Rosewater Pistachio Meringues

We whip up a lot of custards at Jamface, and the tons of surplus egg whites are the reason we started making these. One thing I’ve discovered is that meringues have a magical way of making adults go all cute and gleeful. Ours are on the larger side, but you can pipe delicate little rosettes or domes instead. However, you’ll need to alter the cooking time, which might take some experimenting. Just ensure any vessels and utensils you use are squeaky clean – the tiniest bit of oil, moisture or egg yolk will interfere with the meringue whipping up properly.

MAKES ABOUT 10 LARGE MERINGUES

INGREDIENTS

250 g (9 oz) egg whites

500 g (1 lb 2 oz) caster (superfine) sugar

½–1 teaspoon rosewater

Pink food colouring

2–3 tablespoons finely chopped pistachio nut kernels

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 130°C (250°F) fan-forced. Line two baking trays with baking paper.

To make the meringues, whisk the egg whites and sugar in a large heatproof bowl until combined. Sit the bowl over a large saucepan filled one-third with simmering water, and stir with a whisk until the sugar has completely dissolved – you’ll find the mixture turns clear when this happens. If you aren’t sure, rub the mixture between your fingers, to detect any undissolved grains.

Transfer the mixture to an electric stand mixer with a whisk attachment, and whisk on high speed until the mixture has cooled completely – about 10 minutes. You can gauge this by just touching the outside of the mixing bowl. Fold in the rosewater and enough food colouring to stain the meringue a pale pink until combined.

Spoon tennis ball–sized amounts of meringue onto the prepared baking trays, and sprinkle with the pistachios. Reduce the oven temperature to 100°C (200°F) fan-forced, and bake for 1½ hours. You’ll end up with a crunchy outer shell, but the inside of the meringues will be soft and marshmallowy.