Meringues with Grand Mariner Cream and Berries

This is my all time favorite dessert.  I blogged last year about the Grand Mariner cream  https://dwellinginmiddleburg.com/2012/01/22/grand-marnier-sauce/ but I didn’t included a recipe for meringues.  The Grand mariner cream uses 6 egg yolks, so you are left with 6 whites – all you add is sugar and vanilla to create the perfect base for berries and cream.  I have tried many recipes for meringues and this one works the best.

6 egg whites at room temperature

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

• Pre-heat the oven to 250 degrees
• Add the egg whites to the bowl of a standing mixer with the whisk attachment
• Mix on medium high for about 1 minute
• Start adding the sugar in quarter cups while the mixer is going until it is all incorporated
• Add the vanilla
• Continue beating until the whites hold soft peaks
• On a cookie sheet lined with a Silpat (a silicone baking sheet) divide the whites into 12 mounds – I use two large serving spoon
• Use a chop stick to gently swirl each mound until they are somewhat uniform
• Bake for 1 hour
• Turn off the oven and do not open – leave to dry for several hours or overnight
• Remove from the oven and keep in a air tight container at room temperature until ready to use (best that day)

This is what soft peaks look like – when you pull the whisk out, it holds it’s shape

You can see the trails the chop stick makes – this is what they look like after baking then cooling in the oven several hours