Dancing Ghost Meringues

Boo!!!

With Halloween almost upon us I decided to create dancing ghost meringues for my dinner party last night. It’s been a long time coming but we are finally able to gather friends around our table at home. I have really missed this type of get together – the laughter, the stories, the toasts and the memorable time with friends. Such fun to create a table filled with glitter pumpkins, flowers, candles, floating butterflies and lovely black and white pumpkin name places from Barbara at Village Bakery in Los Felix.

I went with a black and white theme last night and added sparkle – I didn’t want the table to be overtly Halloween so I added butterflies on wire that hovered above white hydrangeas and roses. I asked guests to bring their best sparkle – they didn’t let me down – sequins, sparkling champagne and fizzing personalities – it was such fun!

These delightful little ghosts are super easy to make – I had left over meringue from the pavlova I made for dessert – but you could just as easily whip up a batch of meringue specially for the ghosts.

Recipe for Ghost Meringues

Top tips for glossy meringues: eggs must be at room temperature and heat the sugar before adding it to the whipped egg whites.

Lucy

Ingredients

300 grams caster sugar

150 grams egg whites – at room temperature

food coloring and toothpick for faces

edible glitter

How to make the Ghosts

Heat oven to 400 F.

Spread the caster sugar over parchment paper on a sheet tray. Heat sugar in oven for 5 mins.

In the bowl of the electric mixer whip up the egg whites until white and frothy but not yet stiff peaks. Slowly add the hot sugar to the bowl on low speed and then turn up speed. Whisk on high for several minutes to form stiff silky meringue.

On parchment paper using two dessert spoons form the base of the ghosts with the meringue. Switch to teaspoons to form a smaller head and then draw out the meringue in two side peaks to form the arms.

I had fun doing this – each one is different and the peaks of the meringue form interesting arms, heads and spooky forms. Some were obviously rather tipsy and were falling over – others were twirling and spinning in their ghostly dance.

Cool the oven down to 200 F by leaving the door open! and then bake for about two hours. You want the outside to be crisp and white and the inside to still be soft.

Remove the ghosts, sprinkle with edible glitter and let them cool on the tray.

Take a toothpick and some dark food coloring and paint on the faces – eyes, smiles and wide open boos and oohs!

Happy Halloween!!!