Wouldn’t it be nice, sometimes, to be able to float away on a big soft cushy fluffy cloud, preferably white? I think it would. I can’t say this thought had crossed my mind since the age of six, but looking at this plate of white a week or so ago, it did, Frank Sinatra’s sweet ballad ringing through my head.
Too bad there’s not enough room on these meringues for another passenger to float or fly away with me, and alas, sitting on one would probably be a messy undertaking anyway. Eating was a substitute—if not so poor—and dreaming of floating away on clouds of pistachio rosewater sugar wasn’t so bad either, perhaps to Marrakesh.
These may not be like the meringues you’ve had before: They are meant to be soft on the inside but still quite crunchy and flaky on the outside. They will still be nearly weightless, and you can eat them by themselves, though since they really are just sugar and air, you might want to consider a little coffee or something to go with. If you have a digital scale, I really think you should make them. They’re whimsical and tasty, and tend to be surprising to those of us who are expecting a weird and cheap topping on a store bought cake. Though the directions below may appear long, they’re really not that hard. I am hugely fond of the brevity of the ingredient list, and any excuse to daydream.
Come bake with me, come bake, let’s bake away … ?
Maybe not.
Pistachio rosewater meringue
Method adapted (that is, dumbed down for the likes of me) from Ottolenghi; the rosewater pistachio pairing is beautiful, and entirely theirs
You will need twice the amount of sugar as you have of egg whites by weight. That is, if you have 100g of egg whites, you will need 200g of sugar. Everything else should be to taste. I used 5 egg whites, the corresponding amount of sugar (no special kind–that qualifies as over my head), 1 tsp of rosewater, and a handful of pistachios.
Ingredients: egg whites | sugar | pinch salt | rosewater | pistachios
Special tools: scale, preferably digital | handheld or standing mixer (doing this by hand is also fine if you are Goliath, but still not recommended) | parchment paper
Heat the oven to 400 F/200 C. Weigh the egg whites and then the sugar. Spread the sugar out in a shallow baking pan of sorts. You can line it with parchment paper first, if you like. Run a handful of pistachio nuts (or more) through the food processor to chop lightly. Have your salt, rosewater, and apparatus for beating the egg whites ready.
When the oven is hot, place the tray of sugar in the oven, and remove when the sugar has just started to melt at the edges. Mine took about 10 minutes, though you should start checking several minutes before this.
A couple of minutes before the sugar will be done, place the egg whites in a very large bowl (preferably steel, if not glass, and if not that, then plastic will do) start beating, starting on medium and working up to high. The goal is for them to be a frothy by the time the sugar comes out of the oven. (This is a good time for team work.)
When the sugar is done, turn the oven down to 230 F/110 C. After you have figured out how to transfer the sugar from the tray to the egg white bowl (It took me awhile.), pour the sugar in very slowly, with the beater still going on high. You do not want scrambled egg whites. Then add a pinch of salt and the rosewater to the big bowl, beating all the while. You will want to beat the egg whites for a total of 10 minutes. They are ready when they are quite stiff and the little peaks they make on your spoon don’t slope over. I do not recommend tasting, as the mixture is addictive.
When you are done, cut pieces of parchment the size of your baking sheets. Then take a tiny spoonful of the meringue mixture and use it to secure the parchment to the bottom of each sheet. Using 2 big spoons, gently dollop out the mixture onto the baking sheet. You’re looking for the size of a medium apple-ish. Space them well, as they will expand further in cooking. Place the pistachio nuts lightly on top of each. Then bake for 2 hours. Yes, 2 hours. Try to cool entirely before ‘testing’ one. They will keep for a number of days at room temperature; you may cover them lightly, but do not place in an airtight container.
5 egg whites will make about 6 meringues, 10 will make 12, and so forth
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You had me at pistachio.