October 5, 2015

Coffee Meringues, a melt-in-your-mouth sweet treat

Natacha Sanz Caballero Desserts and Sweets coffe meringue, coffee, dessert, egg whites, meringue

Making paella always wakes up my senses, every one of them. I’m sure it is because of all the sentiments it evokes, and the memories attached to the dish. Growing up in Spain, we used to have paella mostly on Sundays, when the after-meal time could linger for hours and well into the early evening. In the summer, the after-meal time  (what we popularly call la sobremesa in Spain) would end when pool or beach time started, and it was mostly the children who set those times. In the autumn and winter, there would be maybe a movie to watch at the cinema, or teenage friends getting together for a stroll at the square, that would mark the end of the sobremesa. Whatever the season, paella and Sundays came together.

But the Sundays of my youth are associated with another pleasure. It was pasteles de Casa Mora, pastries and sweets from Mora Bakery, a pastry shop in my hometown of Onteniente.

Casa Mora has been in business since 1759, and as a bakery shop since 1793 —yes, you read that right: in business for 256 years! Thirteen generations of the Mora family have led the business from its beginning, and although I haven’t done much research on the matter, I would venture to say that there are only a handful of companies, not only in Spain, but in the world, that would fit in that category. If that distinction wasn’t enough, in 1877, then King Alfonso XII named Pastelería Mora an oficial supplier of the Royal House. The fact that they have been in business for this long is only a testament to the quality of their products. They make so many delicious, delicate sweets, many of them original to the bakery, that it would take many pages to describe them all. But I will certainly come back to them in future posts.

 

On this day, I particularly remember the merengues de café, coffee meringues, a dessert so light and airy, yet satisfying, that one doesn’t feel any guilt savoring one after eating paella. Egg whites, coffee, and sugar are the sole ingredients.

You can check Pastelería Mora by clicking here, and if you pay a visit to my hometown of Onteniente one day (you can also find it as Ontinyent, its name in the Valencian language), you have to visit them and try some of their specialties. Your mouth will water.

In the meantime, I’ll leave you with this simple dessert, coffee meringues, based on the ones they make at Pastelería Mora. You will not be disappointed.

 

COFFEE MERINGUES

Merengues de Café

For 15 meringues

Ingredients:

6 egg whites

1/2 cup icing sugar, sifted

 

For coffee syrup:

1 1/3 cups granulated sugar

1/2 cup espresso coffee

 

Prepare the coffee syrup:

Place coffee and granulated sugar in a pot and bring to a boil, while stirring to dissolve the sugar. When the mixture starts to bubble, lower the heat to medium-low and let simmer, without stirring, for about 10 minutes. The mixture will look frothy while it simmers. Resist the urge to stir.

Towards the end of the 10 minutes, insert a fork to check the consistency. The syrup will be ready when it tends to stick to the prongs in the fork. Remove from the heat source and set aside to cool.

Beat the the egg whites until they stiffen. You can do this manually, preferably in a copper or glass bowl, or automatically in a mixer. When the egg whites start to thicken, slowly add the icing sugar. Continue to beat until the egg whites form thick peaks.

At this point, and while continue beating, slowly add the coffee syrup, which should now be close to room temperature. Continue to beat until completely incorporated.

Preheat oven to 400ºF.

Prepare a pastry bag with your chosen tip, depending on the shape you want to give the meringues (I used a large star shape tip). Lay the cups on an oven tray (using sturdier cups than regular muffin liners will help your meringues keep their shape). Place in the upper part of the oven for about 2 minutes, or until the meringues start to get a golden color on top (watch closely, as browning happens fast!)

Remove from the oven and let cool. Refrigerate. The meringues are best when consumed within 1-2 days.