Amazingly crisp with a fluffy centre, these meringues are easy to make as the hot water is added along with sugar and the other ingredients, all in one go! Flavour with rose water and top with pistachios for a Middle Eastern touch.

Makes 12 fluffy meringues

Ingredients

cornflour (for baking tray)

10 egg whites, at room temperature

2 cups caster sugar

100 ml hot water, just boiled

1 tspn white vinegar

2 tspn vanilla extract

2 tspn rose water (or to taste)

Several drops pink colouring

100g pistachios, very finely chopped

pink rose petals (optional)

Method

Preheat the oven to 180C (165C fan forced). Line 3 baking trays with baking paper and sprinkle with cornflour.

Attach the mixing bowl and the wire whisk to the stand mixer. Beat the egg whites on speed 6 until soft peaks form. Increase to speed 10 then add the sugar, hot water, vinegar, vanilla extract and rose water to the egg whites. Beat for 8 minutes or until the meringue is very thick and glossy. Add the pink food colouring and mix on speed 1 until just combined.

Spoon big pillows of meringue onto the prepared trays and scatter with the chopped pistachios.

Bake for 15 minutes, then turn the oven down to 110C (100C fan forced) and bake for another 1½ hours or until crisp. Turn off the heat and leave in the oven, with the door ajar, until completely cooled.

Scatter the meringues with the rose petals (if using) before serving.