Meringue birdies

If you have egg whites left over from a recipe don't even think of throwing them out or giving them to the dog--make meringue kisses.  They're delicious, non-fat, and so easy to make.

The other day I was making an Italian dinner for a little party and the desert was to be chocolate gelato, which required four egg yolks. Gelato is another treat but more difficult to make and not today's subject.

In any case I thought that little meringue bites would go well with the gelato so I whipped up a batch from an online recipe.  There are lots of them online and they're pretty much the same. The only ingredients are egg whites and sugar and a cream of tartar--plus whatever flavouring you choose to add.  I used vanilla.  The trick is to beat the mixture with your electric beater for a long, long time.  Until it's shiny and thick.  I don't have a pastry bag or any fancy stuff so I just spooned the batter into a plastic bag and squeezed out little puffs on a baking sheet.

This method produces very unique shapes with lots of curls at the top.  Here you can see them baking in the oven.  I used parchment paper for most of the baking pans and it made it easy to lift them off when they were done.

I loved the different shapes.  To me they look like little birds, especially this one. You can see them gathered on the serving plate waiting to be chosen at the top of the page.

The other trick to meringues is to bake them very slowly on a low oven temperature with the oven door propped open so all the moisture escapes as the dry out.  These ones cooked for two hours and resulted in a crunchy bite that then melts in your mouth.  They were delicious and a big hit with the gelato.

 Good thing there's a festive season approaching so I can make them again.  Yummy--and low fat too.