Aquafaba meringues

Replacing eggs in baking is still a taboo for many people, however, there are some ingredients that are slowly becoming more widely used and therefore better known, such as aquafaba, the cooking water from chickpeas.

Today, in fact, we will use it to replace egg whites and make classic meringues.

A basic pastry preparation and we will only need two ingredients: aquafaba and sugar. 

Using a stand mixer will make the game easier, but electric whisks are also fine; in fact, I'll use these to show you that it's possible to use them to obtain a beautiful meringue.

You have to be patient, the aquafaba doesn't whip up in 2 minutes.

How to make aquafaba: You can make it at home, but if you want consistent results and ensure it whips up well, buy a jar of cooked chickpeas, drain them, and save the remaining water. Use this water in place of egg whites.

Procedure

Preheat the static oven to 90˚C. 

Prepare 3 baking sheets with baking paper.

Weigh the aquafaba in a bowl and the granulated sugar in another.

Using the whisk attachment, begin whipping at high speed. After a couple of minutes, when it begins to incorporate air, gradually add the granulated sugar while continuing to whip.

The sugar should not be added all at once, but one spoonful at a time as you whip.

Continue beating on high speed for several minutes until the meringue becomes glossy white. When you lift the beaters, white peaks should form.

The meringue is ready when when you turn the bowl upside down it stays firm and doesn't fall over.

It will take 5 to 10 minutes to whip it up well.

Transfer the meringue to a pastry bag with a decorative tip of your choice; the one used in this recipe is a closed star tip, size 11. 

Tip: To ensure the baking paper adheres well to the baking sheet and prevents it from moving, make a small meringue peak, one in each corner, and place the baking paper on top.

Now decorate the meringues by making small peaks, all of the same size. Make many small meringues until the mixture is used up.

There is no need to space them too far apart as they don't grow much during cooking. 

Cook, or better yet, dry, the meringues in the oven at 90˚C for about 4 hours, with the vent open or by inserting a spoon into the door to let the moisture escape. 

They can be made in a fan oven if the fan isn't too powerful, but a conventional oven is also fine, as long as you place a spoon in the door to let the moisture escape.

They should be completely dry and come away from the parchment paper. The cooking time varies depending on the size of the meringues.

It is important that the T is low, to avoid cracking and to prevent them from turning yellow.

Turn off the oven, open it and let them cool completely inside.