Pistachio and rose-water meringues

Makes 12 large meringues Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi’s giant meringues shatter delicately, breaking away to a soft, marshmallowy core.

— 600g caster sugar

— 300g large egg whites (about 10)

— 2 tsp rose water, or to taste

— 60g shelled pistachios, finely chopped

Preheat the oven to 200C/gas mark 6, with racks in the upper and lower thirds. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment, leaving a 5cm overhang on two opposite sides for easier lifting.

Spread the sugar evenly on the baking sheet. Place it in the oven on the lower rack and roast until the sugar is hot, 6-8 minutes. Watch it closely – you should be able to see it beginning to melt at the edges, but it shouldn’t caramelise or burn.

(If you want to check with an instant-read thermometer, scrape some of the sugar into a little pile on the baking sheet with a heatproof spatula and poke the thermometer into the pile – it should be above 100C.)

While the sugar is in the oven, pour the egg whites into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. When the sugar is almost ready, turn the mixer to high speed and let it run until the whites just begin to froth up, about one minute.

Carefully pour the hot sugar slowly on to the whisking whites – it can help to pick up the edges of the parchment to funnel it in.

Once all the sugar has been added, pour in the rose water and continue whisking, on high speed, until the meringue has cooled to room temperature – about 10 minutes (you can get a sense of the temperature without stopping the mixer by feeling the outside of the bowl).

At this point, the meringue should look smooth and silky and hold its shape when you scoop a bit from the bowl. You can now taste the mixture and fold in a bit more rose water if you want a more assertive flavour.

Turn the oven temperature down to 110C/gas mark ¼.

If your oven runs hot, you may want the temperature to be even lower to keep the meringues bright white, rather than a tawny brown colour.

To shape the meringues, line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Blob a bit of the meringue under each corner of the parchment to help it stick.

Using two large spoons, scoop 12 large, round tufts of meringue (about the size of an apple) on to the baking sheets. Space them at least 6.5cm apart – the meringues will almost double in size in the oven. Sprinkle with the chopped pistachios.

Slide the meringues into the oven and leave there for about two hours, rotating the baking sheets from front to back and top to bottom if they appear to be cooking unevenly.

To check if they are done, lift them from the baking sheet and gently poke to make sure the outside is completely firm and the centre is still a little soft.

Let cool completely on the sheets on racks. Store in an airtight container at room temperature in a dry place.