A few times this week I’ve looked down and found my mobile phone dialing people. I’ve randomly called friends and business contacts and even people that I haven’t spoken to in years and when they answer, I wish them some sort of random Christmassy greeting and chat before wondering when my phone had decided to get so social.
It reminded me of when Mr NQN’s brother Manu used to call my cousin. They met at Mr NQN’s bachelor party and every now and then Manu would phone him and they would have a chat and see how things were going. We only heard about this potential bromance when my cousin told us that he had kept in contact with Manu for years. We were bewildered by it all, after all they got on well but we didn’t realise how well, so we asked Manu about it. It turns out that it was a repeated accidental phone call as my cousin and Manu and Mr NQN’s father have the same first name and every time my cousin answered, a slightly embarrassed Manu would continue politely with a conversation!
One day a week or so ago, I found my phone dialing Mr NQN, I think I leaned on it while it was under a pile of papers. I heard his distinctive deep voice answer and startled at hearing it under a pile of papers, I said hello and when he asked me why I was calling, I thought quickly. I call him fairly often at work and was mindful not to seem like a pest. I ended up blurting out something a bit nonsensical and irrelevant. “Well…I have some old egg whites! I’m just checking, would you like an Eton Mess for dessert tonight?”
I really was going to make meringues as I had some egg whites that were aged, not deliberately but through thoughtlessness of mind and memory. I had made a slew of custardy desserts and ice creams and suddenly, I had about 10 egg white’s worth in two containers. I stashed them in the freezer and forgot about them for a couple of weeks.
Then I remembered the meringue clouds that I had seen at Patisse and Burch & Purchese months before. No mere ordinary meringue, they were enormous, swirled confections that looked so pretty that people used to squeal (ok that was me) when they saw them. Easy to make, all they require is time in a low oven. These large meringues are still soft and fluffy on the inside and best served with a dollop of cream or ice cream. Better still, if you’re giving this to friends, make more of the sauce and jar it and give it alongside some cream and they’ve got a ready to construct Eton Mess.
So tell me Dear Reader, do you ever try and recreate what you eat in restaurants or see in stores? And are you a phone person or an email person?
Raspberry Meringue Clouds
An Original Recipe by Not Quite Nigella
Makes about 8 large meringue clouds (depending on the size you make them)
- 300g/10.6ozs egg whites (about 10 egg whites)
- 500g or 2 1/2 cups caster or superfine sugar
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 100g/3.5 ozs raspberries (fresh or frozen)
- 1 tablespoon icing or confectioners sugar
1. Preheat oven to 100C/212F and line two baking trays with parchment. Ensure bowl and beater are spotlessly clean, dry and free from grease. Add the cream of tartar to the egg whites and start beating until soft peaks form. Then pour in sugar in a steady stream until it becomes glossy and thick. It is ready when you can tip the bowl upside down without the meringue moving.
2. Spoon onto parchment making big swirls, patterns and crevasses. Bake in the oven for 2 hours and then turn off the oven and allow to cool in oven.
3. Meanwhile, combine the raspberries with the sifted icing sugar and mash up until soft. Strain the seeds out and reserve the puree.
4. Remove the meringues from the oven and preheat it to 120C/248F. Take a small pastry brush and paint the meringues with the raspberry sauce and place bake in the oven for 10 minutes. Cool. Serve with ice cream or cream and extra sauce if desired.
If you enjoyed this post, why not share it with your friends?
What is NQN up to now?
NQN on Facebook
RSS
67 Comments | Add your own
Simply beautiful, Lorraine. I adore how you’ve painted on the raspberry to avoid turning those gorgeous meringues into mush! I’ve been pocket called but never had my phone call out inadvertently, strange.
So pretty! I love those raspberry decoration. Have to think about that next time I make meringues.
Cheers,
Rosa
Beautiful! These meringues are so fancy…love them!
so very pretty!
Oh these are so pretty! I make something similar, but cheat and just use red food colouring, not nearly as good.
I often try to recreate meals that I’ve had in restaurants, just as I enjoy recreating clothes I like when I go shopping. I enjoy the ‘research’
So pretty. Great post!!
I love making things I’ve had in restaurants, shops or even other peoples’ homes.
I love making meringues and for the same reason you do. Too many egg whites. These look very pretty.
I recreate all the time! Love doing that….. As for email or phone, I tend to email because I find it hard to find the right time to sit and have a chat – kids, work, life. But phone is better I think cause it’s hard to connect in an email. LOVE the meringues – yuletide yumminess xox
Wow! Beautifull!
These look Donna Hay pretty! I gotta say I do love email, sometimes it’s so nice and quick.
Heidi xo
These are so pretty
and i immediately thought of the ones at Burch and Purchese ~ I never knew that they were so easy to make hehe
I thought it was very complicated ~ You’ve done a great job Lorraine and I would love to receive some of your homemade goodies for Christmas
I definitely TRY recreating things that I have had at restaurants but hahaha it never quite turns out as nicely as I would like it to be…
Oh wells at least I tried! Have a nice day
Lovely… Didn’t know you could freeze egg whites. Can I freeze eggs that have been cracked? (Yolks too) I’d love to try a divine heavenly cloud of meringue brushed w raspberry purée and a Lilikoi (Passionfruit) version.
Aloha Lorraine. Happy Holidays!
These meringue clouds look so delicious. I remember the first large meringue clouds I ever tasted were in Paris. I have tried to replicate a few recipes tried in restaurants for sure. I am a in-person, email then phone gal.
Oh I love these I always make small pavlovas for Xmas I might do this to some.
Why not putting the raspberry puree in the meringue before putting the meringue on the parchment lined cookie sheet.
Oh Lorraine, these are the prettiest little clouds ever – almost too beautiful to eat!
They must have been made by an angel, wow
Really nice recipe.
Some phones have a mind of their own:)
I want to be on one of those clouds!
I think there something going on with our phones: they decided to have their own social life! I have this “problem” quite often when my phone calls by itself either to my husband, or to one of my friends. Is it a reminder from a “smart” device to communicate?! 
Ooh nom nom nom!
My dad calls me all.the.time. without realising. I have a lovely conversation with his pocket. I don’t know how he manages it on an iPhone!
Having said that I’ve called the wrong person a few times when I ask Siri to do it for me.
There look so very pretty – and I just happen to have an ice cream container full of raspberries, so I’m good to go with this!
This has Christmas grafitti’d all over it. These look absolutely lush! I want one.
My phone has started sending blank messages to people.Very embarrassing.I think meringues and pavlova are my favourite desserts, but I rarely make them because my daughter has a life threatening allergy to egg
What a beautiful looking dessert, but I’d expect nothing less from such a beautiful and elegant lady like you!
Looks delicious! I may make these for Christmas Eve dessert
Im an Email and text person, I think it stems from a job I had with an airline for 6 years taking the same calls (around 120 per day) that drove me insane, it was all Sydney – Melbourne – Sydney – Melbourne – Sydney Melbourne, it was only exciting when the occassional Perth, Darwin or booking anywhere else. Came through!
The recreation of restaurant tasted dishes used to be a constant friendly argument between my husband and me: being an ardent foodie he simply could not understand that oft decades of learning and practice went into creating a fab dish
! There was no way I could copy exactly!! But I still try of course!! And I do prefer emails to phone calls: so often others ring you just at your busiest or with other people. When I answer an email, for the moment I ‘belong’ to that person 
!
those look lovely – I am always trying to re-create restaurant meals….
These LOOK stunning, TRUE!
And yes LOVE experimenting with recipes on what I realistically can do!
I still believe in personally saying G’day!
As I find just my smile or voice (have been told) does brighten some people’s day!
I love your half and half baking these meringues look absolutely beautiful
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
So happy I rediscovered your gorgeous blog today! These meringues are stunning, and so pretty to box up and gift for the holidays.
These look beautiful! Think I’ll whip up a batch on the weekend.
They look so fluffy!
These are very delicate and posh looking- oh and perfect colours for christmas too!
I’ve been an email person for a whole now but have been trying to break the habit of it and using the phone instead!
I won’t try to copy something as I’m bound to fail, but I’m big on “inspired by “. Makes for some tasty experimentation
These are absolutely gorgeous! I think I need to make myself a batch
Hmmm…I once asked alleged American defence intelligence officers (who were drinking at a bar in Hawaii) if it was true they can listen in on our calls – they fell over laughing like there’s nothing easier! “Dude she just asked if we can listen to calls…bwaaahhhh”. Which I later saw on ACA can now be done by anyone with a simple gadget ?
Meringues are just beautiful. Huge fan !
So lovely
they really look like clouds!
*Squealllll* There you go, here’s another person who would squeal at the sight of pretty desserts!
Oooh, how artsy to paint on the raspberry puree like that. Anyone would be lucky to receive one of those beauties as a gift.
I receive a number of that kind of phone call as my name starts with ‘A’ and people’s phones ring me as I’m first in their contact list!
How pretty! Nice way to use up those egg whites. I really do like to recreate recipes from photos or menus or from dishes I try in restaurants–but not for my classes. Email is so easy for me–just about the time it succumbs to obsoleteness…
Lorraine these look so good and very festive too. I adore the taste of raspberries and have a growing stash of egg whites in clip seal bags in the freezer waiting to be used making pavlova, almond bread, and the Italian almond biscuits ‘paste di mandorle, now I know I will be adding this recipe to the list of goodies for Christmas too.
thanks for the reminder! I have egg whites stashed in the fridge. I am a BBM person – easy to use and I can chat no matter where I am
How Christmas-y! Oh and love the passionfruit (or mango!) alternative.
They look so pretty Lorraine! and they make such great gifts.
I try my best to recreate dishes that I like from restaurants. It’s a lot of fun experimenting in the kitchen.
I am more of a phone person. I read all emails, but don’t reply to them straight away… that’s the problem, then I am left with too many emails to answer.
Oh they look so beautiful. I have a vision of you squealing at meringues….and its a funny vision…sad thing is I can really imagine you doing it( camera in hand of course)
The colour is just so pretty! Almost too pretty to eat
Those meringues look so Christmassy, I love them! I just want to hang them from my tree
So gorgeous. I love your beautiful meringue but I also love the raspberry shot here. Made me drool looking at it. Whoever receiving this gift is so lucky!
These look fab!
look delicious. I always make almond bread from my leftover egg whites.
i just made meringues too!
yours are prettier.
These look great! I have never really liked speaking on the phone, so email was the best invention for me!
we have Eton Mess every Christmas eve!
Love that stuff.
So very lovely indeed Lorraine! What a great use for left over eggwhites- although I think I’d just go ahead and make them and then have to find a way to use up the yolks instead
I had quite a relationship going with some older gentleman who repeatedly called my mobile looking for his son. Our numbers were only one digit off, and we would have a lovely time catching up from time to time!
LOL – that was a brilliant excuse when you dialed people by accident, hahaha. I should copy that. Love your meringue – not really a big fan because I find it too plain and…boring. But yours is definitely an exception!
Gorgeous!!
I’m loving the way you have painted these meringues. .. Beautiful!
These DO look heaven-sent! I really need to try my hand at meringues…I never have.If I have to pick, then I am more of an email person, unless it’s one of my kids:)
Your meringues are just perfect, and the red touch makes them perfect for the holidays.
Of course I’m a mail person, I found faster and more easy sending and receiving mails. I just cannot believe there are people that could not manage the emailing, yes, I have a close friend that with great effort can read, but never replies.
Wow they are painted! I made tiny swirl meringues with Evie recently and we swirled raspberry through it, they were delicious and looked si pretty but much paler in appearance.
These look oh so pretty Lorraine! Just love the raspberry red on the pure white fluffiness of the meringues
Yum! I’ve done something similar with peppermint – but I love the idea of raspberry. What a festive gift!
These are so pretty! I have a similar problem with my phone to you. (I’m sure its our phones not us lol) Unfortunately there is a family member who is refusing to speak to me at the moment and I nearly accidental called her this week…. awkward!
Lorraine, thank you for this very easy recipe. I have just finished making these for Christmas eve for all the kids (big and small) and they turned out beautifully. I have never been able to find a meringue recipe before that has worked for me, so thanks a bunch for this one. I will treasure it and use it for all those meringue dishes I keep avoiding (up until now!!) Oh, and I have just tried one… they are delicious!!! They look stunning with the raspberry swirl. Buon Natale anche a voi tutti!! xx
These are so gorgeous Lorraine! Hope you had a lovely Christmas and Happy New Year to you and your husband! x
Post a Comment