Cranberry Meringue Nests

For a delicious result, you don’t need advanced cooking or baking skills, but you do need the right equipment – and we’re not talking about food processors or fancy secret ingredients. Bacofoil® baking paper ensures your mini meringues turn out a treat – with its non-slip base and non-stick structure, preparing and cooking them is a breeze

To get and keep the perfect shape for the meringue nests, place a sheet of Bacofoil® baking paper on a baking tray and use a pencil to trace around a glass or cup onto the paper. Leave some space between the circles to prevent the meringues from running into one another later.

Once done, preheat the oven to 140°C and begin prepping the meringue mix.

Beat the egg whites with a mixer on the highest setting, gradually adding the sugar until stiff peaks form. Once the egg white and sugar mixture is stiff, add the lemon juice and cornflour and beat for an additional five minutes. The mixture should now be thick and glossy and keep its shape.

Spoon 2–3 heaped tablespoons of meringue mixture into the circles outlined on the baking paper. Use the back of the spoon to spread the meringue in a circle and create a slight indentation on top. Avoid going right up to the edge of the pencil line, as the meringue will expand during baking

Place the baking tray in the centre of the oven and immediately reduce the oven temperature to 110°C. Bake for 1 hour. Then switch off the oven and leave to cool completely, preferably overnight. Keep the oven door closed during baking and cooling

To make the fruit sauce, combine the fresh cranberries, sugar, zest and juice of the oranges and a teaspoon of vanilla extract in a pan. Simmer over a medium heat, stirring frequently, until the cranberries start to burst and the sauce thickens

To finish, simply whisk the double cream until soft peaks form.

Assemble and decorate the mini meringues by stacking them neatly Begin by topping the first meringue base with a spoonful of cranberry sauce, then place another meringue on top, spoon another bit of the cranberry sauce then top with about two tablespoons of whipped cream, and drizzle more cranberry sauce over the cream. Decorate with a few dried cranberries, orange zest or a slice of orange and garnish with a sprig of rosemary or mint leaves. Enjoy!