Meringue Swirls

     These next little treats were really fun to make, and actually worked out exactly as they were supposed to.  They came from the monthly Martha Stewart catalogue my grandmother gives me.  There's usually at least one cool little dessert that sparks my interest.  These looked delicious and easy to make.  So tomorrow my coworkers will get to have a taste.

   I haven't ever made meringue cookies or eaten them, so these were a really good recipe to start with.  I know that most meringue cookies are usually 'crunchy' all of the way through, but these have a nice soft middle which melts in your mouth; it's fantastic.  

       The flavors I used were Orange, Lemon, and Rose.  

Meringue Swirls

3 large egg whites

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 vanilla bean, seeds scraped

Large pinch of Salt

Large pinch of Cream of Tartar

1 teaspoon finely grated fresh orange zest

Gel-paste food coloring

    * I used flavor oils instead of the zest (though I did use some lemon zest in the lemon cookies)  

    * I also doubled the recipe and was able to make several flavors

-  Preheat oven to 200

- Combine egg whites and sugar in a heat proof bowl.  Add vanilla bean seeds.  Set bowl over a pot of simmering water, and stir until sugar dissolves and mixture is warm, about 3 minutes.  Add salt and cream of tartar.  

- Beat with a mixer on medium-high speed until stiff, glossy peaks form and meringue is mostly cooled, about 7 minutes.  Beat in zest or flavoring.

- Using a small paintbrush, paint 3 vertical stripes of food coloring inside a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2 inch round tip (decorative or not).  Fill bag with meringue, and pipe circular droplets 2 inches apart on a 2 parchment-lined baking sheets. 

-  Bake meringues until crisp on the outside but still soft inside, about 1 hour 15 minutes.  Let cool on a wire rack.