Berry syrup and meringue cups

Basic meringue recipe

Enough for a medium-sized pavlova. I usually double the recipe to make a nice big pavlova for 8-10 people.

200 g sugar
4 egg whites
pinch of salt
pinch of cream of tartar

1 Preheat the oven to 110 ° C. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
2 Whisk the salt, cream of tartar and egg whites with an electric mixer to stiff peaks.
3 Pour in 45 ml (3 tbsp) of sugar and beat for about 1-2 minutes until the egg whites are gleaming white and forms stiff peaks.
4 Add the remaining sugar slowly, beating constantly until it is mixed. The egg whites should be thick and glossy with stiff peaks.
5 Scoop spoonfuls of the meringue in the center of the baking sheet. Form a large puffed circle with a slight dent in the middle with the back of a spoon.
6 Bake for 1-1 hours until the meringue is crisp and cooked through, but not discolored.
7 If it is too soft if you gently touch it with your fingertips you can turn the heat to 60 ° C and bake another half hour.
8 Switch off the oven and dry further in the hot oven until dry and crisp.
9 Let cool completely on a cooling rack.
10 Store meringues in an airtight container. Sprinkle a thin layer of sugar and line with baking paper.

Berry syrup and meringue cups

Serves 6

This is a nice dessert combined with any fruit. Nectarines and peaches will work well.

1 basic meringue mixture
500 g frozen mixed berries
250 ml (1 c) sugar
juice of ½ lemon
double thick cream for serving

1 Preheat the oven to 110 ° C.
2 Cook the frozen berries, sugar and lemon juice in a saucepan until it forms a syrup. Allow to cool.
3 Prepare 1 quantity basic meringue mixture.
4 Spoon the berry syrup into small ramekins or cup cake paper cups.
5 Spoon a large spoonful of meringue on each of the berry cups and bake for 20-25 minutes until the meringue is cooked and crisp, but not colored.
6 Serve with double thick cream