I've been working a few months now on getting my recipes organized and tested so that I could get this cookbook published. Actually, it's been on Amazon's Kindle listings for a couple of weeks, but I just finally got it onto its own page.

So, what are meringues and why would anyone need an entire cookbook about them?

Many folks think of meringue as only being the poufy stuff on top of lemon meringue pies, but that is actually a very llimited use of this versatilve concoction.

A basic meringue consists of egg whites, a stablizing agent such as cream of tartar or vinegar, sugar, and perhaps a flavoring agent. Then, it's the cooking method that really makes a difference. If the meringue is put over a filling and broiled to just brown the top, you have the familiar topping for pies or clouds for floating islands.

However, if you bake the meringue at low temperature for an hour or two, you end up with quite another goodie altogether. (It's actually drying out the meringue, but that's just technical stuff.) It has a very light, mostly just sweet flavor that lends itself to all kinds of wonderments. I think of the basic meringue as being an empty canvas, just waiting for some color and definition. And because the meringue is beaten until it becomes quite stiff and glossy, it lends itself to being formed a bit, such as into circles or rectangles for layered cakes or tortes, into pie crusts for angel pies, cookie kisses, and even ghost shapes or snowman shapes for the holidays.

So, here is the basic recipe:

3 egg whites

1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar

3/4 cup sugar

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar until the mix is foamy. Increase the mixer speed to high and start adding the sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time. Continue beating until you have stiff peaks (the tip doesn't fall over) and glossy.

Use a pastry bag and plain tip to pipe kisses or rounds onto prepared baking sheet, or trop by teaspoonfuls. Bake for 1 hour, then remove to rack to cool.

Meringues can be stored in a container with a tight lid.

Now, as I said, that's the basic recipe. You can flavor the batter with vanilla, lemon, chocolate, etc. You can add tiny chocolate chips to the batter, you can crush candy and sprinkle it over the cookies before you bake them. There are literally hundreds of variations!

And, these are a perfect treat for folks who are gluten intolerant.

Take a look at the recipes I've collected in my Best Meringue Recipes cookbook.