Meringue nests with strawberries and cream

Aimee from Wallflower Kitchen shows you how to use aquafaba – the water from a can of chickpeas – to whip up these treats.

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 2 hours

Makes 12 nests

Ingredients

• Water drained from 1x400 g can of chickpeas
• ½ tsp cream of tartar
• 125 g / 1 cup icing sugar
• To serve:
• Fresh strawberries
• Chilled full-fat coconut milk

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 110 °C / fan 90 °C / 230 °F and line a baking tray with greaseproof paper.
2. Drain the water from the can of chickpeas into a large bowl and use an electric mixer to whisk for approximately five minutes until it's more than doubled in size, and is white and foamy.
3. Add the cream of tartar and whisk again for another minute. Slowly and gently, start adding in the sugar, whisking until the mixture forms stiff, glossy peaks. Stir in some vanilla, if using.
4. Transfer the meringue mixture into an icing bag with a large star-shaped nozzle and pipe into nests or cup shapes. Alternatively, just use a spoon to create mounds and use the back of the spoon to hollow out the centre.
5. Bake for 2 hours. Do NOT open the oven! After 2 hours, turn the oven off and leave them inside to cool for at least another hour.
6. To serve, add a meringue nest to a bowl and whip some chilled coconut milk with some agave nectar (to taste) to create a thick double cream consistency. Pour onto the meringue nest and serve with chopped strawberries on top. Enjoy!
7. These meringues should keep for a couple of weeks in an air-tight container. They can also be frozen.

Tip: Make sure it's not the "salted water" variety - otherwise you'll end up with salty meringues!

Check out more of Aimee’s recipes on wallflowerkitchen.co.uk