These beautiful little meringue nests are both crunchy and soft, and once bitten into, they will melt in your mouth. Make them large or mini, and fill them with anything you want.
Growing up, I didn’t really love meringues and found them too sweet, but that all changed once I found out that there are different versions of meringue such as pavlova, flavored meringues, and filled meringue nests, also known as meringue shells.
Meringue is made with very few ingredients. Egg whites and sugar are a must, and the rule of thumb is to use ¼ cup of sugar for every egg white. The addition of cream of tartar is optional, but I recommend it as it helps in stabilizing the meringue and reaching its full volume. However, if you want to substitute it, you can use lemon juice, white wine vinegar, or even a pinch of salt. Lastly, vanilla extract is added for a great flavor.
What you won’t be able to get enough of is the meringue texture. The outside shell of these meringues is crispy, but the inside is soft. Once you bite into the crunchy crust, it instantly melts in your mouth. Just imagine combining it with whipped cream and fruit, lemon curd, or chocolate.
How is meringue made?
Before you start, make sure that the bowl and beaters are clean and grease-free. Grease prevents the egg whites from whipping up properly, so it’s very important that everything is perfectly clean.
Beat the egg whites on medium-low speed until they start to get foamy, then add cream of tartar. Keep beating until soft peaks just start to form. That’s the time to start adding sugar and increasing your mixer speed. Adding sugar by the spoonful is a process that takes a few minutes, and then you’ll need to keep beating until the sugar fully dissolves into the meringue and stiff peaks form. You can rub a bit of meringue between your thumbs to check if it’s gritty or smooth. If gritty, keep beating.
Is it ready yet?
Meringues require a long baking time at a low temperature. They are usually ready once they appear dry and are easily lifted from the parchment paper with their bases intact. Sometimes, though, especially for large meringues, it’s hard to know if the center has baked properly. It’s ok if it’s quite soft and marshmallow-like, but it shouldn’t be sticky like gum. If you don’t care how white your meringues are, you can slightly increase the temperature and bake for less time.
Fill the meringue nests with regular or flavored whipped cream, lemon curd and fresh fruit, or drizzle with fruit sauce.
If you love meringue, then I have some special treats for you:
The most perfect pavlova ever
Eton mess, which is a strawberry, whipped cream, and meringue trifle
Simple white meringue cookies or kisses
Also, check out this guide that shows how to pipe meringue nests.
Meringue Nests
Ingredients
- 4 large egg whites
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar , or 1 teaspoon lemon juice or white wine vinegar
- 1 cup (220 g/7.7 oz) caster sugar
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 200F/90C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and prepare a pastry bag fitted with a round or star tip (mine had a 1cm opening). Set aside.
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Before you start, make sure that your mixer bowl is extra clean and not greasy, as that would prevent the egg whites from reaching their full volume. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk egg whites on medium-low speed until foamy. Add cream of tartar and continue whisking until soft peaks start to form.
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Then, while mixer is running, add sugar, one tablespoon at a time, and increase mixing speed to medium-high. Go slowly. Adding the sugar and continuing to beat may take 5-10 minutes. The meringue is ready once stiff peaks form, it’s glossy and completely smooth but not dry, and the sugar is fully dissolved. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to make sure that no sugar is sticking. Beat in vanilla extract.
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Transfer meringue to the piping bag. To prevent the parchment paper from sliding, pipe a little of the meringue on the underside of each corner of the paper and ‘stick’ it to the pan. Pipe a 5 cm (or any other size you want, depending on how big or small you want them) round spiral base on the prepared baking sheet, and without lifting the tip, pipe 2-3 circles on top of the outer edge to create a nest.
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The amount of nests really depends on how wide or tall you make them. This recipe can make anywhere from 10 large to 30 minis. I usually make mine quite tall with a 5 cm base, and it yields me around 16-20 nests.
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If you want to make pavlovas without using a piping bag, drop small mounds of meringue onto the baking sheet and, using a spoon, create a border so that the edges are slightly higher than the center.
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Place in the lower part of the oven and bake for 2-3 hours, or until the meringues are dry, their centers aren’t sticky, and they are easily lifted from the parchment paper with their bases intact. Turn off the oven and, without removing, let meringues cool completely for at least one hour, or overnight.
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Meringues will keep for several days in an airtight container at room temperature.
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When ready to serve, fill the nests with a filling of your choice, such as whipped cream or lemon curd, and top with fresh fruit if desired.
