Coconut Meringues
This has all the dessert feels for me. Crispy, airy, sometimes mildly chewy meringue, dollops of silky sweet, softly sour yoghurt, drizzling slicks of caramel and crunchy crystallised sugared nuts.
1 cup raw macadamias, chopped
½ cup caster sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup vanilla-flavoured coconut yoghurt ½ cup store-bought salted caramel sauce, warmed
Toasted shredded coconut, optional
MERINGUES
4 large egg whites ²⁄³ cup caster sugar 1 teaspoon cornflour ¹⁄³ cup shredded coconut
Preheat the oven to 100°C. Line two baking trays with baking paper.
Meringues: Whisk the egg whites in a very clean bowl until stiff peaks form. Gradually add the sugar, tablespoon by tablespoon, whisking well as you go. Gently fold in the cornflour and shredded coconut.
Scoop the meringue onto one of the prepared trays in four equal portions. I use a big spoon and aim for a large dollop as the base and a smaller dollop on top. You will be crushing into the top a bit with yoghurt to serve, so you don’t need to be too fussy.
Bake for 1½ hours, then turn off the oven and leave them to cool inside, with the door propped slightly open.
Place the macadamias, sugar and vanilla in a frying pan and toast over medium heat, tossing regularly, for 5–6 minutes until golden and crisp.
Pour onto the second lined tray to cool. Don’t worry if the sugar crystallises.
Eat the meringues topped with the coconut vanilla yoghurt, warmed salted caramel, sugared macadamias and optional toasted coconut. Serves 4