Meringue Hearts
4 egg whites, at
room temperature
˝ teaspoon cream
of tartar
1 teaspoon
vanilla
1 cup granulated
sugar
Fresh
strawberries
Confectioners’
sugar
Preheat oven to 225-degrees. Draw eight 4-inch hearts 1-inch apart on
parchment paper. Invert paper; stick to
baking sheet with masking tape. Fit
pastry bag with medium-large star tip.
Beat egg whites in a bowl with a mixer at medium speed
until foamy. Add cream of tartar and
increase mixer speed to high. Add
vanilla. Gradually add sugar, 1
tablespoon at a time, beating constantly just until stiff. Shiny peaks form in about 5 minutes. Spoon meringue mixture into
prepared pastry bag. Following
the outline of heart tracings, pipe heart shapes onto paper. Fill in centers of heart and smooth with
rubber spatula. Pipe 2 more layers over
the heart outlines to build up sides of hearts.
Bake for 2 hours or until ivory-colored and crisp. Peel hearts from parchment paper and
transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Place heart on serving plate and fill with sliced
or whole strawberries. Sift a small
amount of confectioners’ sugar over berries or top with a dollop of whipped cream.
Yield: 8 servings
Carolyn Gass Hardimon M. S. Home Economist