Main Ingredients:

See below ingredients and instructions of the recipe

Cooking Preparation of the Recipe:

5 Egg whites # room temp
1/4 ts Cream of tartar
1/4 ts Salt
1 ts Vanilla
1 1/4 c Sugar

Grease flour 2 baking sheets. Combine egg whites, cream of tartar,
salt, vanilla in a large bowl. Beat (at medium speed if a mixer is
used) until egg whites hold soft peaks. Gradually add 3/4 cup sugar,
a tablespoon at a time, beating continuously. Continue beating until
meringue is very stiff and dull. It has been beaten enough when a
bit, rubbed between thumb finger, is no longer grainy. The
meringue should be stiff enough to hold it's shape when formed with a
pastry tube. Gently fold in remaining sugar.

Meringues should actually be dried rather than baked. Herein lies the
secret of making meringues which are tender, delicate, and
light-colored, rather than overly crisp, tough, and too dark to be
either attractive or delicious. The best meringues are baked by the
following method:

Set oven teperature at 200 degrees before beginning to beat the egg
whites. After shaping the meringue mixture on baking sheets, place in
the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Then turn off the oven heat. Allow
the meringues to remain in the oven with the heat rurned off for at
least 4-5 hours -- the longer the better. If your oven has a pilot
light, the meringues will be ready a little sooner. The meringues
should be totally dry before removing them from the oven. If you
can, leave them in the oven overnight.

For many of us, however, time is a factor. If you can't take the
time to bake meringues this slow, slow way, accept second best
simply bake them slowly, setting the oven temperature for 200 degrees
or less if possible. At 200 degrees, meringue layers will need to
bake for about 40 minutes; small meringues may take a little less
time.

Whatever method you use, it is important to prevent the meringues from
coloring, since even a light tan color changes their texture and
taste as well as their appearance.

When thoroughly dry, meringues can be kept covered in a dry airy
place (NOT in a tightly covered box) for several weeks.

ALTERNATE MIXING METHOD by ELECTRIC BEATER

Combine egg whites, cream of tartar, salt, 1/2 cup sugar and vanilla
in large bowl. Beat at high speed until egg whites hold peaks. Add
1/2 cup sugar, all at once. Beat at high speed until mixture is very
stiff and there are no grains of undisolved sugar. Fold in remaining
sugar.

To shape Swiss Meringue into layers and rounds follow directions given
below.

Grease and flour a large baking sheet. Press the rim of a 9-inch
layer cake pan or a 2-inch cooky cutter lightly into the flour on
baking sheet to make guides. If Baking Pan Liner Paper is used, the
guiding circles will have to be traced with a pencil. Spread mixture
within circles. OR: Fill a pastry bag fitted with a No.3 or 5 tube
with prepared mixture. Starting in center of each circle, press out
bater in a long, continuous, pencil-thick strip, curling it round
round until traced circle is completely filled in (spiral). For best
control, press out batter slowly, holding bag at least 1 inch away
from sheet.

Bake in a 325 degree oven, 25 minutes for small rounds, 35-40 minutes
for 9-inch layers.

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