Meringues

Preheat the oven to 110 ºC.
Whisk the egg whites in a bowl until frothy, using a balloon whisk.

Sprinkle the egg whites with the cream of tartar and continue whisking until they are stiff but not dry.

Add 210 g sugar, 15 ml at a time, beating well after each addition with a whisk or electric hand beater. The mixture should be stiff, thick and smooth, not a grain of sugar should be felt when a little of the mixture is rubbed between the fingers.

Add the remaining sugar and the vanilla essence all at once, folding them in with a rubber spatula. Do not beat.

Line baking sheets with non-stick rice paper, if using. Shape high, tufted mounds of meringue mixture on lined baking sheets, or non-stick baking sheets.

Bake for 1 1/2 hours.

Remove the baking sheets from the oven and peel off the paper lining while still warm, otherwise the meringues will stick.

To serve the meringues, sandwich them together in twos with whipped cream. Alternatively, store the meringues in airtight plastic containers for later use. They will keep for up to 3 months.