Meringue

I’ve been doubting a whole lota time to share this one. Because there will be days of disappointment where - for some unknown twist of faith (you might have ignored the neighbor’s cat’s walk of attention) they will fail. On those days, feel happy you got to lick the spoon and the mixing bowl (you will). And now to work, because you can do it!

INGREDIENTS

100 ml cold aguafaba (I usually keep it at last a night in the fridge after draining the chickpeas)

50 gr powdered sugar

50 gr granulated sugar

3 tbsp lemon juice

PREPARATION

Prepare for 15 noisy minutes, or a very painful arm tomorrow.

Clean a mixing bowl with lemon juice.

Add the aquafaba and mix on high speed for 5 minutes. By now you should already have a white structured mass.

Add the lemon juice and mix for another 5 minutes. The mixture will now firm already.

Last five minutes are as a repetitive as starting to learn maths:

• Add sugar a teaspoon at a time, starting with the powdered sugar.

• Count to ten

• Add another teaspoon of sugar (when the powdered sugar is done, switch to the granulated sugar)

When the sugar is done, continue beating until you’ve been doing this for at least 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 100°C.

On a baking plate lined with baking paper, make meringue shapes with either a piping bag (messy!) or two tablespoons (less pretty but as tasty). Give them some space cos it’s gonna get hot in there.

Bake at 100°C for at least 3 hours to 3.5 hours in the middle of the oven.

Let cool in oven.

WHAT THE FREAKING FRIGOLE IS AQUAFABA?

Aquafaba is the liquid left over after cooking legumes, such as chickpeas, and is used as a vegan egg white substitute, especially in baking recipes. You’ll find it in every can of chickpeas or white beans. Just drain it and cool it (or even freeze it) for future pleasure.

If you cook your legumes yourself, here is how to make aquafaba: use the same water you’ve used to soak the dried beans or peas to cook them. After cooking, drain the beans or peas and keep the liquid. Put it back in the pot and let it cook and reduce until you have about 1/3 of the volume left. Cool. This is tricky thing and you’ll have to try and find the right thickness of your aquafaba. So don’t do this the day before Christmas eve.