Bound in a Nutshell: The Quintessential Meringue

Meringues are, quite possibly, my favorite thing in the world. Amidst the
heavy cakes, pies, and cookies in everyone's family reunions, meringues
will always stand out as a little cloud of perfection. They have a delicate,
sweet flavor that's sure to make you feel like you've been kissed by an
angel. Don't believe me? Then you haven't tried them.

Try saying it out loud a few times. Really, say it with me. "Meringue,
meringue, meringue". Fun, right? It's also fun to type, take my word on
that one. In essence, they're little drops of egg whites and sugar. That
doesn't sound nearly as nice as anything in French though. On top of that,
they're incredibly easy to make, but incredibly impressive to look at, too.
Really, they're adorable, and eating them gives you another sense of
wonder. Partially with the thought of how someone could get that texture
and partially wondering how they all disappeared so quickly.

Even after them being one of my favorite recipes for years, I'm still shocked
by how much I enjoy them. My first time making meringues, I remember
thinking that it would be an incredibly daunting task. After all, if you're
mainly used to baking cookies or cakes, this is very different. On top of
that, meringues are rather finicky. For instance, if it's raining outside, you
have approximately halved your chance of making them work. Seems to
me as though all french desserts are extra finicky compared to their counter-
parts. Meringues don't like the rain. Madeleines have to have a specific pan.
And don't even get me started on a croquembouche, I have yet to get that right
to this day. All in all, anything French is bound to be difficult.

.....Except this! Of the difficulties given to us by the French, Meringues are quite
possibly the very easiest to master, given that it isn't too humid and it isn't
raining. And all of this is exactly why Meringues are the recipe I'm choosing to
rattle off. And with that, good luck!

INGREDIENTS

3 egg whites
2/3c sugar
1/4tsp cream of tartar
Approximately 1tsp vanilla extract
Food dye (optional)

PROCESS

In a stand mixer using the whisk attachment, or using an electric mixer (it's possible to just whisk it by hand, but that'd be a pain in the you know what), begin to whisk your egg whites until they're foamy. While you wait, prepare a piping bag with your tip of choice. TIP: you can also just cut off one corner of a plastic bag, if you don't have a piping bag or frosting tips. See example below.
At this point, pour in your cream of tartar and vanilla, whisking again until it's mixed in. Preheat your oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit,
Start to slowly pour in your sugar in small increments while the egg whites whisk. Once all of your sugar is added, leave them to keep mixing on high until stiff, glossy peaks form. At this point, you can also add in your food dye (I used blue). I've found that gel food coloring works best, but liquid can work as well. To see what exact consistency you're looking for, see below where I'll have some pictures.
Once you've gotten the correct consistency, transfer the mixture into your bag and pipe small dots onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. There's more mixture than you think, trust me, I used two large sheets.
Place the pans in the oven and set the oven to turn off after forty five minutes. Don't open the oven, leave the meringues in there for another hour with the oven OFF. This is essential to the baking process and what makes them, well, cook. You can take them out after the hour, they'll be cool and ready to transfer. If you aren't eating them all then or using them for some function that day, store at room temperature in an air tight container.

As the French say, Voila!