Swiss meringues are prepared by beating the mixture over a saucepan of simmering water. This is the ideal type of meringue to use for piping shapes or for making baskets. Make sure that you keep the oven temperature low to prevent the meringues from cracking.

Makes: about 35 sandwiches
Preparation time: 40 minutes
Baking time: 40-60 minutes
Oven temperature: 80°C

• 4 large egg whites, at room temperature
• 210g (250ml) sugar
• pinch of cream of tartar
• chocolate spread
• 50g peanut brittle, finely crushed

1 Half fill a medium-sized saucepan with water and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to simmer. Put the egg whites, sugar and cream of tartar into a heatproof glass or metal bowl and place it over the saucepan of simmering water.

2 Use an electric hand beater to beat the mixture for 3-4 minutes, until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture feels warm.

3 Remove from the heat. Continue to beat at a low speed, but gradually increase the speed. Beat for about 10 minutes, until the mixture is glossy and stiff peaks form.

4 Scoop the mixture into a piping bag with a star nozzle and pipe small, evenly sized rounds onto a lined baking tray.

5 Bake for 40-60 minutes (depending on the size of your meringues), until crisp – a fan oven works best. Remove from the oven and transfer to baking racks to cool completely.

6 Sandwich the meringues together with a layer of chocolate spread and sprinkle with the crushed peanut brittle.

GOOD IDEA Store the meringues in an airtight container to prevent them from going sticky. Don’t keep the filled meringues for too long as the filling will cause the meringues to soften after a while.

Variation
Nutty meringues Pipe into 10cm circles. Once baked and cooled, top with melted white chocolate and chopped pistachio nuts, or use dark chocolate and chopped pecans or hazelnuts, if you prefer.