Cooking with Katie: Strawberry & Raspberry Meringues

For Valentine's Day, I knew baking a light yet sugary treat would be perfect. Meringues are one of the easiest recipes to make with only two ingredients at its simplest form: sugar and egg whites. Better yet, making these treats have a pink hue would be an appropriate touch for such a holiday.

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Let the eggs sit out for half an hour until room temperature. It is suggested to only use metal bowls and utensils when making the meringues to not disturb the binding chemistry. Separate your egg whites and egg yolks. I do this by catching the yolk in the egg shell halves and letting the whites drip into the bowl. Make sure none of the yolks end up in the egg white mixture.

Combine the granulated sugar with the superfine sugar. If you do not have superfine (castor) sugar, you can put white sugar in a blender or food processor for 30 seconds.

Whisk the egg whites at high speed until a soft peak is formed.

Add in the cream of tartar. This ingredient is acidic and helps the meringues hold their shape.

Add a pinch of salt. This is the binding agent.

Continue to mix at high speed. Add the sugar mixture one tablespoon at a time. Continue until stiff peaks form. This step could take up to 10 minutes. There is a tale that you know the mixture is complete if you tip the bowl upside down and nothing pours out.

If you want to make both strawberry and raspberry, divide the mixture into two bowls. In one bowl, add a drop of red food coloring and a teaspoon of strawberry essence/extract (or seedless strawberry jam or strawberry puree). In the other bowl, add one teaspoon of raspberry essence. Mix until stiff and glossy.

Add large star tips to two piping bags. In one bag, take a paint brush and paint red food coloring down the sides. Add the white mixture to this bag and the pink mixture to the other.

On a parchment paper lined cookie sheet, pipe the meringues in coils starting at the center and continuing to the outside of each circle.

Bake for one hour and then turn off the oven and leave sitting in the oven for another hour. You'll know the meringues are done when they are firm, hollow-sounding, and a bit golden. Loosen the meringues with a spatula from the parchment paper.

These airy French desserts will be perfect to share with my loved ones this season!