Meringue Cups Recipes

EASTER MERINGUE CUPS

Steps:

• Place egg whites in a large bowl; let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Beat the egg whites, vanilla and cream of tartar on medium speed until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, on high until stiff peaks form. , Drop meringue into eight mounds on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Shape into 3-in. cups with the back of a spoon. , Bake at 275° for 45-50 minutes or until set and dry. Turn off oven and do not open door; leave meringues in oven for 1 hour. Spread cups with lemon curd and fill with fruit.

MINI PEPPERMINT-MERINGUE CUPS WITH GANACHE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 175 degrees. Trace 16 circles onto each of 2 pieces of parchment using a 1 3/4-inch round cookie cutter, spacing about 2 inches apart. Coat 2 baking sheets with cooking spray, and top each with a sheet of parchment, traced side down.
• Make the meringue cups: Heat egg whites and sugar in a heatproof bowl of a mixer set over a pan of simmering water, stirring, until sugar dissolves and mixture is warm to the touch, about 3 minutes. Transfer bowl to mixer. Whisk on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form. Beat in peppermint extract.
• Using a small food-safe paintbrush, paint 3 stripes of red food coloring up the inside of a pastry bag fitted with a 1/4-inch plain round tip. Transfer egg-white mixture to pastry bag; pipe coils to fill each traced circle. Pipe up sides of each to create 3/4- to 1-inch-high cups.
• Bake until meringue cups are crisp but not browned and lift off parchment easily, about 1 hour 30 minutes. Transfer meringue cups to a wire rack, and let cool completely.
• Meanwhile, make the ganache: Transfer chocolate to a heatproof bowl. Bring cream to a gentle simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat. Pour over chocolate, and let stand for 2 minutes. Stir until smooth. Cover loosely with plastic wrap, and cut a small slit in the top. Refrigerate until firm, 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes.
• Stir ganache, and transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/4-inch open-star tip. Pipe ganache into the center of each meringue cup. Garnish with candy cane.

MERINGUE SHELLS WITH LEMON CURD

Steps:

• Place egg whites in a large bowl; let stand at room temperature 30 minutes., Preheat oven to 225°. Add vinegar, vanilla, salt and cream of tartar to egg whites; beat on medium speed until foamy. Gradually add sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating on high after each addition until sugar is dissolved. Continue beating until stiff glossy peaks form., Cut a small hole in the tip of a pastry bag or in a corner of a food-safe plastic bag; insert a large star tip. Transfer meringue to bag. On a parchment-lined baking sheet, pipe meringue into twelve 3-in. round disks, building up the sides with meringue to form shells. Bake 45-50 minutes or until set and dry. Turn off oven (do not open door); leave meringues in oven 1 hour. Remove from oven; cool completely on baking sheet. , Meanwhile, in a small heavy saucepan, mix sugar and potato starch. Whisk in water and 1/2 cup lemon juice until smooth. Cook and stir over medium-high heat until thickened and bubbly. Reduce heat to low; cook and stir 2 minutes longer., Remove from heat. Stir a small amount of hot mixture into eggs; return all to pan, stirring constantly. Bring to a gentle boil; cook and stir 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Gently stir in lemon zest and remaining lemon juice. Transfer to a small bowl; cool without stirring. Refrigerate, covered, until cold., Spoon curd into meringue shells. If desired, top with whipped topping and berries.

LEMON CUSTARD IN MERINGUE CUPS

Steps:

• For meringue, in a large bowl, beat the egg whites, vinegar, vanilla and 1/8 teaspoon salt on medium speed until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in 1 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, on high until stiff glossy peaks form and sugar is dissolved. , Line baking sheet with parchment. Spoon egg white mixture into 8 mounds on paper. Shape into cups with a spoon. , Bake at 300° for 35 minutes. Turn oven off and leave door closed; let shells dry in oven at least 1 hour. Remove shells from paper. When thoroughly cooled, store in an airtight container. , For custard, in a small saucepan, combine the cornstarch and remaining sugar and salt. Stir in water until smooth. Cook and stir over medium-high heat until thickened and bubbly. Reduce heat; cook and stir 2 minutes longer. Remove from the heat., Beat egg yolks. Stir a small amount of hot mixture into egg yolks; return all to pan, stirring constantly. Bring to a gentle boil; cook and stir 2 minutes longer. Remove from the heat; gently stir in the lemon juice, zest and butter. Cool to room temperature without stirring. Chill. , Just before serving, fill meringue shells with custard and top with whipped cream.

RED, WHITE, AND BLUE MERINGUE CUPS

Steps:

• Using a 3-inch bowl or cookie cutter, draw 8 circles on a sheet of parchment paper. Turn the paper over, and place on a baking sheet; set aside.
• Preheat oven to 200 degrees. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine whites, lemon juice, and vanilla. Beat on medium-low speed until soft peaks form, about 1 1/2 minutes. Reduce to low speed, and gradually sprinkle sugar over whites. Increase speed to high and beat until stiff glossy peaks form, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from mixer; sift cornstarch over, and fold to combine.
• Fit a pastry bag with a plain pastry tip with a 1/2-inch opening (Ateco No. 6), and fill bag with meringue. Beginning in the center of one of the circles, cover with an even layer of meringue. Pipe around the perimeter to form a 1-inch collar. Repeat process with remaining circles.
• Transfer baking sheet to oven, and bake for 1 hour. Reduce heat to 175 degrees, and bake until meringue has dried but is still white, about 1 hour more. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
• Place a meringue on a dessert plate. Fill with a scoop of sorbet, and drizzle with blueberry sauce. Serve immediately.

SWISS MERINGUE SHELLS

Steps:

• Place egg whites in a small bowl; let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Add vanilla and cream of tartar; beat on medium speed until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, on high until stiff glossy peaks form and sugar is dissolved., Drop 8 mounds onto parchment-lined baking sheet. Shape into 3-in. cups with the back of a spoon. Bake at 225° until set and dry, 1 to 1-1/2 hours. Turn oven off; leave meringues in oven for 1 hour. , Cool on wire racks. Store in an airtight container. Fill shells with berries; garnish with whipped cream or ice cream if desired.

CRISPY MERINGUE CUPS WITH BERRIES AND SORBET

Steps:

• Stir together the strawberries, blackberries, sugar, lemon juice and a pinch of salt in a medium bowl. Set aside to macerate, stirring occasionally, while you make the meringue cups.
• Whisk together the egg white, vanilla, remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt and lemon zest in another medium bowl. Add the confectioners' sugar and stir with a rubber spatula until mostly combined, and then mix with your hands until a thick, firm dough forms.
• Remove about 1/8 of the dough and place in another bowl. Add the red gel food coloring. Wearing gloves, knead the dough to swirl in the color until no streaks remain. Return the red dough to the bowl with the other dough and mix together until swirled throughout.
• Transfer the dough to a cutting board and pat into a disk. Cut into 8 equal pieces (about 2 tablespoons each), and then roll each into a ball. Use a finger to poke a hole, about 1/2 inch across and 1/2 inch deep, into the center of each ball. If the ball starts to crack when poked, use your fingers to press it back together. Cover with a slightly damp kitchen towel so they don't dry out.
• Line a microwave-safe round dinner plate with a paper towel. Place 1 ball in the center of the plate and microwave on the highest setting until the dough puffs into a crispy meringue about 5 inches across-it should be hollow when tapped, about 1 minute 30 seconds. Use an oven mitt or kitchen towel to remove the very hot plate from the microwave and transfer the paper towel with the meringue to a wire rack.
• Line a second large microwave-safe round dinner plate with a new paper towel and repeat this process with the remaining pieces of dough, alternating between the two plates so that they have a little time to cool down after microwaving each meringue cup.
• Let the meringues cool completely, then carefully peel away the paper towels.
• Place each meringue cup on a serving plate and top each with about 1/2 cup of the macerated berries and a scoop of lemon sorbet. Drizzle with some of the juices from the fruit and serve immediately.

MERINGUE CUPS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 200 degrees. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine whites, lemon juice, and vanilla. Beat on low speed, gradually increasing to high, until soft peaks form, about 1 1/2 minutes.
• Sprinkle sugar over the egg white mixture; beat on high speed until glossy peaks form, about 3 minutes. Sift cornstarch over mixture, and fold to combine.
• Using two soup spoons, drop balls of meringue onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Press down on center of each ball with one spoon to form a small cup.
• Bake 1 hour. Reduce oven temperature to 175 degrees; continue baking until outside is dry and crisp and inside is chewy, about 1 hour more. Remove from oven; let cool completely.