Meringue Pie

Anecdote

My husband claims that I normally don’t get along with women who do not bitch about their spouses.

Now that’s not true! But when Madhulina said at a tea-party that her role model was her husband while others were awarding the title to their fathers or to Mother Teresa, many of us pounced on her as though she had just announced an extra-marital relationship. Poor “M” (referred to as by this Mr. Bond, the in-question husband) found herself finding excuses to defend this sudden declaration of romance to a pack of aggressive suspecting women.

Sumantra and Madhulina have had us over many a time at their very elegant and alluring Calcutta-Victorian-styled home. A couple of such evenings have ended with this equally alluring meringue pie. Brought in on a cross-legged old-fashioned portable table, this picturesque pie is as welcoming visually as it is deeply satisfying to the palette.

Stuff that you must have:

4 egg whites

1 cup of castor sugar

3 teaspoon cornflour

1 teaspoon white vinegar

What to do:

Heat oven to 150 degrees Celsius. Beat egg whites till soft peaks start appearing. When stiff. Fold in vinegar and corn flour. Spread mixture in a greased baking tray. Bake for 40 minutes till pale and crisp. Cool in the oven. Add chilled fruits and cream before serving.

How to serve:

On a large flat dish plate. A compatible knife to carve it and a spatula like flat serving spoon to serve it.

Trivia:

Meringues used like cookies are baked at a very low heat for a long time. One name for them is "Forgotten Cookies" as they can be left in a gas oven for long periods of time after the cooking is done.