Serving size: Serves 10 or more
Cooking time: More than 1 hour
Special options: Gluten free
Course: Dessert, Snacks

Here's a sweet treat to serve with after-dinner coffee. This recipe — using only one egg white — makes about 90 little just-a-mouthful biscuits; when joined together with the coffee cream, there are about 45 complete biscuits. If you do not want to bother piping all these small meringues, pipe just the amount required then pipe the remaining mixture into larger meringues for later use; keep the meringues in airtight container.

INGREDIENTS

¾ cup raw sugar
1 teaspoon instant coffee powder
2 tablespoons water
1 egg white
1 teaspoon vinegar
2 teaspoons cornflour
Coffee cream
60g butter
110g (2/3 cup) icing sugar
1 teaspoon instant coffee powder
2 teaspoons hot water
2 teaspoons coffee liqueur (Tia Maria or Kahlua)

METHOD

Step 1
Combine sugar, coffee and water in saucepan, stir constantly over low heat until sugar is dissolved (this will take about 5 minutes, as raw sugar is more difficult to dissolve than white sugar). It may be necessary to brush sides of saucepan with brush dipped in water to make sure all grains are dissolved. Increase heat, bring to boil, remove from heat immediately. Combine egg white, vinegar and cornflour in small basin of electric mixer, beat until foamy; keep mixer going on medium speed and pour hot coffee syrup in a constant thin stream on to egg white, then beat 10 minutes or until thick. Lightly grease two oven trays, dust with cornflour, shake off excess cornflour. Spoon meringue into piping bag fitted with fluted star pipe, pipe small meringues, about 2.5cm (tin.) in diameter, on to trays, about 2.5cm (l in.) apart.
Step 2
Pipe as many small meringues as desired, allowing four to six per person. (You can use remaining meringue mixture to pipe larger meringues for future use; these can be stored in airtight container.) Bake meringues at 120°C — allow 30 minutes for small meringues, 1 hour for larger meringues. Meringues should feel dry and crisp to touch when cooked. Allow to cool on trays.
Make Coffee Cream while meringues are cooking: beat butter until creamy, add sugar, beat until combined. Dissolve coffee in hot water, add coffee liqueur, add liquid to creamed mixture, beat until smooth. Join meringues with Coffee Cream.