Despite being a total chocoholic, I've decided to think outside of the box for this Easter post. These pretty pastel 'eggs' are, infact, rose-scented meringues- gently coloured with natural fruits. A little touch of Easter magic...turning egg whites back into eggs again!
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At only 1pp (40 kcal) each for the small ones, or
3pp (120 kcal)for the huge ones,
you can afford to be a little indulgent....Of course, you could drizzle some melted chocolate on them, but I love the look of them all matt and organic almost like pebbles.
They are really easy to make but you just need a little time for them to dry out effectively-(at least 2 hours after baking).
You will need:
4 Egg whites
(Or 8 tablespoons of egg white if you use the product below)
I use this great product called 'two chicks'. It's free-range egg whites from the refrigerated section in the supermarket, so you don't have the wastage with the egg yolks.
(Click HERE for link about this product)
200g caster sugar
1/2 tablespoon essence of rose water
To colour;(optional)
Blueberries (a handful)
Raspberries (a handful)
These fruits need to be 'zapped' in separate ramekin dishes in the microwave for 1 minute, then sieved so that you have about a tablespoon of rich-coloured juice, for natural colouring.
Baking Parchment
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Preheat the oven to 150 degrees centigrade.
Put the egg whites in a mixing bowl and whisk with an electric whisk.
Once the egg white is forming stiff peaks, start to add the sugar one tablespoon at a time, whisking well in between each addition.
When the mixture is really firm and glossy, it's ready. Mix in the essence of rose water.
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You can make the meringues at this stage, but for added interest, I like to colour some of the mixture with natural fruits.
Divide the mixture into 3 batches. Keeping one of the batches white, colour the other two with the natural fruit juices.
Don't be tempted to add too much fruit juice as it's watery and it does affect the texture of the meringues...they can crack on drying if the mixture becomes too wet. (Because I'm not a perfectionist, I don't mind if some of them crack as it reveals the pastel colours inside, but this may bother some people).
Mix the colour in loosely, so that you get a 'marbled' effect. For a more solid but subtle colour, mix the natural colouring in more thoroughly. Or do a combination, like I did.
Pop some baking parchment
onto a baking tray.
Using a dessertspoon, gently dollop the mixture into various sizes of egg-shaped, oval mounds. Pile it high so you get that 'eggy' shape as obviously, the base will be flat. I worked out that this amount of mixture makes approximately 27 meringues of 1 dessertspoon size each. So, if you make various sizes, do them as 1 dessertspoon size (1pp/40kcal), 2 dessertspoon size (2pp/80kcal) and 3 dessertspoon size (3pp/120kcal) for the huge ones so that you can work out the points and calories easier when serving.
I sprinkled mine with edible glitter, however since making these, there has been some controversy regarding this product.
(Click HERE to see my post for information).
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Bake for 30 minutes at 150 degrees Centigrade.
Turn the oven off and leave the meringues to dry out gently in the warm oven for as long as possible-at least 2 hours, preferably overnight.
To Serve:
Find a beautiful serving dish or basket. I used this pretty vintage tray I've had for years.
Put some natural straw on the base of your chosen serving dish, then arrange the 'eggs' carefully on the top.
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These are so delicate and look so precious, you couldn't possibly feel deprived of Easter decadence when you have a batch of them in the house.....and, of course, you could sandwich 2 small ones together with half a pot of chocolate Philadelphia for 3pp in total (120kcal), or some cinnamon creme-fraiche, which would be a very lovely treat.
You could also tie two large ones together with string and put a fresh sprig of Springtime flowers in the string to make a proper 3D 'egg'.
Finally.......I just wanted to show you how attractive the meringue 'eggs' look when you break into them, as the pastel, subtle colours appear slightly stronger on the inside. This lilac colour is the blueberry one, and the raspberry version turns out a
dusky rose colour.
They are just so pretty!
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These would make a beautiful treat or dessert for any time of year and of course, you can make them any shape or size you want.
P.S.This is one of the 'eggs' that cracked a little bit when it dried out. I melted 8g chocolate and drizzled and 'blobbed' it really randomly over the rough surface....it still looks divine, and only adds 1pp/40kcal. You could serve this with a handful of fresh raspberries and some yoghurt for a delicious pudding.
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Egg-tastic!
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4 comments:
Great idea. I failed to think of anything that was suitably Easter and not too indulgent. I've thought about using the chilled egg white before, but I've never wanted to be the first person I know to try it, so thanks for testing. Enjoy the rest of your Easter.
You too Phil! Happy to have inspired you. x
An Eggceptionally Eggciting Easter Eggstraviganza. Love the nest too!
Thanks Half Egg! It's dedicated to you! xx
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