Today’s recipes: Hazelnut meringues and Coconut meringues

I saw it up ahead. It was something I had never seen before and I raced forward to get a better look. And sure enough, my worst fears were confirmed. Driving in the slow lane was a BMW sports car, its taillights tucked beneath its bumper. I kid you not. I mean, would one joke about something as serious as this?

As I pulled past the car, I cast my gaze upon the vehicle and I swear I saw it look away in horror. This outstanding automobile that is capable of going 260km / 160miler per hour was chugging along at 100km / 60m and to add insult to injury was being overtaken by a minivan! Poor thing must still have been in first gear. I looked back at it through the dust as I sped on to other highways and saw his headlights hung in shame.

This happened on Sunday when we drove from France to Germany, a 1400km trip. (NOTE: You should know this because you read yesterday’s blog, didn’t you?! ) This might be considered an ordeal by some, and it is certainly not something I need to do on a daily basis, but both Joerg and I love to drive. Several years ago we drove through Canada from east to west and then from west to east through America. What a fantastic trip (and indeed worth another blog entry!).

We drive on Sundays because no trucks are allowed to drive in both countries on a Sunday and this does mean the traffic flows a lot faster. And this is another thing I love: speed. At this point in my life we own the aforementioned minivan which, as I am sure you can imagine, is not exactly a speed machine. It is with mixed pleasure that I remember the other cars in my life…and my speeding fines. Nowadays I am far more sensible (or Joerg is) but I can still make the van go 130km/h or 80miles/h.

Today we are arriving at the recipe section a little faster than usual. You can pop one of these biscuits into your mouth quickly without anyone noticing, or you can sit with the whole tray and slowly enjoy eating them all!

HAZELNUT MERINGUES / HASELNUSSMAKRONEN
(Makes about 30)

If you would like the meringues to be firmer, then use less white (in this case 3 instead of 4, but try this out for yourself to see what you prefer.)

Some recipes call for finely ground hazelnuts, but Leni prefers them coarsely ground and I must say that I agree with her. There is more texture to the meringues if the nuts are coarser, but you would have a more delicate meringue if you used finely ground nuts

4 egg whites
200g / 7oz fine sugar
1 pkt vanilla sugar OR a drop of vanilla essence
1 knifepoint cinnamon (optional)
350g / 12oz hazelnuts, chopped
Whole hazelnuts

1. Beat the egg whites to stiff peaks. Beat in the sugar, cinnamon (if using) and vanilla and then carefully stir in the nuts to combine well.

2. Using 2 damp teaspoons make little mounds and put on baking paper. Top each one with a whole hazelnut – push in into the mass a little. Leave them to dry for a few hours. Preheat the oven to 130-150C / 250-300F and then bake the meringues 15-20 minutes.

COCONUT MERINGUES / KOKOSMAKRONEN
(Makes about 30)

4 egg whites
200g / 7oz fine sugar
1 pkt vanilla sugar OR a drop of vanilla essence (optional)
1 knifepoint cinnamon (optional)
200g / 7oz desiccated coconut

1. Beat the egg whites to stiff peaks. Beat in the sugar, cinnamon (if using) and vanilla and then carefully stir in the coconut to combine well.

2. Using 2 damp teaspoons make little mounds and put on baking paper. Leave them to dry for a few hours. Preheat the oven to 130-150C / 250-300F and then bake the meringues 20-25 minutes.

ENJOY!