Fourth of July is just around the corner. It is arguably the biggest holiday in the U.S. I’m originally from Canada but I became a U.S. citizen in July 2008 so this holiday has a special meaning for me. Fireworks, picnics, barbecues and family get-togethers are synonymous with Fourth of July celebrations. And what’s a celebration without food? For Fourth of July celebrations, this usually means high-calorie foods such as hot dogs, hamburgers, cake and ice cream. Below is a dessert that is light and sweet but low in calories. Sugar free strawberry preserves and a touch of sugar gives it just the sweetness it needs. With it’s red, white and blue, this dessert looks good enough for any picnic table.
| Serving size:
|
1 Meringue Cookie
|
| Number of servings:
|
36
|
| Calories per serving:
|
9
|
| Ingredients
|
Calories
|
| 3 egg whites
|
51
|
| 3 Tbsp granulated sugar
|
135
|
| 1/4 tsp Cream of Tartar
|
2
|
| 4 Tbsp sugar free strawberry preserves
|
40
|
| 4 Tbsp water
|
0
|
| 1/2 cup blueberries
|
42
|
Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Let the eggs come up to room temperature. Separate the eggs and place the egg whites in a clean, dry glass bowl. Beat the egg whites with an electric mixer until they become frothy (about 1 minute). Add the
Cream of Tartar and beat for one more minute. Add sugar, one tablespoon at a time, beating the egg white mixture for 1 minute between each addition. Continue to beat the egg whites until they are glossy and form stiff white peaks (about 7 - 10 minutes total).
Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Place the egg whites into a piping bag with a large round tip. Pipe the egg whites onto the lined baking sheets to form 1 1/2 inch dollops.
Place the meringue cookies into preheated oven and bake for 1 hour. Turn the oven off. Let the meringue cookies sit in the oven until cooled (about 2 hours). Remove the meringue cookies from oven.
Place the strawberry preserves and water in a small bowl and microwave on high for 1 minute. Pour the strawberry preserve mixture to coat the bottom of your serving plate and let cool slightly. Place the meringues cookies on the strawberry preserves. Garnish with blueberries. Serve.
Barbara's Tips
Make sure your glass bowl is clean and dry and that there is no trace of any egg yolk in the egg white mixture otherwise the egg whites won’t lift when beaten. You can also use a clean stainless steel bowl.
The egg whites need to be at room temperature to get them to rise.
The
Cream of Tartar stabilizes the egg whites and prevents them from deflating while you work with them.
If you don’t have a piping bag you can use a
ziplock bag and cut a small hole in one of the corners.
Click
here a for a template you can print and use when piping your meringues. It has twelve 1 1/2 inch circles. Print this template three times and place it underneath your parchment paper.
If you don’t have parchment paper you can use
non-stick foil for baking your meringues.
Essential Flavor Ingredients
Sugar is a natural sweetener that comes from the sugar cane plant. It is commonly added to foods, especially desserts, to increase their sweetness.
