Basic (Swiss) meringue recipe

Think meringue is too fiddly or time consuming to make from scratch? Never be at a loss how to make a meringue again with our recipe.

Makes 6 large meringues
Takes 15 minutes to make, 1 1/4-1 1/2 hours to bake, plus cooling

Ingredients

3 large, organic egg whites
175g white caster sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

METHOD

How to make basic (swiss) meringue

1. Preheat the oven to 140°C/fan120°C/gas 1. In a large, grease-free mixing bowl, whisk the egg whites to soft peaks. While continuously whisking, slowly add the caster sugar - 1 tablespoon at a time - until you have a stiff, glossy meringue mixture. Whisk in the vanilla extract until combined.

2. Line a baking tray with baking paper, fixing it in place with a tiny blob of meringue in each corner. Using a metal spoon, place 6 craggy dollops of meringue on the baking paper, well spaced apart.

3. Bake for 1 1/4 hours for mallowy centres, or 1 1/2 hours if you prefer crisper meringues. Peel off the baking paper, then transfer the mallowy meringues to a wire rack to cool, or leave the crisp ones in the turned-off oven for at least 4 hours to cool slowly, then transfer to a wire rack.