Striped Meringues with Berries

Description

Make meringues interesting with stripes, just smear the inside of the piping bag with food colouring, a paste is best.

Makes 25

Ingredients

• 3 egg whites
• 175g (6 oz) caster sugar
• Little red food colouring paste
• Small tub of crème fraîche (not low fat)
• Fresh fruit such as raspberries, strawberries
• Icing sugar
• Mint sprigs or borage flowers

Method

Whisk the egg whites until stiff, and then gradually whisk in the sugar, a teaspoon at a time. Smear a little red food colouring paste into a large piping bag fitted with a nozzle, then fill with the meringue mixture.  Pipe small meringue nests onto Bake-O-Glide placed on the cold plain shelf.

Alternatively just place dessertspoonfuls of the meringue mixture onto the Bake-O-Glide

2, 3, 4 and 5 oven AGA: Place in the Simmering Oven to dry out, for about 2 hours. Turn the plain shelf after an hour. If lightly coloured but not quite cooked remove from oven and place on a chef’s pad on the Simmering Plate lid and leave for a few hours or overnight.

4 and 5 oven AGA: Place the meringues in the centre on the Warming Oven and leave to dry out for about 2½ – 3 hours, turn the plain shelf after about 1 ½ hours.

Cool and fill with a little crème fraîche and decorate with the fruit.  Sprinkle with icing sugar and decorate with sprig of mint.