MERINGUE CHRISTMAS WREATH RECIPES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300°. Draw circles on a piece of parchment paper to use as guides for the wreaths. Place parchment on a cookie sheet, pen lines facing down. In a medium bowl, combine cream of tartar, sugar, and salt; set aside.In a large bowl using a hand mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer using the whisk attachment, whip egg whites and almond extract until mixture starts to get foamy. With the mixer on high speed, gradually add sugar mixture and continue whipping until stiff peaks form. Add green food coloring and whip until combined.Add meringue to a piping bag fitted with a star tip and pipe onto cookie sheet using the guides you’ve drawn. Add sprinkle decorations.Bake until almost firm to the touch, 13 to 15 minutes. Turn off oven and let sit with the door closed for 2 to 3 minutes, then remove from oven when firm to the touch, just before the edges start to brown. Let cool completely. To create the bow decoration, pull apart Twizzlers into individual strings. Trim about 3" from each string, then shape into a bow. Use melted candy melts to help “glue” them together. Let candy melts set.Use remaining melted candy melts to adhere the bows to the wreaths and let set. Store wreaths in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 140C/120C fan/gas 2 and cut a piece of baking parchment large enough to line your biggest baking sheet. Using a plate as a template, draw a circle roughly 28cm in diameter onto the parchment, then flip it over onto the baking sheet so the pencil marks don’t come into contact with the meringue.
• Put the egg whites in a large, clean bowl and beat with an electric whisk until doubled in volume and holding soft peaks. Add the sugar 1 or 2 tbsp at a time, whisking continuously, until the meringue is stiff and shiny, and the sugar has been used up.
• Dab a blob of meringue on each corner of the parchment to stick it to the baking sheet. Using the circle as a guide, spoon 10 mounds of meringue onto the parchment in a wreath shape. Create a little divot in the centre of each one with the back of a teaspoon. Bake for 1 hr 30 mins, then leave in the oven to cool completely (overnight if you can).
• Put the cranberries and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Turn up the heat and boil for 1-2 mins, until you have a sugary syrup, but the cranberries are still whole. Leave to cool completely.
• When you’re ready to serve, place the meringue wreath on a large board or plate. Pour the cream into a bowl, and add the zest and liqueur, if using. Whip until the cream just holds soft peaks. Fill each meringue crevice with a spoonful of cream, then top with 1-2 slices of clementine and some cranberries. Drizzle some cranberry syrup and sprinkle generously with pistachios, then let everyone dive in.