwise they will cause blockages in the piping nozzle.

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